Is 73% Humidity Too Much?

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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
IMO, that is too high for storage and definitely for comfortable smoking.

The old standard was 70/70 but I think most have decided that's too high. Non-Cubans do better with higher RH than Habanos in my experience, but I am talking like 66-68 on the high end. I use Heartfelt beads in my coolet and Boveda packs in a couple tupperdors. I use 65 for everything which I find to be a good compromise RH. Are your sticks burning well at 73? In addition to mold and bugs, I found my cigars really tended to burn poorly and unevenly at higher RH numbers.

As Hoosier suggested, give a lower RH a try. I bet you prefer it. If not, you can always go back.
 

carcosa

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 21, 2013
207
85
Update:
Ok so I have a cheaper digital hygrometer that is reading at 67% in the same humidor as my Caliber IV. Strangely enough if I hadnt added a 5 percent calibration to my Caliber IV it would be reading 68%. Do you think the hygrometer at my tobaccist's was off in their humidor room? These are supposed to come precalibrated but now I'm thinking maybe my humidor is closer to 67 or 68 percent
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,080
49
Las Vegas
With 2 different readings I would salt test (Google it) both of them and see what the results are.

Also, did you season the humidor?
 
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Moonbog

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 22, 2020
121
309
56
I use the 65 Boveda myself, but prefer my humidor even drier than that if I can manage it. Smoking a wet cigar is almost as bad as smoking a wet bowl.
 

carcosa

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 21, 2013
207
85
yes I seasoned the humidor, I used a very lightly damp sponge with distilled water to wipe down the interior, and then I wet the sponge again and put it on a ziploc bag on the tray inside along with the humidifier that came with the humidor and let it set for 4 days... The humidity was in the 80s while it seasoned. I then put about 30 cigars in for a day or two and then added about 45 more.. Also I saw 58% Boveda packs but I dont think they were intended for cigars

 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
Update:
Ok so I have a cheaper digital hygrometer that is reading at 67% in the same humidor as my Caliber IV. Strangely enough if I hadnt added a 5 percent calibration to my Caliber IV it would be reading 68%. Do you think the hygrometer at my tobaccist's was off in their humidor room? These are supposed to come precalibrated but now I'm thinking maybe my humidor is closer to 67 or 68 percent

You are making a possible erroneous assumption the humidity in the B&M was accurate. Maybe it was dead on. I've been in walk in humidors that seem to vary from being a desert to being in the Caribbean. I would not assume anything.
 
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jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
591
I keep my cabinet humidor at 65%. I personally would not go any higher than that but would go as low as 60%. That’s how they smoke the best in my opinion
 
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Moonbog

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 22, 2020
121
309
56
You are making a possible erroneous assumption the humidity in the B&M was accurate. Maybe it was dead on. I've been in walk in humidors that seem to vary from being a desert to being in the Caribbean. I would not assume anything.
What Hoosier said. Those walk in humidor joints are all over the place. As suggested earlier in this thread, always do a salt test with your hydrometers to determine their accuracy. All ya need is salt, water, tupperware and your hydrometer.
 

blues4goose

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 15, 2019
243
720
30
Bethlehem, PA
I have several humidors, and use nothing but Boveda. I get the 320 gram packs, and they typically last 1-2 years. 72% holds right around 65 in my humidors, and all of my cigars smoke perfectly.
 

blues4goose

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 15, 2019
243
720
30
Bethlehem, PA
After discovering food grade propylene glycol I'll never use anything else for humidification. The only drawback is that it's a liquid and can spill.
I used to use PG with the gel bead jars, but I've found that if you don't alternate every other fill with distilled water, the pores in the beads clog up pretty fast and they stop releasing moisture after just a few months. Found out the hard way after I realized I didn't need to fill my jar for 6 months, and the cigars were dry as a bone.
 
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blues4goose

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 15, 2019
243
720
30
Bethlehem, PA
I might mention that high humidity (in excess of 70%) is the domain of hatching beetles. If the cigars have not been consistently stored or frozen at some time, those dormant eggs just might hatch if they were present.
You're confusing this with temperature. Beetle eggs hatch around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and live in the cigar for a few months in their larval form before they emerge as a beetle. IMO That's why people usually misjudge why they get beatles, because if your humidor goes above 80 degrees, you won't see the bugs that have hatched for at least a month or two. Freezing really is the best way, but you don't get anywhere close to 100% mortality of the eggs freezing at 30 degrees for 24 hours. The colder & the longer you can go, the better your chances will be.
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
I used to use PG with the gel bead jars, but I've found that if you don't alternate every other fill with distilled water, the pores in the beads clog up pretty fast and they stop releasing moisture after just a few months. Found out the hard way after I realized I didn't need to fill my jar for 6 months, and the cigars were dry as a bone.

I keep a 1 gallon jug of distilled water beside my humidors precisely for that reason.
 
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shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,080
49
Las Vegas
My long term cigar storage is an electric humidor. The PG just sits in a plastic tray. I aim for a temp 68F & RH of 68%.

If I don't open it I almost never have to fill the tray. When I do open it it feels and smells like walking into a quality cigar shop's walk-in humidor.

I haven't been able to get distilled water to last anywhere near as long as PG. In my rotation humidor, which is not temp controlled, I put the PG in small stainless steel "mise en place" cups and have had far better results.

Again, the only downside that I can find is that it's a liquid and can spill. The beads are unnecessary with PG unless you're using them to help prevent spills.
 

blues4goose

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 15, 2019
243
720
30
Bethlehem, PA
Update:
Ok so I have a cheaper digital hygrometer that is reading at 67% in the same humidor as my Caliber IV. Strangely enough if I hadnt added a 5 percent calibration to my Caliber IV it would be reading 68%. Do you think the hygrometer at my tobaccist's was off in their humidor room? These are supposed to come precalibrated but now I'm thinking maybe my humidor is closer to 67 or 68 percent
Test them! Fill a soda bottle cap with salt and wet it with distilled water to the consistency of wet sand. Put it in a bag with the hygrometers and seal it for at least 12 hours. They should read 75%. If they don't, calibrate accordingly
 
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