65 rh vs 69 rh

[Baccy]

I know this is one of the most well discussed topics in the cigar community but I specifically want to pick people's brains about which one is best for habanos. For 10+ years I use Boveda as my main means of humidification and sometimes supplement with beads if they start drying up. I always keep my NC cigars at 69 and don't normally have many issues. Sometimes I get a little mold specks on an unwrapped stick. I used to try to keep my habanos at 69 and would run into mold issues. So now I'm scared to keep them at 69 even though I kind of prefer it due to how moist and pliable they stay and of course this gives them a prettier appearance. I'm fine with 65 except for the fact that they seem to get a little dry and draw up over time. Is that just the normal process of aging or is it because I'm keeping them at 65 rather than 69? I've never had any means of temp control. Is that why I ran into mold issues at 69? Should I get some kind of temp controlled cabinet or should I just stick with 65 and continue doing what I'm doing? thanks...

[BoliDan]

65 for both. unless that +/- 4% takes you to outlier territory, it will be fine for NC and CC. Staying 62-65 has been fine for all my smokes. Feel free to keep em in same humidor too. flavor bleeding is a myth according my mixed drawers of singles over the years.

[JohnS]

Even though I keep my Non-Cuban stock at 69 rh, I would have no issue seconding what @BoliDan mentioned. Keep in mind, it's normal for Habanos cigars, kept at that stable 65 rh or under setting to shrink and seem drier on the palate over time. To counter this, some cigar enthusiasts opt to 'wet box' their aged cigars prior to smoking. What I mean by this is some people prefer to take their aged stock and keep them in a small humidor at 69 rh or above (I've heard of 72 rh after having long-term storage at 55 rh) for a month or so.

Look, it's certainly not the usual practice. I'd compare it to the habit of quickly rinsing a cigar under a running tap. In other words, it's not the regular custom but some experienced cigar enthusiasts swear by it.

[BrightonCorgi]

36 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Look, it's certainly not the usual practice. I'd compare it to the habit of quickly rinsing a cigar under a running tap. In other words, it's not the regular custom but some experienced cigar enthusiasts swear by it.

I rinse about 20% of the cigars I smoke.  Always rinse the cap before cutting if I am smoking at home.

[El Presidente]

• 69 RH shouldn't produce mould. If you prefer 69, I would look into a temp controlled unit if the spotting is bothering you on your CC 
• I doubt most people could tell the difference between 65 and 69 in CC. 
• I think the smoking difference between 65 and 69 is more apparent in NC. Many prefer the higher RH. 

[Baccy]

5 hours ago, JohnS said:

Even though I keep my Non-Cuban stock at 69 rh, I would have no issue seconding what @BoliDan mentioned. Keep in mind, it's normal for Habanos cigars, kept at that stable 65 rh or under setting to shrink and seem drier on the palate over time. To counter this, some cigar enthusiasts opt to 'wet box' their aged cigars prior to smoking. What I mean by this is some people prefer to take their aged stock and keep them in a small humidor at 69 rh or above (I've heard of 72 rh after having long-term storage at 55 rh) for a month or so.

Look, it's certainly not the usual practice. I'd compare it to the habit of quickly rinsing a cigar under a running tap. In other words, it's not the regular custom but some experienced cigar enthusiasts swear by it.

Thanks. I forgot about wet boxing. I've always casually heard people talk about wet boxing but never actually looked into what it was. I know I've heard of dry boxing fresh rolled cigars and I guess this would be the reverse, lol. I think I will try that and see if they spring back a bit!

[Jamie117]

I keep my NCs around 65%, and my CCs around 62%. This is based on advice from the big subs on Reddit, and it's served me fairly well. Even at these lower humidities I still run into some cigars, both CC and NC, which want to be dryboxed for a good week or so before smoking to really burn nicely. I don't think I've ever encountered a cigar (from my storage) that was underhumidified/dry.

 

For reference I'm in NZ, very fluctuating environment, and my tupperdors also fluctuate +/- 3% or so because they're not temp controlled.

[Tradesman]

I've had the same issue keeping CCs at 69%, so I keep most of them at 62% or 65% now. I haven't encountered having aged CCs shrivel up from the dryness before, even multi-year aged ones. But then again I stay in Malaysia where it's wet and humid all year round.

Although, as a verdict, I don't think you'd go wrong with 65%. 69% just causes CCs to not burn well and makes them not taste as good in my experience. 

[joeypots]

If my cigar storage is around 65% I don’t sweat it at all. The RH that I smoke my Cuban cigars at is something to which I pay close attention. 60% suits me fine and no cubans can go a lot wetter than that. So I don’t fuss with the boxes I have in long term storage too much but I keep a sharp eye on the desktop humidor and work at keeping the  RH relatively low.

[vladdraq]

Mold grows in moist and warm places, 25C and 75% RH is the best for them. You should ventilate and/or lower your temperature. (Temperature is also important)