I pose this question to all of you. I keep my cigars at 70% humidity. For some reason When I went to smoke a cohiba the other day it was rock hard. I couldn't draw through it at all. It happened to a excaliber dark knight the day or so before too. I've been particular not to let the humidity get to high. I don't mind the humidity to get lower but not higher. Why would my cigars be hard? It worries me a bit any sugestions?
Humidity question
- Thread starter Donk
- Start date
Greg
BoM October 2006
Your cigars are probably too humid (or plugged, but unlikely with 2 different cigars, but still possible).
My suggestion would be to drop the humidity to 65% (you can use heartfelt beads), calibrate your hygrometer (afterall, you're hygro could be off) and wait a few weeks to smoke your favorite cigars.
Hope this helps :smokingco
My suggestion would be to drop the humidity to 65% (you can use heartfelt beads), calibrate your hygrometer (afterall, you're hygro could be off) and wait a few weeks to smoke your favorite cigars.
Hope this helps :smokingco
I know this is an annoying question to answer all the time, but it's so hard to ever diagnose a humidity problem without knowing the answer. So, have you calibrated (tested) your hygrometer lately?
If so, a large portion of cigar smokers have found they prefer their cigars at a lower humidity (typicaly around 65%). While there is nothing necessarily wrong with 70%, many havefound that they run into the problems you are mentioning at that level of humidity. This is particularly the case in the Cuban Cigar community.
This probably doesn't help a whole lot so here's a couple of recommendations:
1: You can try switching to 65% (or something lower than 70%) and see if it solves your problem.
2: And this is not a bad idea no matter what. Clip the cigar you are planning on smoking and test the draw before lighting. If it's tight, put it back. Come back to it another time. Most times this will fix the problem. If you go back a couple of times and it still doesn't help, try...
3. Dry boxing. Get an empty cigar box and throw your nex to be smoked cigar/cigars in their the day before. If it's the humidity that's causing your problem, but you don't feel comfortable lowering the humidity for storage, this may solve the problem for you.
Hope that helps.
If so, a large portion of cigar smokers have found they prefer their cigars at a lower humidity (typicaly around 65%). While there is nothing necessarily wrong with 70%, many havefound that they run into the problems you are mentioning at that level of humidity. This is particularly the case in the Cuban Cigar community.
This probably doesn't help a whole lot so here's a couple of recommendations:
1: You can try switching to 65% (or something lower than 70%) and see if it solves your problem.
2: And this is not a bad idea no matter what. Clip the cigar you are planning on smoking and test the draw before lighting. If it's tight, put it back. Come back to it another time. Most times this will fix the problem. If you go back a couple of times and it still doesn't help, try...
3. Dry boxing. Get an empty cigar box and throw your nex to be smoked cigar/cigars in their the day before. If it's the humidity that's causing your problem, but you don't feel comfortable lowering the humidity for storage, this may solve the problem for you.
Hope that helps.
my hydrometer is calibrated right because I am anal and have the anolog one on the box as well as a good quality digital in the humi. So the next step is I'll drop the humidity to 65% for a while and see what happens in a few weeks. thanks guys
Donk, don't take this the wrong way, still getting to know you so I want to make absolutely sure you understand what I'm saying. You mention having an analog hygro on the box and that scares me. I've yet to meet an analog that's good for more than lookin' pretty. Have you salt tested or used a humidipak to make sure that your digital is reading right where it should (or noted how far it is off)?
Just want to make sure you aren't considering yourself "calibrated" because your digital and analog match each other.
I've wondered that myself about the analog. So I have salt tested my digital twice since starting the cigar life. Thanks for the inquiry, and I'd never take constructive critism the wrong way. I actually set the analog off of the digital after aclimating it in the humi. Maybe it was a fluke with the two cigars being to new in the humi? I bought them from a shop with a good walk in though
Go digital and drop your humidity. I think that was as simple as it gets.
I wouldn't assume that the problem is with your humidor humidity level based on only 2 sticks. How are the rest smoking? I just had a run of 3 cigars, different brands, stored in different humidors, and all rock hard and plugged. The rest of my cigars are fine.
No matter how good the quality control is at any given cigar factory, there are always variations (you are dealing with a product made by hand from natural materials), and sometimes you just get a bad stick.
No matter how good the quality control is at any given cigar factory, there are always variations (you are dealing with a product made by hand from natural materials), and sometimes you just get a bad stick.
OK, another bit of information from your last post leads me to believe you may be fine with your humidity. How "new" were the cigars? It's always a good idea, if you can, to let any cigar coming from somewhere else sit for a while (at least a week) to acclimate to your humidor. Even if the place you bought them from has a good humidor there is nothing saying that it might be kept at a slightly higher humdity than yours. Further, what VPerlman says is also true.
One more suggestion, remember the "pinch" test. Gently pinch the cigar between your fingers before clipping. If it's rock hard, put that sucker back in the humidor for a while.
One more suggestion, remember the "pinch" test. Gently pinch the cigar between your fingers before clipping. If it's rock hard, put that sucker back in the humidor for a while.