First desktop humidor......and trying to make sense of things :)

[dodger29]

Hi All,

New cigar smoker here (please see my introduction in the newbie thread )

I have started with a new 50 count Cohiba desktop humidor, recently seasoned with 2 x 84 Boveda packs for 2 weeks and now settling in with 3 x Boveda 65 packs.

At this point, I am not looking for deep/long term storage but rather a way to keep my purchases in good condition for regular smoking.

As suggested by some of the more experienced members of this forum, I have first searched for and read many posts in various threads in order to begin to understand the art (and science) of cigar storage before posting.

I have read many opinions here ranging from the more relaxed, laissez-faire type attitude to the incredibly precise, empirical stance of some members (Hi PigFish, your posts are great!! )

It seems there is not one correct way/method to do things. It seems if one is happy with the quality of their smoking experience.........then one is "doing it right"

This brings me to my query and it relates to something PigFish wrote in one of the discussion topics and I quote:

Like others here I am an advocate of consistent temperature control for my cigars. But this does not mean that the vigilant smoker cannot adjust his/her rH to counteract environmental impacts due to changing temperature.

80˚F is not going to do damage to anyones' cigars. You will likely find them a little dryer during those months and if you store at the low 60's (rH) during winter, you may need to increase your rH a little during summer. If you normally store in the mid-60's you might find no seasonal adjustments are necessary. It takes some time to move water out of cigars.

Cheers! -Piggy

These two paragraphs seemed to instil some sense and calm in me. The ambient temperature in my study ranges from 20degC - 27degC (68degF - 80degF). It seems from Pig's comments that all is not lost with this temperature range as long as I counteract these changes by adjusting the rH accordingly.

I (think) I like a dryer smoke, therefore keeping my desktop humidor at 65% rH over the fluctuating temperature range mentioned above, is ok?

P.S sorry for rambling on a bit.....

[LordAnubis]

The one thing to look out for at that temperature is beetles hatching... and sometimes mould. Beetles hatch at above 18C apparently.

[dodger29]

Yes, I have read that.... Was intending to freeze them first to minimize that....

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[Jager223]

A fine way to start your new obsession (trust me on this!), the Boveda packs are superb, I only wish i'd started using them earlier. Keep calm and carry on, you can't change your circumstances so have fun, experiment and share your findings. As long as you keep tabs on what's going on in your humidor you should be able to nip problems in the bud before they manifest. Failing that, if you smoke all your cigars then you won't have to worry about beetles anyway!

[PapaDisco]

I'm not entirely convinced of the temperature argument. The cigars I take, and store, in higher temp environments (Saigon, and using 65 rH bovedas) do not smoke as well as my stash at home, kept at a constant temp (65F) and rH (65). While I do agree that high temps won't "kill" your sticks, it does seem to affect their taste and smoke ability; although my experience of this is muddled by the high humidity in Saigon as well (cigars perform better indoors). After all, these things are rolled and smoked in Cuba and there's both heat and humidity there right?

So, anyway, you won't kill your cigars with an room that goes up and down, so long as your humidity does go past the dew point you set. Get your sticks hot and humid, and then suddenly cool them to 68F and your bovedas won't keep up, which will generate tiny micro drops of condensation; enough to trigger mold potentially.

[dodger29]

A fine way to start your new obsession (trust me on this!), the Boveda packs are superb, I only wish i'd started using them earlier. Keep calm and carry on, you can't change your circumstances so have fun, experiment and share your findings. As long as you keep tabs on what's going on in your humidor you should be able to nip problems in the bud before they manifest. Failing that, if you smoke all your cigars then you won't have to worry about beetles anyway!

Thanks Jager223! I intend to smoke them, thats for sure.

[dodger29]

I'm not entirely convinced of the temperature argument. The cigars I take, and store, in higher temp environments (Saigon, and using 65 rH bovedas) do not smoke as well as my stash at home, kept at a constant temp (65F) and rH (65). While I do agree that high temps won't "kill" your sticks, it does seem to affect their taste and smoke ability; although my experience of this is muddled by the high humidity in Saigon as well (cigars perform better indoors). After all, these things are rolled and smoked in Cuba and there's both heat and humidity there right?

So, anyway, you won't kill your cigars with an room that goes up and down, so long as your humidity does go past the dew point you set. Get your sticks hot and humid, and then suddenly cool them to 68F and your bovedas won't keep up, which will generate tiny micro drops of condensation; enough to trigger mold potentially.

Hi PapaDisco..... here on Gold Coast, Australia we have a humid sub-tropical climate...warm winters and humid hot summers.

We do have ducted air-conditioning but due to high energy costs we only use it on those days that are just too unbearable.

Maybe a wineador will be my destination..... but for now, will see how I go.

Thanks for your advice!

[PapaDisco]

The only time I ran into mold was with my desktop humidor, in San Francisco and storing at 70%rH (which meant that it was easy for it to go over that rH with temp changes). Was using the supplied foam humistat at the time. Pretty much a recipe for failure!

Stable temps make stable rH a snap; and you can humidify with lots of different options and they'll all work great. My long term storage went into my cellar, with a dehumidifier on standby for those 2 weeks of wet days each year. The cigars are in water tight tupperdores in their own cabinet and the bovedas therein last a year or more. Stable temps are the key to making rH easy to manage (IMHO!)

[dodger29]

Got it! Thanks PapaDisco......

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[Fuzz]

Hi PapaDisco..... here on Gold Coast, Australia we have a humid sub-tropical climate...warm winters and humid hot summers.

We do have ducted air-conditioning but due to high energy costs we only use it on those days that are just too unbearable.

Maybe a wineador will be my destination..... but for now, will see how I go.

Thanks for your advice!

Install solar panels just to run your air-con!