What's too cold?

[DrunkenMonkey]

I'm sure I could find the answer to this if I had the patience with the search function, but I don't. I have a coolerdor in my cellar, and I'm concerned that it might be too cold. Temperature in the cooler is 51 degrees F. Do I need to bring them upstairs?

[smokem]

As long as humidity is fine and temperature fluctuations aren't extreme/quick, I don't believe there would be any problem.

[Tampa1257]

As long as humidity is fine and temperature fluctuations aren't extreme/quick, I don't believe there would be any problem.

Agreed

[DrunkenMonkey]

Thanks very much. Humidity is solid 65%, with an overabundance of beads.

[samb]

Ive heard that the lower the temp, the slower the aging process (though not to exceed about 80 degrees at the absolute max). No harm to the smokes though as long as humidity is adequate.

[PADDYWHACK121272]

I have found the info at Trevor Leask's site the most concise and level-headed around if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/info-cigars.htm

Only issue seems to be potential slowing down of ageing process as the guys above have pointed out...

[Mel]

I would not fret over that temp but have you considered adding a little heat to the cellar? Do you want it that cool for other reasons? I have heard the popular opinion about slower aging but have yet to see hard science with twenty year studies and objective results.

[DrunkenMonkey]

I would not fret over that temp but have you considered adding a little heat to the cellar? Do you want it that cool for other reasons? I have heard the popular opinion about slower aging but have yet to see hard science with twenty year studies and objective results.

it's certainly not on purpose; I decided on keeping the coolerdor down there this past summer, when it was the logical choice (the cellar is a steady 62-65 deg. in the summer). I may try opening some furnace vents down there. I wonder also what happens if I take a cigar out of that environment (51 deg./65%) and bring it upstairs (68 deg./50%) to smoke it? Is that a big enough temperature difference to worry about?

[PigFish]

I would not fret over that temp but have you considered adding a little heat to the cellar? Do you want it that cool for other reasons? I have heard the popular opinion about slower aging but have yet to see hard science with twenty year studies and objective results.

I agree with you Mel. I too don't think that you will hurt your cigars but there are some additional points to make. The fact remains that actual humidity in the tobacco is the important factor. A professor friend of mine (also an aficionado) once made some very good arguments to me regarding absolute and RH as comparison indices. His evidence showed that the differential of the two, within limits, was nominal enough to use the easier to measure RH. He is a smart SOB and I respect his opinion and the evidence that he provided.

BUT... there is less water in 50 degree 65% RH air than there is in 65 degree, 65% RH air. Does that mean that long term exposure will eventually dry your cigar? I don't know the answer as the fermented tobacco also has a rate of absorption and evaporation that may be effected by temperature and is unknown to me. Second, a cold cigar when lit if not properly tempered may very well split when smoked.

With two potential problems lurking around corners would you want to risk your cigars to such problems? I think it makes sense to stay within the realm of a time tested environmental envelope and would not tell a friend that it is okay if I don't know better. We can all speculate that it is okay. But I, for one, don't know it is okay and therefore won't say not to worry about it. If it were me, I would bring the cigars into the 60's, a realm I know empirically to be okay. Best of luck. - Piggy

[stargazer14]

I too keep my humidor(old fridge) in the basement that stays about 56deg in the winter.

I bring the temp up to 65 with a simple solution of running an extension cord inside with a 5w nite lite attached.

Bulb never gets too hot to do any harm if it touches anything.

When the outside temps start to rise, I plug the cord into a cheap timer and cut the hours down that the bulb is lit.

Has worked perfect for years.

[Van55]

I have heard the popular opinion about slower aging but have yet to see hard science with twenty year studies and objective results.

Nor will you -- ever.

All we will ever have are subjective and anecdotal evidence and, perhaps, consensus. That's all "popular opinion" and "common wisdom" about cigars are.

[PigFish]

Nor will you -- ever.

All we will ever have are subjective and anecdotal evidence and, perhaps, consensus. That's all "popular opinion" and "common wisdom" about cigars are.

Very well put!

[Guest rob]

good posts Van and Ray.

fwiw my smokes are stored in my cellar and winter temp can be as low as 9 degrees C.

[LiLo]

I have always believed that the lower the temp you have, the lower the humidity will be, so if you are running at say 55 degrees its going to take a humidity of like 70-75 to keep it at your normal conditions.

[CIGARHead]

I think 51 is fine...the cooler the better in my opinion. Less worries about beetles for sure. I keep mine between 60-65 degrees - to be honest, I'd keep it a bit lower, but don't like the looks of my a/c bill when my Aristocrat is constantly running to keep cool.

[PigFish]

I think 51 is fine...the cooler the better in my opinion. Less worries about beetles for sure. I keep mine between 60-65 degrees - to be honest, I'd keep it a bit lower, but don't like the looks of my a/c bill when my Aristocrat is constantly running to keep cool.

Austin... is your Aristo cooled? If so do you mean that the Peltier units draw that much current? I have to scratch my head about that one. Or do you mean that you have to cool the whole house to keep the Aristo that low???

I have never liked Peltier coolers.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Thanks for the responses. I've opened a furnace vent in the cellar, and now the temp of the cellar is 56 degrees.

Now since many of you obviously have a better grasp of physics than I do (I went to music school), I wonder if you'll address a paranoid vision that I have about keeping my cigars cold. So when you take a beer out of the fridge and into the warm air, water condenses onto the bottle. Obviously the fridge is much colder than 51 degrees, but does the same thing happen to a lesser extent when I take the cigar from its 51 degree/65% resting place and into a 68 degree/50% room? How cold would the cigar have to be for condensation to form? Or am I just so clueless about the physics involved that I'm not even asking the right questions? It's OK if you want to laugh at me; don't feel bad. But I would appreciate if someone among us has the patience to explain this to me.

[CIGARHead]

Austin... is your Aristo cooled? If so do you mean that the Peltier units draw that much current? I have to scratch my head about that one. Or do you mean that you have to cool the whole house to keep the Aristo that low???

I have never liked Peltier coolers.

Ray...yeah it's peltier cooled. I just know that when I tried to cool the Humidor down to 55-58 deg, it ran constantly to keep the temp down...no real proof as to how much my a/c bill went up if any, just didn't like the damn thing running all day - especially since its in my office and it gets annoying listening to it run. Now, before I had the Aristocrat, I would keep my home temps down in the high 60's...talk about an a/c bill!

[Mel]

Nor will you -- ever.

All we will ever have are subjective and anecdotal evidence and, perhaps, consensus. That's all "popular opinion" and "common wisdom" about cigars are.

That's the sum of truth about cigars.

Listen to the Pigfish he is supper smart but ignore the CIGARHead, he ain't. LOL

I keep cigars around 65 degrees and and have taken them outside to 10 degrees and they do fine. I have let cigars sit in the truck for a few days below freezing and bring them indoors to smoke fine. I am of the opinion that some Habanophilies get a little retentive over their cigars but that is their right. Moisture extremes hurt cigars more in my opinion. Even total imersion in water will not hurt a cigar to bad if you fish it out of the river real quick.

[thechenman]

That's the sum of truth about cigars.

Listen to the Pigfish he is supper smart but ignore the CIGARHead, he ain't. LOL

I keep cigars around 65 degrees and and have taken them outside to 10 degrees and they do fine. I have let cigars sit in the truck for a few days below freezing and bring them indoors to smoke fine. I am of the opinion that some Habanophilies get a little retentive over their cigars but that is their right. Moisture extremes hurt cigars more in my opinion. Even total imersion in water will not hurt a cigar to bad if you fish it out of the river real quick.

I can now attest to this statement being correct. Had an issue with wrapper splits smoking in the cold northeast winter weather. Ran some Poland Spring over my cigar shook it off and it smoked like a dream. Never thought I would do it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. First time I did it, I didn't want to risk anything good, so I went with a Cuaba.

[CIGARHead]

Listen to the Pigfish he is supper smart but ignore the CIGARHead, he ain't. LOL

I tried to ignore this, but just couldn't let your genius, supper smart comment slide by.

[PigFish]

I tried to ignore this, but just couldn't let your genius, supper smart comment slide by.

... do, do, da.... daaa, dee, daa, dum.... dup, dupa, wa.... !!!! Ahhh what!!!!

Knowing a little about the heat transfer capability of these small Peltier units I can't imagine that they are the cause of an excessive utility bill. If you are at all curious Austin you may want to pick up one of these. I bought it off a bargain rack for about 15 bucks. It is an actual KWH sub meter and will measure the electrical usage at a single point. If your system pulls more than a few hundred watts I would be very surprised but this is a way to be sure. -R

[CIGARHead]

... do, do, da.... daaa, dee, daa, dum.... dup, dupa, wa.... !!!! Ahhh what!!!!

Knowing a little about the heat transfer capability of these small Peltier units I can't imagine that they are the cause of an excessive utility bill. If you are at all curious Austin you may want to pick up one of these. I bought it off a bargain rack for about 15 bucks. It is an actual KWH sub meter and will measure the electrical usage at a single point. If your system pulls more than a few hundred watts I would be very surprised but this is a way to be sure. -R

Sweet Ray!..Thanks. I'll try and pick one up the weekend. I would love to see the results.