what is the best humidity % to go with?

I've read so many different people saying different things! Some say 65, some say 70, some say anywhere in between. I box is usually running about 65%, and I have 69% boveda packets in my tupperware containers.

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Comments

Rhamlin

It's a personal preference I like 67-68 RH.

Shaun.Harrison87

I agree with Rhamlin, 67-68 is great for storage...might consider 63-65 for your "ready to smoke" sticks so they burn easier. All is personal opinion as long as you are in the safe zone

jlmarta

I have 65% beads but I like it if the RH gets down to about 62%. I think I get a better burn at the lower RH.

KingoftheCove

I'm no expert, but from what I understand, beads aren't "perfect" - there's a 2% or so margin for error.
That's why I go with 65% beads......2% in either direction I'm OK with.
The 60% are too low for my needs, and I'm afraid the 70% might run high, to say 72%, and I'm not cool with that either.

asianbiker8

So like 72% makes it wetter and harder to draw right?

KingoftheCove

asianbiker8:
So like 72% makes it wetter and harder to draw right?

It would be better to have one of the more experienced bros here answer that, but the quick answer to your question (from me) is ....not necessarily.
Many other factors outside of RH contribute to hard draws - vitola, type of tobacco, the roll job, the conditions in which you're smoking, etc.
Yes, 72% is obviously "moister" than 65%.................and there are some botl who like to store their stash at 70rh.
72% is just too high for my preference......I smoke a lot of Robustos and big ring gauges, and for me, they don't do so well at higher RH.....the sticks I smoke do much better at 65rh.

jr_p951

Its all preferrence. I keep my winedor at 66' and 68-69% rH.

The Kid

Shaun.Harrison87:
I agree with Rhamlin, 67-68 is great for storage...might consider 63-65 for your "ready to smoke" sticks so they burn easier. All is personal opinion as long as you are in the safe zone

Shaun I love ya, but I would do the opposite, 65 max for long term storage and 68 for smokin. As you can see Derrick its a personal preference, however I agree with Shaun 100 % in that some sticks, Corojo wrappers for example, will burn and smoke better at a lower RH.

The Kid

asianbiker8:
So like 72% makes it wetter and harder to draw right?

Yes too wet and as the cigar becomes moist it expands and air will not travel through the cigar as easily, what burns better wet leaves or dry ones.?(EDIT) Yea just reread this and I'm not trying to be a smartazz.. King of the Cove is also right in that there can be many other factors wich cause a cigar to have a poor draw, But a cigar that is too moist will not draw as easily as a cigar that is at a good RH..Reading your initial post IMO your RH is fine I use the 69 Boveda's too and uuslly my RH is higher than 65,,My coolidor is usually always at 65 and my humis range from 65 to 69 +/- 1,

asianbiker8

thanks for all the info, you guys are great!

Shaun.Harrison87

The Kid:
Shaun.Harrison87:
I agree with Rhamlin, 67-68 is great for storage...might consider 63-65 for your "ready to smoke" sticks so they burn easier. All is personal opinion as long as you are in the safe zone
Shaun I love ya, but I would do the opposite, 65 max for long term storage and 68 for smokin. As you can see Derrick its a personal preference, however I agree with Shaun 100 % in that some sticks, Corojo wrappers for example, will burn and smoke better at a lower RH.

I struggle here in North Dakota with such a wide variety of humidity levels and it seems to be higher in the summer(my main smoking season), so if I don't dry-box for a day or half-day the burn can be inconsistent. The environment is the main reason I do it the way I do and I think Marker does it the same, but personal preference dominates...the more you experiment, the more smokes you will need

docbp87

63% for me. I haven't found many sticks that don't burn wonderfully, and draw perfectly at this humidity. Much higher and you start to risk blistering wrappers, tunneling filler, and of course if you get around 70%, mold becomes a risk. I like my cigars wrapped in cedar, or stored in tubos, and at 63% I don't run any risk of surprises when I take them out of tubes or remove cedar sleeves.

The Kid

Thanks Doc for your input, Ive never had a problem with cedar wrapped sticks, Here lately I was suprised to read and see some recent posts, so curiosity got the better of me, and this am I checked a couple cedar wrapped sticks.. all was well... I have recieved tubo AVO's from a merchant and these had tiny tiny white mold spots on them, easily came off.. from that day I have always removed sticks from the aluminum tubo's like la aurora preferidos...There was a good link i had where experts recommended 62-65 for long term storage and bringing them up slightly before smoking Ive tried to stick to that..

CAcigarguy007

65% RH=Tomato 70% RH = Tomato. It really is a preference and unless you are aging for like 5+ years it really don't matter in the end.

kuzi16

for a long time i was in the 65% boat.
i started to notice that Nicaraguan cigars had more of the negative aspects of the Nicaraguan flavor profile when i smoked them out of my humidor vs when i smoked them out of the humidor in my local B&M. as soon as i raised my humidity to 68% the overly pulpy texture went away. i now enjoy nigaraguan cigars more. the decision took about a year to make and now many of oilier wrappers tend to burn slightly uneven but not so much that it is a problem.

as CAcigarguy said, it is just preference unless you are aging for 5+ years....

... witch i am doing.
i have many cigars with 5+ years on them. 68% will retain the oils longer and allow full marrying of oils before the oils break down significantly.

BigT06

The Kid:
Thanks Doc for your input, Ive never had a problem with cedar wrapped sticks, Here lately I was suprised to read and see some recent posts, so curiosity got the better of me, and this am I checked a couple cedar wrapped sticks.. all was well... I have recieved tubo AVO's from a merchant and these had tiny tiny white mold spots on them, easily came off.. from that day I have always removed sticks from the aluminum tubo's like la aurora preferidos...There was a good link i had where experts recommended 62-65 for long term storage and bringing them up slightly before smoking Ive tried to stick to that..

I do exactly the opposite of that, Rudy... I store my "aging" sticks (more like resting compared to what most guys consider age) at 67-68% and then allow them to drop for a few days before I smoke em. The only sticks I prefer to smoke at 68 or more (72 MAX) are connies... a trick I learned from dbeckom that seems to work well in bring out the potential of the conneticut wrapper.

laker1963

High enough that the smoke doesn't turn to dust in your humi (65% +) and low enough that you can enjoy smoking it without the stick running, or having to light it every other draw.

In other words you will not find one answer. Keep them between 65% and 70% and try using a dry box to get your sticks to the exact RH you eventually decide is right for you.

In other words it is ALL personal choice and nobody here can give you a proper answer to your question.

boydmcgowan

laker1963:
In other words it is ALL personal choice and nobody here can give you a proper answer to your question.

yup, as long as your over 60 and under 72, your fine. the tweaking is just personal preference, and you're preferences might change over time as Kuzi Mentioned.

I typically run both my aging and smoking humis as close to 70 without going over as possible because I really like the chewy feel I get from a really well humidified robusto, belicoso or toro or anything over a 50 rg, but I feel like I'm running into draw issues with the thinner sizes, when I'm running 70% rh. So we'll see where I go. I recently had an annoying tight lancero and its already not my favorite size but this got me wanting to try a slightly lower rh to see if it improves the draw on the thinner sizes I do enjoy like Coronas and Corona extras, and really anything in the mid 40s rg.

Anyway, moral of the story is play around with it and make your own normal, and if you want to change it up, do it. Just keep it under 72% at all times.

The3Stogies

2 humi's around 65% and 1 around 70%. Don't really notice much difference in burn or flavor. Of course the 70% is my go to humi so they probably don't get a chance to acclimate before they're smoked.

asianbiker8

all good advice guys! another noob related question, i see some of you guy in the show your humi setup thread, have your sticks in ziplock bags. do you keep the bags open? do they get enough moisture and air?

Bubba3650

As I read more and more of these posts I am amazed at the art of collecting sticks.

deejmemixx

asianbiker8:
all good advice guys! another noob related question, i see some of you guy in the show your humi setup thread, have your sticks in ziplock bags. do you keep the bags open? do they get enough moisture and air?

My guess would be they have them open or they have a humi pillow in there with them.

Goldy

kuzi16:
for a long time i was in the 65% boat.
i started to notice that Nicaraguan cigars had more of the negative aspects of the Nicaraguan flavor profile when i smoked them out of my humidor vs when i smoked them out of the humidor in my local B&M. as soon as i raised my humidity to 68% the overly pulpy texture went away. i now enjoy nigaraguan cigars more. the decision took about a year to make and now many of oilier wrappers tend to burn slightly uneven but not so much that it is a problem.

as CAcigarguy said, it is just preference unless you are aging for 5+ years....

... witch i am doing.
i have many cigars with 5+ years on them. 68% will retain the oils longer and allow full marrying of oils before the oils break down significantly.

I couldn't agree more. I first prefered sticks around 63% but also noticed that my sticks were giving me unpleasant notes when compared to B&M sticks so I have upped the humidity. Over half of my collection is from pre 2009 so I am looking for these to age well.

BigT06

asianbiker8:
all good advice guys! another noob related question, i see some of you guy in the show your humi setup thread, have your sticks in ziplock bags. do you keep the bags open? do they get enough moisture and air?

leave the bag open so the cigars can still breathe and maintain proper RH. I dont recommend keeping the water pillow in them because that may oversaturate the cigars in the bags.

if you run a 65% cooler like i do, you can always put some sticks in a big ziplock bag with a broveda pack (a 69 or 72) and keep it closed so that those sticks will still maintain higher RH without effecting the rest of your collection. But if you do that, remember to open the bags a couple times a week and get some fresh air in em.

kdstreet

I'll have to be the odd man out. I smoke Nicaraguan cigars and keep them at 70%; however, I recommend letting them air a bit before lighting up.

Cigary

Between 62 and 70% and most will say around 65%. Experience will be your best guide because "some" cigars tend to smoke better at different percentages but that is something that takes time for each of us to find out. We're all different...we don't eat and drink the same things and when it comes to cigars...I've seen so many different ways for people to say at what RH is the best so we usually take the average...65%.