Quick humidity question.

[pwhite]

The humidity in my humidor is a constant 65%. However, during the summer in NYC my home often reaches 80 degrees. Short of installing central air in this old house, should I raise the humidity, lower it or keep it the same?

[ramon_cojones]

Lower, as temp rises the humidity does because it's well relative.

[mk05]

wrap it in foil, 45 degrees, 60% humidity, dont touch it for 20 years.

[PigFish]

Relative humidity is only an indicator of water content in the conditioned cigar over time. RH does not tell you the water activity of ERH conditioned cigar, nor tell you the absolute water content in tobacco. Plainly, there is no right answer here. How do your cigars smoke?

While I have found dryer cigars better tasting, I have also found that warmer cigars can take more RH and still smoke well. While this is not intuitive, it is reflective of the fact that tobacco has different adsorption isotherms than air. Just because air can hold a certain amount of water greater than the same RH level at a lower temperature, it does not mean that tobacco can! Nor does it mean that the relationship of water to air, per degree of temperature is the same in tobacco as air. The water activity in a hygroscopic media has two components. It has its own adsorption isotherm, which consists of both ERH and temperature. A change in one, affects both.

You have to remember... Tobacco is not air!

You my very well find that 65 RH air at 80 DF dries your cigars! The isotherms are not the same. 80 DF and 65 can work for me, but I prefer dryer cigars, even at 80 DF.