Heartfelt Beads

[danny]

Definitely 65.

[klassikkasp]

65 heartfelt here

[Gunson]

I use heartfelt and boveda combo as well.

[earthson]

65 is my preference, but 70% if you'll be aging long-term (10+ years). I tend to prefer regular production CC with 8 years or less (+/-), so 65 work well.

I have begun using HCM beads and am phasing out Heartfelt (I'm not just going to throw them away!). They perform much better and require much less recharge, but they're somewhat harder to manage. You SHOULD NOT add water directly to HCM, while with Heartfelt it's no problem.

[PigFish]

I have written tirelessly about desiccants and silica gel, silica and other based adsorbents over many years on this forum. There are a lot of differences in products, and huge differences between engineered products and "cat" products.

While I have no interest in Heartfelt Beads (no financial interest) if they stink, you gave them that stink...!

Of course beaded desiccants are not sponges. They are not (most of them, but not all of them) designed to accept 'wet' water. As a post above indicated they are adsorbent, designed to accept water vapor, molecular water, not liquid water.

I would imagine that if you mix enough pollution, dust and other materials that can provide a foothold for mold, and the capillary water you can even grow mold on the stuff...! Desiccant are not 'stupid proof' and they do require some care.

As a desiccant seller (I don't generally sell them outside of a humidor kit by the way so that has nothing to do with this post) I have to back up another seller somewhat by saying that it is not really fair to link polluting a desiccant with the seller and not the user! To reiterate, if it stinks, you gave it the stink and perhaps you should be glad that it is lodged in the desiccant an not in the cigars themselves!

If you want to read more about desiccants as cigar products you can search the many posts that I have opined about them for more data. Be careful what you look for! Desiccants are not miraculous, but they are almost magic in the way that they work, within reason. They are passive, and they make good buffers but not good sources for constant water vapor. They are not "set" products. They vary from their equilibrium water content (if charged by the seller) upon opening them to any dissimilar environment. They are all bidirectional (for our purposes) and that means that a they answer a call to adjust an environment at the cost, or the addition of their water and equilibrium moisture content when the ambient varies.

There is no such thing as a 65rH bead....!!! There is a dry desiccant that someone has conditioned to 65rH at a given temperature (they sold you a desiccant and some water at the same time) but that water content, and the corresponding rH at a given temperature will change the minute that the water content is varied.

Since beads are sold by the lb (by weight) one would be wise to buy more beads (dry) and add his own water...! 30 to 40 percent of of what you buy for 40 to 50 bucks a lb in conditioned beads is water... Probably the most expensive water you ever meant to buy... -LOL

-Piggy

[Nrengle]

That is what I have found with the beads in my coolers. They run higher than their stated humidity. My 65% were running at 70ish%. I have 3 50 qt coolers with 4 62 bovedas in each. Been running at 62-64 constantly for the last month. I still think they are pulling some of the humidity out of the cigars from when I used the beads. I know the cigars are starting to smoke better after a month, though they are still a little too moist for my liking. I should note that in my house (rented), the humidity runs high (think it is from a dirt crawl space in basement). I am near the Columbus, OH area, so temps get down to -15 Celsius regularly, but humidity in my house rarely falls below 48% in house even with heat on at 17-18 Celsius.

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Fellow Columbusian here. Live in Grove City. I've been using Exquisicat kitty litter for the last year in my wineador and it's been pretty solid between 64 to 67%.

[Vortigan]

I've got three 50 qt coolers,two of which have five year old HF 65% in them and one with unscented KL. I've had a rock steady 65-67% RH in all three for a long time now and can't remember the last time I had to introduce even a drop of DW. No breaking down,no bad smells,no problems

[puro]

The lower rh 65% is the way to go .... I also use heartfelt and some have cracked split etc and there's a definite chemical smell but also a cedar like smell from the humidor within the beads . Bovedas are awesome too which you can also "recharge "

[joejack11]

65 HF here. and mines did break down. from adding water. i may try HCM on my next re up.

[jwr0201]

Looking to investigate Boveda packs in the Cigarador. How many boveda packs and what size bovedas for a 28 bottle set-up?

[Sver]

Just out of curiosity, does anybody have experience with the heartfelt sheets?

[seattledude]

You guys with discolored smelly Heartfelt Beads. Did you use strictly distilled water or sometime used tap water?

[TheMonk]

Just out of curiosity, does anybody have experience with the heartfelt sheets?

Never tried they, but I am curious. They're not as cost effective, though.

[schquigly]

I use 62% Boveda in my CC cooler and 68% in my NC cooler and everything is gravy. I used beads but overfilled once and broke every one of them so it stopped working. Just too much hassle.

[seattledude]

I use 62% Boveda in my CC cooler and 68% in my NC cooler and everything is gravy. I used beads but overfilled once and broke every one of them so it stopped working. Just too much hassle.

Heartfelt beads dont stop working when they crack and break up.

[Blazer]

Looking to investigate Boveda packs in the Cigarador. How many boveda packs and what size bovedas for a 28 bottle set-up?

A lot! Really, I don't know anyone who has tried this so your best bet is to contact their customer service guy. He pops up on all the cigar forums, surprised I have not seen him here, yet.

[email protected]

[joejack11]

You gotta use a spray bottle with hf beads. And they discolor over time maybe from oils / vapor in the cigar ? I'm not sure . But my hf beads stay clear for 1-2 years . They work well , they don't crack just discolor and has a interesting smell . I noticed keep the cooler at 65 degrees set point will extend the color of the beads.

One my next order I'm going to try hcm beads, a lot more expensive . But from what I been hearing it's better .

Oh and yes distilled water only .

[jazzboypro]

You gotta use a spray bottle with hf beads. And they discolor over time maybe from oils / vapor in the cigar ? I'm not sure . But my hf beads stay clear for 1-2 years . They work well , they don't crack just discolor and has a interesting smell . I noticed keep the cooler at 65 degrees set point will extend the color of the beads.

One my next order I'm going to try hcm beads, a lot more expensive . But from what I been hearing it's better .

Oh and yes distilled water only .

I use both and i can't tell a difference, both are working well, i don't spray anything on my beads. No smell and no discoloration so far after more than a year.

[MaxG]

I used to use 65% HF beads but ran into problems with them smelling and since switching to 65% bovedas I would never go back to beads.

What do you use now?

- MG

[MaxG]

Does anyone use HF beads in the nylon mesh bag they sell? I bought 1.5 lbs of beads for my wineador, and three bags. Once I put the beads in the bags, I could not tell if they were getting any distilled water I was spritzing on them or not, i.e. couldn't see through the bag to see what percentage, roughly, of the beads were clear.

How do you get around this? Don't use bags?

Also having the same trouble with the tubes.

- MG

[TheMonk]

Does anyone use HF beads in the nylon mesh bag they sell? I bought 1.5 lbs of beads for my wineador, and three bags. Once I put the beads in the bags, I could not tell if they were getting any distilled water I was spritzing on them or not, i.e. couldn't see through the bag to see what percentage, roughly, of the beads were clear.

How do you get around this? Don't use bags?

Also having the same trouble with the tubes.

- MG

I use bags in both my storage humidors. Usually I just spray distilled water on them, and then run my hands through them as to allow the water to be better absorbed through the bag. When that's not enough, I just take them out of the bag, spray them and put them back in. Same goes for the tubes.

[Blazer]

Does anyone use HF beads in the nylon mesh bag they sell? I bought 1.5 lbs of beads for my wineador, and three bags. Once I put the beads in the bags, I could not tell if they were getting any distilled water I was spritzing on them or not, i.e. couldn't see through the bag to see what percentage, roughly, of the beads were clear.

How do you get around this? Don't use bags?

Also having the same trouble with the tubes.

- MG

I don't use HF beads I use silica kitty litter. I put them in woman's stockings and then place them in a Piece of Tupperware. This way I can see though to the KL and any excess water stays in the Tupperware not my cedar drawers.

[el.barbudo]

65%

[Mattygukas]

I use electronic humidifier with boveda packs as a back up. Tried gel and never had luck. FYI, I use the cigar oasis products and boveda packs for my humidors and they work great!

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[Homer]

I have HF 65% beads in my humidor and 69 % Bovedas. I like the Bovedas better because they dont smell. Some of my older beads smell like citrus or something like that. The newer beads dont smell. I have only used distilled or sterile water and the older beads still smell and are yellow.
My other humidor I have elektronic humidifier and Bovedas And that seems to be good solution.