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Last post 5 years ago by Pudding Mittens. 43 replies replies.
Keeping the Crib Warm is Drying Out My Smokes- Help!
GhettoNigFabulous Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2018
Posts: 199
What’s cracking brothers? In this case it is the wrappers on my fine cigars. With this cold snap making my East St. Louis crib feel like an igloo, I have been ratcheting up the heat on my furnace and even burning some old furniture I found in the alley in a makeshift fireplace. All this warm air I’m creating is making my humidor dry and ashy as my skin in this winter weather.

How can I keep my humidor at the necessary 68- 75 percent humidity in the weather while I’m burning heat to keep warm?? It’s damn near an emergency dogs.
frankj1 Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
68-75%!!!

way too high...unless you like mold
engletl Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
Way to high...65% is where I keep mine...and every now and then some maduros need to be dryboxed before smoking
engletl Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
On a side note...with you running the humidity that high will lead to more exploding cigars when you try to smoke them in dryer air

Hence cracking wrappers
Salmoneye Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 01-18-2011
Posts: 163
70º-70% is for long term storage and/or aging...

For my tastes, 60% is more betterer fur smokin...

Whistlebritches Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 04-23-2006
Posts: 22,127
60%-70 degrees or below for everything.......storage and smoking.It's worked for me the last 15 years or so
corey sellers Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 08-21-2011
Posts: 10,338
What he said ^^^^

BTW have we done turned into a bunch of candy azzes

Just throw some lettuce in your humi I prefer iceberg
rfenst Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 06-23-2007
Posts: 39,096
corey sellers wrote:
What he said ^^^^

BTW have we done turned into a bunch of candy azzes

Just throw some lettuce in your humi I prefer iceberg

Romaine
engletl Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
Kale ages better
Pudding Mittens Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
frankj1 wrote:
68-75%!!!

way too high...unless you like mold

68-70% here. For about 20 years. Giant collection. Zero mold or beetles ever. Perfect smoking characteristics.

These 65%, 63%, 62%, 60% recommendations would make me worry about oil loss, and thus permanent flavor loss, over long spans of time. 68-70% gives more peace of mind about that.

People will tell newbs "don't let the cigars be at 50% (or 45% or whatever) RH, they'll lose their oils and the flavors will be gone forever!" and never stop to think that maybe it also happens at 60% or 62% or even 65%, just a lot slower.

Or maybe not. Who knows? All I can say is that I've done 68-70% forever and it's worked great.
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stinger88 Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 05-29-2012
Posts: 6,574
I have been successful in extremely hot environments (deployments) by getting the big XXXLstorage zip loc bags and putting the whole humidor inside of it. Just make sure not to let the corners poke through. The bag is pretty tough and doesn’t tear easy, just be careful.

David
engletl Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
Pudding Mittens wrote:
68-70% here. For about 20 years. Giant collection. Zero mold or beetles ever. Perfect smoking characteristics.

These 65%, 63%, 62%, 60% recommendations would make me worry about oil loss, and thus permanent flavor loss, over long spans of time. 68-70% gives more peace of mind about that.

People will tell newbs "don't let the cigars be at 50% (or 45% or whatever) RH, they'll lose their oils and the flavors will be gone forever!" and never stop to think that maybe it also happens at 60% or 62% or even 65%, just a lot slower.

Or maybe not. Who knows? All I can say is that I've done 68-70% forever and it's worked great.
.

Been running 65% here for 15+ years and have no issues with oil/flavor loss at all

Of course this is just my experience and ymmv
Phil222 Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 10-01-2017
Posts: 1,911
I’ve tried humidities in the 60-72% range and find that low 60’s work best for me. It might have something to do with the climate here or some other variable that I can’t think of but low 60’s consistently smoke and taste better to me.

I gotta say that with some of my cigars some flavor loss would be a welcomed side effect but I’ve yet to notice any at all...just this nOobs opinion.
frankj1 Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
Pudding Mittens wrote:
68-70% here. For about 20 years. Giant collection. Zero mold or beetles ever. Perfect smoking characteristics.

These 65%, 63%, 62%, 60% recommendations would make me worry about oil loss, and thus permanent flavor loss, over long spans of time. 68-70% gives more peace of mind about that.

People will tell newbs "don't let the cigars be at 50% (or 45% or whatever) RH, they'll lose their oils and the flavors will be gone forever!" and never stop to think that maybe it also happens at 60% or 62% or even 65%, just a lot slower.

Or maybe not. Who knows? All I can say is that I've done 68-70% forever and it's worked great.
.

beetles are looking to hatch in temps above 70, not RH.

I'm near Boston, 60 to 62 RH in a room that is between 62F and 65F all winter.
64 to 66 RH at 65F to 68F all Summer has been ideal.

Have to tweak once in a while, but RH is Relative Humidity, not constant humidity, and for me at least, lower temp seems to lead to lower RH.

Recently, we experienced severely low temps and I was getting RH readings 57-59, noticed today it came back to 60RH.
Smoked a Party CC and it was perfect. Nice slippage on the band, clipped clean, draw was nice, wrapper stayed intact...
Mandobro Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 04-10-2013
Posts: 714
Go outside, grab a handful of snow and toss it in. It'll raise that humidity in a jiffy.
frankj1 Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
Mandobro wrote:
Go outside, grab a handful of snow and toss it in. It'll raise that humidity in a jiffy.

ayuh!
tonygraz Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,173
Lettuce is good for short term corrections, but cabbage is better for a long term fix.
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
There are these things that you can find in retail stores and online called "humidifiers". You fill them with water, turn them on, and they add humidity to the dry air inside your crib.

In all seriousness, I run humidifiers all winter long. I try to keep indoor humidity at 50%. I've read that the flu and cold virus can not survive at that high a humidity. I used to get the flu and bad colds every year. I haven't been sick in the winter for the past 2 years, which I have to at least give some credit to the humidifiers.

David
RobertHively Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 01-14-2015
Posts: 1,761
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
What’s cracking brothers? In this case it is the wrappers on my fine cigars. With this cold snap making my East St. Louis crib feel like an igloo, I have been ratcheting up the heat on my furnace and even burning some old furniture I found in the alley in a makeshift fireplace. All this warm air I’m creating is making my humidor dry and ashy as my skin in this winter weather.

How can I keep my humidor at the necessary 68- 75 percent humidity in the weather while I’m burning heat to keep warm?? It’s damn near an emergency dogs.


Yo, what up my FOG-ger AKA Hamk AKA Cyrus Vance.

When my Swishers, Phiillies and Brazilias are running a little dry I just put a little Tanguray gin or Yak in a spray bottle, and then I spray a fine mist onto dem ceegars, nah mean!?!?

It puts moisture onto the cigars and it makes them taste like the bomb-bizzle. Nah I sayin Cuz????

Try it.


GhettoNigFabulous Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2018
Posts: 199
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that
Whistlebritches Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 04-23-2006
Posts: 22,127
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that


Turn them off then dumbazz
bgz Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that


Get a new humidor, yours obviously sucks and doesn't have an air tight seal if your heater effects your humidity.

Either that, or don't keep your humidor by your trashcan you use for a fire pit.
engletl Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that

Umm..we have the same issues as you in the colder months

See my comment above about you sticks exploding in the dryer air because the are too "wet"

Hence my comnent/recommendation that you got to a 65 rh in your humi
KingoftheCove Online
#24 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
No one saw the "Don't Feed The Trolls" sign???
Numismaniac Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 01-13-2012
Posts: 12,222
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
What’s cracking brothers? In this case it is the wrappers on my fine cigars. With this cold snap making my East St. Louis crib feel like an igloo, I have been ratcheting up the heat on my furnace and even burning some old furniture I found in the alley in a makeshift fireplace. All this warm air I’m creating is making my humidor dry and ashy as my skin in this winter weather.

How can I keep my humidor at the necessary 68- 75 percent humidity in the weather while I’m burning heat to keep warm?? It’s damn near an emergency dogs.





GNB, I feel your pain, Brother.

I have three wooden humidors that require constant watch, so I leave some Boveda/Arturo Fuente humidipaks or whatever brand in the small humidors. My MAIN inventory is in 4-150 qt, 1-100 qt and a 52 qt cooler. They don't require as much attention as the wooden hum's. I also have cigar/silica gel beads in ALL the above containers. While we were waiting to get back into a permanent home, I was in a variety of conditions and had to use all the tricks necessary.

One of the easiest ways is to get a small jar, or pill bottle, whatever will fit, into the humidor and fill it half full with distilled water. That will help with the humidity inside. That's how I recharge my silica beads, Some people will tell you to spray the silica beads, but they will eventually turn to dust if you keep doing this, based on the fact that the type silica gel beads are Hydrophilic, they love water so much they explode when dipped in water. DOn't waste your money on expensive cigar beads. DOn't listen to the buffoons that scoff at the CORRECT silica gel cat litter. I have personally spoken with the engineer that works at the company that makes the silica Gel beads for ALL the cigar beads as well as the cat litter.

Actually, the biggest oven bag (I think it's the extra large turkey cooking bag) is THE best for putting the wooden humidor in for stopping the outside air from drying out the humidor. That's the best type of "plastic bag", made of a type of nylon and isn't semi-permeable like a ziplock.

You are welcome!
smokestaxx Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 01-27-2012
Posts: 4,214
KingoftheCove wrote:
No one saw the "Don't Feed The Trolls" sign???

Nope
Pudding Mittens Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
.
116-quart clear Sterilite containers with the handles on either end that snap up to hold the lid down.

Almost airtight but not perfectly airtight, which is what's best for cigar storage. It lets ammonia out and allows a tiny amount of air exchange which is desirable.

In each container, I use multiple polymer gel jars with 50/50 solution plus multiple Boveda 69% packs. I fill the jars with more 50/50 as needed and I never have to recharge or even touch the Bovedas, because they self-recharge from the jars' vapor and never go dry. The jars provide main humidification and the Bovedas provide two-way "trim" for automatic precision control. No moving parts, no electronics, no batteries, nothing to break or fail.

Each container also has one of a set of optimally-calibrated Caliber IV hygrometers.

It works great, even in the winter.
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gummy jones Offline
#28 Posted:
Joined: 07-06-2015
Posts: 7,969
make a tupperdor and you'll be fine
gummy jones Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 07-06-2015
Posts: 7,969
63-65 RH for me
temp always lower than 70

I was keeping rh 67-69 but I've noticed I have way fewer duds in the lower range

what effect that will have on these sticks 20 years down the road I have no clue
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that


I guess your reading comprehension is as poor as your taste in cigars. Go re-read post #18. If the air in your house is dry due to heating it, GET A FRACK'N WHOLE HOUSE HUMIDIFIER! Not only will it help keep your cigars from drying out, but it will improve your health and comfort. Sheessh.

David
Pudding Mittens Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
gummy jones wrote:
63-65 RH for me
temp always lower than 70

I was keeping rh 67-69 but I've noticed I have way fewer duds in the lower range

what effect that will have on these sticks 20 years down the road I have no clue

That's the thing, as far as I know, nobody has any clue about that, or at least not any reliable clue.

You just gotta pick a humidity level you like, and roll with it, and wait and see.

Some guys do the two-level thing, where they store at 68-70% RH, then have a "step down" humidor at 65%, 63%, 60% or whatever, that they move sticks into some time before smoking. A week, a month, 3 or even 6 months, whatever. That involves an advance-planning burden, however you retain the freedom to smoke something spur-of-the-moment out of your 68-70% RH box, which usually isn't a problem.

That arrangement maintains 68-70% for long-term aging, but gets some of the benefit of the lower RH, if you believe there is any, for smoking (depending on amount of time spent in the lower RH).

Me, I just "dry box" for 24, 48, 72 or however many hours I feel like when I can plan ahead, and smoke straight out of the 68-70% main containers when I can't.

It tends to work fine either way.

NOTE: smoking cigars, especially certain types, outdoors (or indoors without artificial climate control) on a very humid or, worse yet, rainy day can drastically hurt the cigar's performance (you draw wet air into the cigar with every puff), and if you happened to take that one out of a 68-70% box, you may wrongly associate the crappy smoking experience with that RH storage level. Pay attention to prevent such false correlations from forming in your mind, for example try the same cigar from that same box on a dry day, and you might be amazed how much better it is.
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VaMtnMan Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2007
Posts: 3,743
I keep my humidor at 65° and have recently been having cigars exploding on me after I lite them. Tonight 2 separate Oliva V figurados have done it. I guess I need to start dry boxing them for a day or two.
Whistlebritches Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 04-23-2006
Posts: 22,127
VaMtnMan wrote:
I keep my humidor at 65° and have recently been having cigars exploding on me after I lite them. Tonight 2 separate Oliva V figurados have done it. I guess I need to start dry boxing them for a day or two.


Or cut your humidity down to 62-63%...........that's my upper end.I only increase when mine falls below 58%
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
Whistlebritches wrote:
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
All of you bozos got into an argument about proper humidity without addressing the problem of heaters like furnaces, woodstoves, fireplaces sucking humidity out of the air making it impossible to keep my humidor moist.,. Except for the one cat who mentioned the XXXL ziplock bag, might have to try that


Turn them off then dumbazz


LOL.

Really. I did.

Dammit Ron, that was actually funny.
zody Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 05-03-2005
Posts: 1,149
stinger88 wrote:
I have been successful in extremely hot environments (deployments) by getting the big XXXLstorage zip loc bags and putting the whole humidor inside of it. Just make sure not to let the corners poke through. The bag is pretty tough and doesn’t tear easy, just be careful.

David

^^This. Some wood leeches moisture to the outside too fast to keep up with whether your seals are perfect or not.
And dry boxing. An old humidor, or a good thick empty cigar box.
I store higher RH and some cigars require some dry boxing. As long as your cigars aren't tasteless like all the oils have been destroyed it's all personal preference.
What works in one area or region doesn't apply to everywhere, takes some time and vigilance to find out where your sweet spot is for storing and smoking.
Ewok126 Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
Don't take off the plastic that you was talking about in another post. Maybe then you will not be giving up the ANGELS’ SHARE of RH. jester
pacman357 Offline
#37 Posted:
Joined: 02-27-2006
Posts: 42,596
Add me for another 65% fan. Any higher, and burn and mold become issues for me. As for keeping the humidity up, it's a simple matter of physics. Heating the room lowers relative humidity (well, it's more complex than that, but that is the basic gist). A/C can be an issue for some folks, but for a different reason. A/C units have to remove moisture from the air so your home or office don't sweat on every surface. That's my "short bus" version of science...I am sure there are many here better qualified to explain that in more intelligent terms.

So it comes down to this. Is your container holding air? You need to let it breath a little, but if it is drawing too much air from outside, you'll never get enough humidity in there without filling it with water. So...check to make sure a small amount of air is getting in, but make adjustments and watch your hygrometer closely. Another thing to keep in mind is, your storage is a finite space. It needs to house something that demands moisture as well as a source for that moisture. At some point, if you cannot keep up your RH and the air movement appropriate, you have to start keeping less cigars and adding more moisture until you get the % you desire.

One last thing...use two good digital hygrometers of different brands. I occasionally test tubs to make sure numbers are good, and for cabinet humis, keep one higher in the cab and one lower. Shows you (assuming you've calibrated or peer-compared them) whether there is an imbalance, and if the battery dies on one, you've still got the other to keep you going. I try to keep at least 1-2 extra hygrometers and gel jars handy just in case I need a replacement.
GhettoNigFabulous Offline
#38 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2018
Posts: 199
UPDATE!

I’ve took some advice of the one brother who said to wrap the humidor In plastic.

I’ve got it wrapped up with 3 humi-bags in it and a shot glass of distilled water in it. Right now I’m holdin it down at 66% but I’m hoping with the plastic I can get it up to 70
KingoftheCove Online
#39 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
GhettoNigFabulous wrote:
UPDATE!

I’ve took some advice of the one brother who said to wrap the humidor In plastic.

I’ve got it wrapped up with 3 humi-bags in it and a shot glass of distilled water in it. Right now I’m holdin it down at 66% but I’m hoping with the plastic I can get it up to 70

70 is too high bro...
GhettoNigFabulous Offline
#40 Posted:
Joined: 02-19-2018
Posts: 199
I like em dark and oily , need 70 to get any juiciness in the smokes
KingoftheCove Online
#41 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
whatever GNF account number 2, or 5?
You're reading of 70, depending on your hygro, could easily be 72 or higher, cause I'm betting you don't have the equipment JadeRose has...
tonygraz Offline
#42 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,173
I have several digital hygrometers and I'm not sure if any of them are accurate. Analog hygrometers are even less trustworthy. One of my digitals is 12% off. It's a good thing I'm not anal about humidification or I would be a nervous wreck. If your humidity is lower than you want and falls quickly it is because of the external humidity and the number of times that the humidor is opened. Also, the less full the humidor is, the more the two prior factors will affect humidity. Health experts say humidity of 50% or higher is better for your health, so humidifying the crib is a win-win idea. I keep one humidor for daily use and all other storage is longer term and generally just opened to refill the daily use humidor.
Pudding Mittens Offline
#43 Posted:
Joined: 08-15-2016
Posts: 1,291
.
Get an airtight, clear container, like a gasketed clear Tupperware with 4x lid lock latches. It has to be the right size for a 69% Boveda pack to maintain 69%, I've experimented and proven that a too-small container will cause about 74% humidity to be maintained. I forget the proper minimum size to maintain 69% with one packet, but I can look at the container and report back. I think it was 2 liters though.

Get a NEW, plastic-wrapped Boveda 69% pack. Remove plastic wrap, throw it in the container. Get as many Western Caliber IV units as you like, write a different number on each. Put them in the container too, making sure they face up so they can be read without opening, or even touching, the container.

Let sit 24 hours. Begin peering through the clear container and taking periodic readings from all the Caliber IV units, writing them all down along with their associated "serial numbers" you wrote on them.

When you have a lot of readings over serveral days, for each numbered unit average the deviation from 69% to a single number. Maybe unit #1 averages 2% high, unit #2 averages 1% low, unit #3 averages being dead on, etc.

For each unit, set its calibration to the opposite of its deviation. Unit #1 you'd set to -2 points, Unit #2 you'd set to +1 points, Unit #3 you'd keep at 0 points, etc.

Put them all back in the container with the 69% Boveda. Wait 24 hours, take a bunch more readings over a couple more days. All units should read 69% or very close (usually all 68, 69 or 70).

Write each's offset number on the back, so when the batteries die and you put in new batteries, you can re-set their calibration offsets easily and instantly.

Congrats, you have several well-calibrated hygrometers you can trust.
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