Recovering some neglected sticks...
New member here, just looking for a little info - or possibly just confirmation that I've done right.
I'm a relative newb - got a hand-me down 50ct humidor a couple summers back, and I've picked up a few different samplers over the last couple summers (I rarely ever smoke in the winter, too dang cold out there!), and a couple 5-packs here and there if I find something I like (I still tend towards mild/medium blends).
Anyway, I let the humidor get away from me over the winter. It was stored in my basement, which is a little on the cool side, but not bad (I'd say 60-ish year round). It's also damp, though not really bad in the winter (I run a dehumidifier from April through October, to keep around 65RH - but I'm honestly not sure what the RH in the basement is like during the winter). Anyway, I failed to keep up with humidification over the winter. I filled it back up about a month, maybe month and a half ago (I'm using humi-care gel), rotated the sticks a little bit, but not aggressively - probably turned them every other week or so.
I broke out one yesterday - a Romeo y Julieta Cedros #2 - and it seemed in good shape. The wrapper was actually a little more oily than I recall them being in the past (an effect of aging?), but there was no sign of any mold or other problems I could recognize. I lit it up, and it seemed great - burned slow and even and drew nicely, and no harsh taste or anything.
So - I guess I'd ask if I did the right thing to recover the sticks, or did I simply get lucky?
Comments
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Well since you never mentioned using or looking at a hygromater... you got lucky. You should try to get a hygro inside the humi to see what the RH in there is. Your basement probably kept it in a good range, so yeah, luck did it LMAO.StratSlinger:New member here, just looking for a little info - or possibly just confirmation that I've done right.
I'm a relative newb - got a hand-me down 50ct humidor a couple summers back, and I've picked up a few different samplers over the last couple summers (I rarely ever smoke in the winter, too dang cold out there!), and a couple 5-packs here and there if I find something I like (I still tend towards mild/medium blends).
Anyway, I let the humidor get away from me over the winter. It was stored in my basement, which is a little on the cool side, but not bad (I'd say 60-ish year round). It's also damp, though not really bad in the winter (I run a dehumidifier from April through October, to keep around 65RH - but I'm honestly not sure what the RH in the basement is like during the winter). Anyway, I failed to keep up with humidification over the winter. I filled it back up about a month, maybe month and a half ago (I'm using humi-care gel), rotated the sticks a little bit, but not aggressively - probably turned them every other week or so.
I broke out one yesterday - a Romeo y Julieta Cedros #2 - and it seemed in good shape. The wrapper was actually a little more oily than I recall them being in the past (an effect of aging?), but there was no sign of any mold or other problems I could recognize. I lit it up, and it seemed great - burned slow and even and drew nicely, and no harsh taste or anything.
So - I guess I'd ask if I did the right thing to recover the sticks, or did I simply get lucky?
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Yeah, I left out the part about my (admittedly cheap) hygrometer crapping the bed. It's clearly stuck at one specific reading, and won't budge. Needless to say, a replacement/upgrade is en route.
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go digital
you will not be sorry you paid the extra -
I ordered the humi-care digital from c.com yesterday, should have it in a couple days!
Depending on how things go in the next couple weeks, I may need to order another - if I acquire a few more sticks, I'm going to need to set myself up a tupperdor for a little more capacity.
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As long as the stick performed fine and you enjoyed it, thats all that matters in the end!
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Agree you probably got lucky. But it all worked out. Humi gel is OK, personally I think beads rule. I would not recommend the puck that normally comes with a humi, seems like you're always a second away from mold with those. But if you get results you like, that's what matters. That digital hygro will be a real lifesaver.
