What's in your humidor?

[Jackal01]

Slight change of topic. I have done a little research on this but wanted to get the input from y'all. I have had my 70 count humidor for about a month. I seasoned it myself with a new sponge and distilled water (per directions). First few weeks were great (around 69%) but now the past couple weeks the humidity is hovering around 60-64. I just re-seasoned it yesterday and already after 24 hours it has dropped from 78 to 64. I was using two Drymistat sticks for roughly 10 cigars. Not sure if our house is now less humid due to cooler weather or the humidor is the issue. Past week has been the "coldest" this winter which is around when it started to drop.

With all that said...I ordered, from CI, Gurkha's Gargantuan Grab Bag Sampler and, these looked good (also on sale), Alta Gracia Panatela.

 

[espi]

Slight change of topic. I have done a little research on this but wanted to get the input from y'all. I have had my 70 count humidor for about a month. I seasoned it myself with a new sponge and distilled water (per directions). First few weeks were great (around 69%) but now the past couple weeks the humidity is hovering around 60-64. I just re-seasoned it yesterday and already after 24 hours it has dropped from 78 to 64. I was using two Drymistat sticks for roughly 10 cigars. Not sure if our house is now less humid due to cooler weather or the humidor is the issue. Past week has been the "coldest" this winter which is around when it started to drop.

With all that said...I ordered, from CI, Gurkha's Gargantuan Grab Bag Sampler and, these looked good (also on sale), Alta Gracia Panatela.

A few things are probably at play here.

Your humidor does not have a good seal.

Your heat is on and your house humidity has dropped due to dry air.

I have been using boveda humidipacks with excellent results for the past few years. However in the winter I have had bump up to the next higher level since i got ride of my whole house humidifier.

My last humidor was a display case that had a hard time keeping humidity, but a few years ago I got a much better one with more cedar and a better seal and the humidity has been much steadier.

 

[Jackal01]

A few things are probably at play here.

Your humidor does not have a good seal.

Your heat is on and your house humidity has dropped due to dry air.

I have been using boveda humidipacks with excellent results for the past few years. However in the winter I have had bump up to the next higher level since i got ride of my whole house humidifier.

My last humidor was a display case that had a hard time keeping humidity, but a few years ago I got a much better one with more cedar and a better seal and the humidity has been much steadier.

Heat has been on. No way around that really...besides wearing all my outerwear. lol Is the "dollar bill test" a legitimate seal-test? I read to place a bill on the seal, close lid and pull it out (some resistance is normal). I will go by the boveda and stick with those since they have different levels.

Edit: did the "test". Not sure what I was looking for but of course there was resistance from the pressure of the lid but not sure what is "normal" if indeed this is an actual test. Oh well.

 

[WJCO]

Slight change of topic. I have done a little research on this but wanted to get the input from y'all. I have had my 70 count humidor for about a month. I seasoned it myself with a new sponge and distilled water (per directions). First few weeks were great (around 69%) but now the past couple weeks the humidity is hovering around 60-64. I just re-seasoned it yesterday and already after 24 hours it has dropped from 78 to 64. I was using two Drymistat sticks for roughly 10 cigars. Not sure if our house is now less humid due to cooler weather or the humidor is the issue. Past week has been the "coldest" this winter which is around when it started to drop.

With all that said...I ordered, from CI, Gurkha's Gargantuan Grab Bag Sampler and, these looked good (also on sale), Alta Gracia Panatela.

I would buy another cheaper hygrometer and put it inside just to see if the readings coincide. If they're different, you'll know that it isn't a humidity problem, but rather a defective original hygrometer.

 

[Petthefish]

Slight change of topic. I have done a little research on this but wanted to get the input from y'all. I have had my 70 count humidor for about a month. I seasoned it myself with a new sponge and distilled water (per directions). First few weeks were great (around 69%) but now the past couple weeks the humidity is hovering around 60-64. I just re-seasoned it yesterday and already after 24 hours it has dropped from 78 to 64. I was using two Drymistat sticks for roughly 10 cigars. Not sure if our house is now less humid due to cooler weather or the humidor is the issue. Past week has been the "coldest" this winter which is around when it started to drop.

With all that said...I ordered, from CI, Gurkha's Gargantuan Grab Bag Sampler and, these looked good (also on sale), Alta Gracia Panatela.

winter is a pain in the ass to keep humidity up right now I am sitting at 63 and I feel fine with that. A lot of guys feel cigars smoke better at a lower humidity I am one of them. I say if it is winter as long as you are between 60 and 70 you are good.

 

[Jackal01]

I would buy another cheaper hygrometer and put it inside just to see if the readings coincide. If they're different, you'll know that it isn't a humidity problem, but rather a defective original hygrometer.

I have a digital one and the built-in one. Both read the same. I read the built-in ones can be cap sometimes but this one seems to actually work.

winter is a pain in the ass to keep humidity up right now I am sitting at 63 and I feel fine with that. A lot of guys feel cigars smoke better at a lower humidity I am one of them. I say if it is winter as long as you are between 60 and 70 you are good.

Works for me. Thanks.

 

[Godspeed409]

Slight change of topic. I have done a little research on this but wanted to get the input from y'all. I have had my 70 count humidor for about a month. I seasoned it myself with a new sponge and distilled water (per directions). First few weeks were great (around 69%) but now the past couple weeks the humidity is hovering around 60-64. I just re-seasoned it yesterday and already after 24 hours it has dropped from 78 to 64. I was using two Drymistat sticks for roughly 10 cigars. Not sure if our house is now less humid due to cooler weather or the humidor is the issue. Past week has been the "coldest" this winter which is around when it started to drop.

With all that said...I ordered, from CI, Gurkha's Gargantuan Grab Bag Sampler and, these looked good (also on sale), Alta Gracia Panatela.

I had a similar issue with my last humidor. It never stayed at any constant humidity even with boveda's. It also matters how many sticks you are storing at a time. Generally you want to have at least 25-50% of your humidors capacity in sticks pretty much always. Right now my sits at a rock solid 68% with 6 72% boveda's in California's dry air. Come summer I will swap to 65 or 69%.

Nothing wrong with 65%, a lot of people stay they taste/smoke better around that mark. Upgrading my humidor fixed the issue I was having keeping humidity stable.

 

[JKCRWLR]

Jackal01, don't forget to calibrate your hygrometer as well. A good digital hygrometer will have the ability to adjust.
There is the salt test and the Boveda hygrometer kit. Both work extremely well.

 

[Jackal01]

Jackal01, don't forget to calibrate your hygrometer as well. A good digital hygrometer will have the ability to adjust.
There is the salt test and the Boveda hygrometer kit. Both work extremely well.

The directions for the digital one were somewhat confusing to me but I think I did it right. Do I need to do it again or just the initial instance?

I can go by first name here. lol. Charlie.

 

[Petthefish]

Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro Pyramide Strange shape for sure

 

[JKCRWLR]

The directions for the digital one were somewhat confusing to me but I think I did it right. Do I need to do it again or just the initial instance?

I can go by first name here. lol. Charlie.

Hello Charlie!

What brand of hygrometer do you have? Also, what method did you use to calibrate it.

I need to get off my lazy ass and show you guys how I remotely monitor three humidors from one location. Works damn right awesome and was reasonably priced.

Wayne

 

[Jackal01]

What brand of hygrometer do you have? Also, what method did you use to calibrate it.

I need to get off my lazy ass and show you guys how I remotely monitor three humidors from one location. Works damn right awesome and was reasonably priced.

Wayne

This is actually the exact kit I bought (with drymistats). http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Importers-HygroSet-Hygrometer-Humidors/dp/B000H6CZQE

Humidor (JFK 70, bought from CI) instructions said to use a new sponge and distilled water. Put the water on the sponge (not soaked). Wipe all interior wooden surfaces. No drips. Sit for 24 hours. Repeat (humidification may or may not placed inside, personal preference). Repeat again if hydrometer doesn't read correctly. Mine has a analog/gauge on the front also but reviews said it was junk however it and the digital one that I placed inside have always read within a couple points of each other.

 

[JKCRWLR]

Ok, what they had you do was season the humidor.
I am not a fan of the damp sponge method. I know that a lot of people have success with this method but there are also a lot of people that have warped their humidors, started a mold problem and ruined their cigars.
In all my many years of enjoying cigars I have not come across a better or easier way than using Boveda's humidor tune-up kit. Extremely easy to use and flawless.

http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/winter-humidor-tune-kit/

You can do this a couple different ways.

1. Buy the correct size for the amount of cigars you have on hand so you get the right size storage bag. You can buy extra 84% seasoning packs as needed for the size of your humidor.

2. Buy everything in the kit as needed separately and store your cigars in a zip-lock bag or Tupperware with a couple 69% or 72% Boveda packs.

They have a lot of great information and products on their site.
I have seasoned and revived several dried out humidors using their seasoning packs and many are still in use. Only one to this day had to be thrown out for not holding humidity due to it being too warped to start with. I place an old cast iron clothes iron on top of wooden humidors for the two weeks to lock in the humidity and attempt to get the lid to seal right again.

With the kit you will also get their hygrometer calibration kit. It will definitely show you just how far off, if any your hygrometer is. Digital and definitely analog are almost never calibrated right out of the box.
If your hygrometer is not adjustable then you will just need to get used to doing some math for the offset each time you look at it.

I know I've been long winded here but I truly love smoking cigars and actually enjoy taking care of my collection as I know that it will pay for itself with every puff.

All the above is based on my own experience and by no way is it to be considered the only way or the best. It's just the best that has worked for me.

 

[Jackal01]

Ok, what they had you do was season the humidor.
I am not a fan of the damp sponge method. I know that a lot of people have success with this method but there are also a lot of people that have warped their humidors, started a mold problem and ruined their cigars.
In all my many years of enjoying cigars I have not come across a better or easier way than using Boveda's humidor tune-up kit. Extremely easy to use and flawless.

http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/winter-humidor-tune-kit/

You can do this a couple different ways.

1. Buy the correct size for the amount of cigars you have on hand so you get the right size storage bag. You can buy extra 84% seasoning packs as needed for the size of your humidor.

2. Buy everything in the kit as needed separately and store your cigars in a zip-lock bag or Tupperware with a couple 69% or 72% Boveda packs.

They have a lot of great information and products on their site.
I have seasoned and revived several dried out humidors using their seasoning packs and many are still in use. Only one to this day had to be thrown out for not holding humidity due to it being too warped to start with. I place an old cast iron clothes iron on top of wooden humidors for the two weeks to lock in the humidity and attempt to get the lid to seal right again.

With the kit you will also get their hygrometer calibration kit. It will definitely show you just how far off, if any your hygrometer is. Digital and definitely analog are almost never calibrated right out of the box.
If your hygrometer is not adjustable then you will just need to get used to doing some math for the offset each time you look at it.

I know I've been long winded here but I truly love smoking cigars and actually enjoy taking care of my collection as I know that it will pay for itself with every puff.

All the above is based on my own experience and by no way is it to be considered the only way or the best. It's just the best that has worked for me.

Yea I was aware of what "seasoning" was before I bought it via research...I needed to know what to do/buy prior to putting the sticks in. I couldn't decide on the Boveda route or the sponge method when it showed up and obviously I went the sponge route. It is tough to say, based on the comments here, if the warm air from the HVAC is the reason or if it just a crappy seasoning-job on the humidor. I calibrated the digital one once the humidor was seasoned per the directions. From that point on, both hydrometers appeared to be close, within a point or two. It is actually supposed to be 60s for a while (winter in Houston!!) so AC may be back on, if not heat will for sure be off, so I think that will be a good time to see what it does. If no improvement...going to buy the kit you mentioned. :yup:

 

[JKCRWLR]

Yea I was aware of what "seasoning" was before I bought it via research...I needed to know what to do/buy prior to putting the sticks in. I couldn't decide on the Boveda route or the sponge method when it showed up and obviously I went the sponge route. It is tough to say, based on the comments here, if the warm air from the HVAC is the reason or if it just a crappy seasoning-job on the humidor. I calibrated the digital one once the humidor was seasoned per the directions. From that point on, both hydrometers appeared to be close, within a point or two. It is actually supposed to be 60s for a while (winter in Houston!!) so AC may be back on, if not heat will for sure be off, so I think that will be a good time to see what it does. If no improvement...going to buy the kit you mentioned. :yup:

Is your humidor directly under a vent? If not it leads me to believe the seal of your humidor is bad or maybe it's getting opened and shut too much. My humidor sits directly under a vent but the seal is tight enough for it not to matter.
Is there any resistance when opening the lid?

Sorry if my previous post sounded as if you didn't know the difference or didn't already know all that I mentioned, it was not intended to do so. I have a passion for cigars so it slips out when I'm not careful. :sigh:

 

[JKCRWLR]

This is actually the exact kit I bought (with drymistats). http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Importers-HygroSet-Hygrometer-Humidors/dp/B000H6CZQE

Humidor (JFK 70, bought from CI) instructions said to use a new sponge and distilled water. Put the water on the sponge (not soaked). Wipe all interior wooden surfaces. No drips. Sit for 24 hours. Repeat (humidification may or may not placed inside, personal preference). Repeat again if hydrometer doesn't read correctly. Mine has a analog/gauge on the front also but reviews said it was junk however it and the digital one that I placed inside have always read within a couple points of each other.

That is the exact hygrometer that I have in my big humidor. It works great and as you said is fully adjustable. One question though. What was your source of humidity to verify the calibration?

 

[Jackal01]

Is your humidor directly under a vent? If not it leads me to believe the seal of your humidor is bad or maybe it's getting opened and shut too much. My humidor sits directly under a vent but the seal is tight enough for it not to matter.
Is there any resistance when opening the lid?

Sorry if my previous post sounded as if you didn't know the difference or didn't already know all that I mentioned, it was not intended to do so. I have a passion for cigars so it slips out when I'm not careful. :sigh:

Nope. Just wanted to clarify I knew what seasoning was. No big deal. Learn me everything you know! :crazyeyes:

Nowhere near a vent. It is in the living room where there are a couple vents and ceiling fan. I feel a little resistance when opening the lid. It seems like a relatively tight seal...it doesn't move at all when I try to move the lid while closed but I will admit that I don't know if that means anything.

That is the exact hygrometer that I have in my big humidor. It works great and as you said is fully adjustable. One question though. What was your source of humidity to verify the calibration?

Per the directions (can't remember if it was the humidor, drymistat or digital meter) it said after seasoning, put the humidification devices in and sit over night. Then calibrate. I calibrated to 70% since that is what they say they humidify to. I forgot to mention I did this step prior to putting cigars in.

 

[JKCRWLR]

Nope. Just wanted to clarify I knew what seasoning was. No big deal. Learn me everything you know! :crazyeyes:

Nowhere near a vent. It is in the living room where there are a couple vents and ceiling fan. I feel a little resistance when opening the lid. It seems like a relatively tight seal...it doesn't move at all when I try to move the lid while closed but I will admit that I don't know if that means anything.



Per the directions (can't remember if it was the humidor, drymistat or digital meter) it said after seasoning, put the humidification devices in and sit over night. Then calibrate. I calibrated to 70% since that is what they say they humidify to. I forgot to mention I did this step prior to putting cigars in.

PM me your address and I'll send you a Boveda pack that you can calibrate your hygrometer to. Super easy and you'll know for sure that it is correct.
I would definitely keep your cigars out of this humidor until you get the RH right, maybe put them in a Tupperware container with the drymistat.

Wayne

 

[JKCRWLR]

Ok, now that I've had time to test this system out and feel good about it's performance, I feel that it is time to share.

I was having concerns with being able to see my hygrometers within my humidors. I knew that I wanted a way to monitor the humidors wirelessly so that I wouldn't have to open the humidor or turn on extra lights just to see the hygrometer through the glass door. I also didn't want to pay Cigar Oasis $100 for their wifi enabled controller for each of my humidors.

I know, I sound lazy, and for the most part I am..

So while I was doing my daily shopping on Amazon, I came across the answer to all of my concerns.

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FX8ZGOO/ref=s9_hps_bw_g201_i2

You can get the eight transmitter pack but I could only really justify the three transmitter pack.

It is half the price of what I've found elsewhere and totally versatile.​

I can set audible alarms for high and low temp as well and most importantly humidity levels.​

The transmitters have screens that show the temp and RH.​

It is easily calibrated to ensure accuracy.​

Another nice feature is that I know the temp and humidity of my office/smoking room as well as being able to keep track of the temperature and humidity of several key spots within the same humidor, simultaneously monitoring the other humidors all in one display.​

I have been using this setup for several months and it has worked flawlessly. I have even taken the receiver into the living room and still received the status for all of the transmitters.
I did have a transmitter that showed up with the wireless function being DOA so I contacted the manufacturer and they shipped out a replacement immediately. Great customer service.

Take a look at their site and my pictures and let me know if you have any questions.

-Wayne-

Receiver/display


I labeled each of the transmitters with their corresponding number to help keep track of which was which from afar.

Here is an up close of one of the transmitters


You'll see #1 on the shelf


#2 in the drawer


No need to open this one up. I can see the results as #3 on my display.

 

[JKCRWLR]

Beautiful stick from JKCCRWLR! Thank you very much bro! Looking forward to it!

My pleasure my friend! Thank you as well. :rock:

-Wayne-