BuckyB93 wrote:Ummm… who’s over thinking it? I think you’re worrying too much about what others use. I’m not trying to diss beads or insult the cigar community by using some humidification media that just happens to come in a bag with a picture of a cat on it.
2-3x more space according to what you read? That must make it true.
Valuable humidor space? Wow, how much does a few cubic inches cost in your Kelly Blue Book? Are you really that strapped for space?
Training? Yeah, lots of work. I’m really breaking a sweat doing it. It’s such hard work I think I’ll make it into a weight loss program. Pour silica crystals in a tuperware container, place next to another tuperware container with some other pre-seasoned silica crystals and sit and wait. Once you complete that level, I’ll show you phase 2 of the workout program: How to age cigars. Those pounds of fat will melt away before your eyes.
Blue beads? Silly me, who would want a nice color visual as cue to when the media might need some water added. What a horrible feature.
As for the uncomfortable situation of maybe explaining to my buddies who don’t know much about cigars what I’m using for humidification… I don’t know how I sleep at night. What might my buddies say? Are they talking behind my back? I hope they don’t un-friend me on Facebook.
I’m not trying to convince anybody what to use for humidification. I really don’t care. Just passing on what I’m learning during this little exercise.
I'm just responding to what I am reading, and trying to learn about litter/crystals/beads and what will be best for my set-up. I am not trying to diss or insult the cigar community either.
By your own words it appeared more litter was needed compared to beads:
BuckyB93 wrote:Setup:
Newly purchased inexpensive wine fridge is being used as a sealed container for seasoning, 2 cubic feet in volume.
1 lb of fresh 65% beads in one tuperware container and (now that I look at it) closer to 3 lbs of fresh litter in another.
I am tight on space. To me if I can use 1lb of beads instead of 3lbs of fresh litter, I can fit more cigars in place of that extra 2lbs of litter. Would rather store an additional 5-10er of premium cigars as opposed to more litter. So what's the value of a 10er of premium cigars compared to the cost of a couple pounds of litter??? There's your Kelly Blue Book value for humi space.
Blue beads and a visual cue. Understand the HF beads become cloudy or clear depending on their condition. That visual cue is enough for me. A pretty blue color is irrelevant when the humi door is closed most of the time. And I certainly don't open it just to see pretty colors.
Training litter. Not it's not hard. But I don't want to be bothered with it. Just want to place my humidification in and go. And I don't want to be bothered with the dust that often comes with litter either.
Unfriended on Facebook or explaining to buddies what I use to humidify cigars I am not worried about. Don't do the FB thing. But let's face it, telling someone who isn't into cigars and understands this discussion, that you store and keep your cigars with kitty litter just doesn't sound good and could be seen as funny... almost laughable. I certainly wouldn't consider using it to store any food items I eat, so I won't use it to store anything I smoke either.
As I said before. To each his own. Everyone likes/prefers to do different things. That's why I keep reading this thread and trying to learn what others are doing. To me the few bucks saved with kitty litter in the end is just not worth it. I'm not the kind of person who invests hundreds of dollars on cigars, then worries about saving a couple of bucks storing them correctly. Kinda like buying a top-of-the-line hi-performance car or truck, and then putting the cheapest tires you can find on it. But if you like it... go for it.