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what is the best humidity % to go with?
asianbiker8
Posts: 551 ✭
in Cigar 101
I've read so many different people saying different things! Some say 65, some say 70, some say anywhere in between. I box is usually running about 65%, and I have 69% boveda packets in my tupperware containers.
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That's why I go with 65% beads......2% in either direction I'm OK with.
The 60% are too low for my needs, and I'm afraid the 70% might run high, to say 72%, and I'm not cool with that either.
Many other factors outside of RH contribute to hard draws - vitola, type of tobacco, the roll job, the conditions in which you're smoking, etc.
Yes, 72% is obviously "moister" than 65%.................and there are some botl who like to store their stash at 70rh.
72% is just too high for my preference......I smoke a lot of Robustos and big ring gauges, and for me, they don't do so well at higher RH.....the sticks I smoke do much better at 65rh.
i started to notice that Nicaraguan cigars had more of the negative aspects of the Nicaraguan flavor profile when i smoked them out of my humidor vs when i smoked them out of the humidor in my local B&M. as soon as i raised my humidity to 68% the overly pulpy texture went away. i now enjoy nigaraguan cigars more. the decision took about a year to make and now many of oilier wrappers tend to burn slightly uneven but not so much that it is a problem.
as CAcigarguy said, it is just preference unless you are aging for 5+ years....
... witch i am doing.
i have many cigars with 5+ years on them. 68% will retain the oils longer and allow full marrying of oils before the oils break down significantly.
In other words you will not find one answer. Keep them between 65% and 70% and try using a dry box to get your sticks to the exact RH you eventually decide is right for you.
In other words it is ALL personal choice and nobody here can give you a proper answer to your question.
I typically run both my aging and smoking humis as close to 70 without going over as possible because I really like the chewy feel I get from a really well humidified robusto, belicoso or toro or anything over a 50 rg, but I feel like I'm running into draw issues with the thinner sizes, when I'm running 70% rh. So we'll see where I go. I recently had an annoying tight lancero and its already not my favorite size but this got me wanting to try a slightly lower rh to see if it improves the draw on the thinner sizes I do enjoy like Coronas and Corona extras, and really anything in the mid 40s rg.
Anyway, moral of the story is play around with it and make your own normal, and if you want to change it up, do it. Just keep it under 72% at all times.
I couldn't agree more. I first prefered sticks around 63% but also noticed that my sticks were giving me unpleasant notes when compared to B&M sticks so I have upped the humidity. Over half of my collection is from pre 2009 so I am looking for these to age well.
if you run a 65% cooler like i do, you can always put some sticks in a big ziplock bag with a broveda pack (a 69 or 72) and keep it closed so that those sticks will still maintain higher RH without effecting the rest of your collection. But if you do that, remember to open the bags a couple times a week and get some fresh air in em.