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Last post 9 years ago by jmcqueen. 36 replies replies.
My Analog Hygrometer let me down.... Cigars dried up... Please Help.
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
I did a couple searches with no results..

My table top that I keep my Premiums in has been holding steady at 68 rh for months now. I opened it a couple days ago first time in Two months. Holding steady at 68.... Still. I put my digital in last night and checked it this morning. 48 rh!!!!!!

Common sense tells me I should re-season my humidor and start over.
Are the cigars gonna be okay, Once they reach their ideal rh. Or is the flavors gonna be tainted for life.

Just looking for advice or links to past posts.

I just ordered a new digital hygrometer. Use credo factory squares that I removed the credo and filled with hf beads.
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Hillbillyjosh770 wrote:
I did a couple searches with no results..

My table top that I keep my Premiums in has been holding steady at 68 rh for months now. I opened it a couple days ago first time in Two months. Holding steady at 68.... Still. I put my digital in last night and checked it this morning. 48 rh!!!!!!

Common sense tells me I should re-season my humidor and start over.
Are the cigars gonna be okay, Once they reach their ideal rh. Or is the flavors gonna be tainted for life.

Just looking for advice or links to past posts.

I just ordered a new digital hygrometer. Use credo factory squares that I removed the credo and filled with hf beads.


Hard to say - it depends how dry they were for how long. You say two months since you last opened it, but we don't know how long ago the humidity fell, and how far. For all we know, it could have only been low for the last week. Cigars are be pretty resilient and 48 isn't necessarily terminal. Any cigars in cello will likely fair better as cello, while porous, does slow the passage of moisture.

Give the cigars a few months at the proper humidity and try a few, that's really the only way to know. Also, remember different cigars will rebound differently, because one cigar does or doesn't come back, doesn't mean the one next to it isn't fine (or trash).
KingoftheCove Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Bring them up slowly and they should be ok.........maybe
I say mabe, because something is not right.
What is the rh of your house? It must be pretty dang low for your closed humi to drop from 68 to 48 in 2 months.
So...........either
you don,t have enough beads in your humi.........
Your humi has a crappy seal.........
Your analog failed long ago, and you have been too low Much longer than 2 months........
Your digital could be off as well..........
The rh in your house is way too low.......like 25 or something
Go figure it out and save those cigars
madspackler Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 03-07-2000
Posts: 3,608
KingoftheCove wrote:
Bring them up slowly and they should be ok.........maybe
I say mabe, because something is not right.
What is the rh of your house? It must be pretty dang low for your closed humi to drop from 68 to 48 in 2 months.
So...........either
you don,t have enough beads in your humi.........
Your humi has a crappy seal.........
Your analog failed long ago, and you have been too low Much longer than 2 months........
Your digital could be off as well..........
The rh in your house is way too low.......like 25 or something
Go figure it out and save those cigars


With forced hot air heating it is very easy for the rh to drop quickly during the winter months. Even with a humidification element added to our system the max rh is around 35-40 %. Any higher and the duct work could rust or harbor mold. I have two supplemental humidifiers running most of the time in the winter to counteract the drying effect of the heating system in the house alone. This year we have been experiencing extremely low ambient humidity, especially in the South. Yesterday the outside rh was 17%

I had a similar problem a few years ago. Since then I have supplemented the beads in my humidors with Boveda packs during the winter months.

I suggest you pick up a few of the higher humidity packs (72 or 84) and let them help return your humidor and beads to normal. The sticks should be fine in a few months. They may smoke a bit milder, but should not be much worse for wear. Just plan ahead for colder dry winter months. Make an effort to check on them more frequently.
Abrignac Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,217
All the above is good info, but something you should do is keep an eye on your hygrometers. I have six that I use. One in my small desktop, one in my large desktop and 4 in my tower. Every month I take one and put it in a ziploc bag with a 69 Boveda. I check it the next day and recalibrate as needed. As such all of my hydrometers get checked every six months. It may not be such a bad idea to check them all every month.
LetsRock Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 01-23-2012
Posts: 4,595
KingoftheCove wrote:
Bring them up slowly and they should be ok.........maybe
I say mabe, because something is not right.
What is the rh of your house? It must be pretty dang low for your closed humi to drop from 68 to 48 in 2 months.
So...........either
you don,t have enough beads in your humi.........
Your humi has a crappy seal.........
Your analog failed long ago, and you have been too low Much longer than 2 months........
Your digital could be off as well..........
The rh in your house is way too low.......like 25 or something
Go figure it out and save those cigars


This is a big thing. I posted a similar topic last winter that my humi's were a mess since the house humidifier was not working. Before this winter started I replaced the house humidifier and no issues whatsoever with the humi's. It has been a brutally cold winter for us and I would have certainly lost many cigars if not for the humidity in the house now.
frozenphoenix1 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2011
Posts: 1,912
Hillbilly... I have an intensive care unit for such situations... Send the affected cigars to me and I will rehab them and then make sure they smoke really well before sending them back.
Bite Me Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 02-07-2015
Posts: 18
Who in their right mind would rely solely on an analog hygrometer? Don't you regularly test them by picking them up and feeling them?Your cigars will be fine. Smoke one now to see if you even have a reason to be crying like a girl. Then, let us know...
danmdevries Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Should be alright, but reevaluate that humidor.

Not much to do about it at this point, if any damage was done, its done.

Rehydrate them slowly and once stabilized, try em.
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
What's the best way to SLOWLY bring up the rh in the humidor?

Cigars are pretty hard.

Noticed that the lid is warped.

Does anyone recommend a good table top humidor?

Going to move all my sticks to my big humi for the time being.

Will it hurt having the dried cigars in a 67 rh humidor? Is that too much rh too soon?
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Without a programmable humidifier, bringing things up slowly can be difficult. You can try using under sized humidifiers in a larger humidor/tupperware, so that the cigars don't get too much moisture to absorb all at once.

As for putting them in a 67RH humidor, they might survive, some might crack.

I've tried it with both methods, I honestly can't say that I felt one caused more damage than the other or that one was better than the other.


A good desktop... how much are you looking to spend and what size?
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
Thunder.Gerbil wrote:
Without a programmable humidifier, bringing things up slowly can be difficult. You can try using under sized humidifiers in a larger humidor/tupperware, so that the cigars don't get too much moisture to absorb all at once.

As for putting them in a 67RH humidor, they might survive, some might crack.

I've tried it with both methods, I honestly can't say that I felt one caused more damage than the other or that one was better than the other.


A good desktop... how much are you looking to spend and what size?


100 size. At this point money isn't an issue. Don't want it to happen again. But within reason. 200.00 is a good ballpark.

Thanks for all y'all's help.
gryphonms Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 04-14-2013
Posts: 1,983
Look in merchandise here, you can probably find a good desk top a a nice price.
KingoftheCove Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Hillbillyjosh770 wrote:
.................
Noticed that the lid is warped.

.................

hmmm...............what caused that? Extreme RH fluctuations in your house maybe?
I consider going with a cooler. Not as pretty, but will handle RH and temperature issues better than almost any wood desktop humi. You have to make sure the seal is solid on the cooler.......lots of ways to address that........the most important being, pick the right cooler.
danmdevries Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Hillbillyjosh770 wrote:
What's the best way to SLOWLY bring up the rh in the humidor?

Cigars are pretty hard.

Noticed that the lid is warped.

Does anyone recommend a good table top humidor?

Going to move all my sticks to my big humi for the time being.

Will it hurt having the dried cigars in a 67 rh humidor? Is that too much rh too soon?


Tupperware unless you want to spend the money on something nice. Anything you see on here is going to be the same as any other cheap Chinese humidor. Some work decently, but its a crap shoot. My favorite budget desktop is Don Salvatore for around $200, but if you're willing to spend another $150 can get a Daniel Marshall or waxing moon. Some of those Chinese humidors are pushing that price anyway.

A nice wooden desktop humidor isn't going to do anything that tupperdors won't, except look pretty, and have a greater risk for failure. I like having a nice wooden desktop humidor.

Dont put the dry cigars straight into a 67, they'll likely split.

I've never done it, but I know Boveda makes a wide range of rh levels, could likely get a 50, and a 62, give them a few weeks with each in a sealed container.


danmdevries Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Also to help slow the rehumidification, maybe place the whole humidor in a Tupperware so the wood can help buffer the change
spectresquad Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2005
Posts: 1,061
Wal Mart has airtight plastic containers made by ZIP LOCK around 12 bucks each. I have 2 that are 22x18x8 and they make bigger. Put your whole humidor inside with a couple of Bovida packs and kill all the birds with one stone. I place all my boxes in there and my special stuff is in an airtight container inside the airtight ZIP LOCK container and each sealed area has bovida packs.

I always believe in having a backup for my backup and a double airtight setup makes sure that the inside humidor is perfect.

fog
Buckwheat Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 04-15-2004
Posts: 12,251
Argh!
PANIC NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
Argh!
Buddha Daddy Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2003
Posts: 2,999
Ha!
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
But I like my gars to reek of Spanish Cedar.
I do have a tupperdor I keep my boxes in. It works well but is just not the same.
Smells of mahogany

Durn Spanish cedar is pricey, gonna probably cut down the warped table top and make tupperdor dividers
Where can one buy a Spanish cedar sapling? Or seeds?
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
Buckwheat wrote:
Argh!
PANIC NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
Argh!


They still have alittle give.
I'll start chittin' when they start splittin'
themunmypaw Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2014
Posts: 661
It's not Spanish of its grown in america. Duhhhh.
ZRX1200 Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
Line a cooler with cedar boxes hillbilly .
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
themunmypaw wrote:
It's not Spanish of its grown in america. Duhhhh.


Well sure it is.
I got a 30 foot Eucalyptus growing in the front yard from Australia.
Not a Roo in site mate!
ZRX1200 Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
Put a nother Possum on the barbie
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
ZRX1200 wrote:
Put a nother Possum on the barbie


Lol!!!

Who makes Spanish cedar boxes.
All my boxes smell like mahogany.

Or just don't smell like my humi
themunmypaw Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2014
Posts: 661
You can ask your local b&ms for their leftover cedar sheets that come with a lot of boxes. Mine gave me them for free and I broke em up and put em in my tupperdor.
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#28 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
themunmypaw wrote:
You can ask your local b&ms for their leftover cedar sheets that come with a lot of boxes. Mine gave me them for free and I broke em up and put em in my tupperdor.


Not much of a shop here in small town meridian

Keep the Kuba Kuba next to the AF's next to the pipe baccy, next to the flavored blunt wraps.

I'll see if she don't have any tainted ones
themunmypaw Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2014
Posts: 661
Man, it must suck to be a hick.
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
themunmypaw wrote:
Man, it must suck to be a hick.


It's got its perk's

Fresh free wildberries and fruits in the spring time.
Free nuts in the fall. Plenty of good Huntin' and fishin' in the back.
And I can pee off my front porch if need
danmdevries Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Hillbillyjosh770 wrote:
Lol!!!

Who makes Spanish cedar boxes.
All my boxes smell like mahogany.

Or just don't smell like my humi


Unless you have a high end solid SC humidor, its an extremely thin SC veneer over fiberboard. SC and mahogany are very close in aroma.

I doubt cigar boxes are made of solid SC either, its expensive. Most of the sc we encounter in this hobby is the thin veneer or partition sheets in boxes.

You can buy a plank of Spanish cedar on ebay, pm me if you want the sellers name. I've bought several to reline cheap humidors with 1/4" real Spanish cedar.
99cobra2881 Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 11-19-2013
Posts: 2,472
This thread made me worry because I also only rely on analog hygrometers then I remembered I use 65 rh boveda packs.

I'm not being smug just saying boveda packs make this worry free. It's really a no brainer since I read here the packs can be recharged. Dish of distilled water in a large ziplock toss a few crunchy bovedas in then in several days out come recharged squishy boveda packs.
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
99cobra2881 wrote:
This thread made me worry because I also only rely on analog hygrometers then I remembered I use 65 rh boveda packs.

I'm not being smug just saying boveda packs make this worry free. It's really a no brainer since I read here the packs can be recharged. Dish of distilled water in a large ziplock toss a few crunchy bovedas in then in several days out come recharged squishy boveda packs.


That's it!!!!! Ordering them now!!!

Thanks again
Hillbillyjosh770 Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 02-09-2014
Posts: 2,999
danmdevries wrote:
Unless you have a high end solid SC humidor, its an extremely thin SC veneer over fiberboard. SC and mahogany are very close in aroma.

I doubt cigar boxes are made of solid SC either, its expensive. Most of the sc we encounter in this hobby is the thin veneer or partition sheets in boxes.

You can buy a plank of Spanish cedar on ebay, pm me if you want the sellers name. I've bought several to reline cheap humidors with 1/4" real Spanish cedar.


You always come through. Still enjoying my Dan .50 BMG Punch.
Have had several BOTL try walking off with it.
zody Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 05-03-2005
Posts: 1,149
Hillbillyjosh770 wrote:
Lol!!!

Who makes Spanish cedar boxes.
All my boxes smell like mahogany.

Or just don't smell like my humi


FYI Spanish cedar is a mahogany, not a cedar at all.
jmcqueen Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2015
Posts: 1
what zody said...almost. spanish "cedar" (cedrela odorata)is actually not a cedar, but has a cedar-like scent that we like. from the wood database: "Not a true cedar, Spanish Cedar is actually more closely related to true Mahoganies (Swietenia and Khaya genera), as both are in the Meliaceae family. Density and mechanical properties can vary widely depending on country of origin and growing conditions; (specific gravity can vary from .30 to as high as .60 in some instances). Some of the wood available at present comes from plantations: where younger, faster-growing trees, produce wood that is lower in density, and paler in color than wood cut from trees taken from forests in the wild." the cedar used in shake shingles is very different (atlantic white cedar or western red cedar) in physical properties and comes from a different family/genus/species of wood. spanish "cedar" hails almost exclusively from south america.
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