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Salt Test
e6specialk
Posts: 216 ✭
in Cigar 101
My hygrometer had been staying at 61%, I talked to a ccom rep who assured me that was ok and that he actually preferred his humi to be around there because it gave his cigars a nicer burn and a better draw. I decided to salt test my hygrometer and after 24 hours it read 50%, I just put it back in my humi last night so I'm not sure what the current reading is. Any ideas on why it didn't read 75% after the salt test? I really don't feel that my hygrometer is that far off because my cigars have been fresh, burning evenly and have had a nice easy draw.
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Your salt test itself may be flawed. Too little water or too much water for the amount of salt, not a good seal on the container during the test, hygro got banged around during the test, big temperature fluctuations - these will all contribute to misreadings during the test. Just some ideas, it sounds like your cigars are doing fine. What do you have for a hygro?
Marty
Lassy I always have trouble calibrating my corona's... I can't get the damp salt to stay on the end of the cigar long enough to get a good reading. Any suggestions? (I know I am going to regret this, LOL)
The problem is not in your technique but the foundation of the cigar industry in general.
Recent evidence in the big cigar industry cover up provides some light onto why you can't keep the salt on your cigar
After the Cigar Boom of the 90's the fat pockets of cigar manufacturer's were getting thin and they started a tyrannical quest to reach the capital turns that cigars once had. This became a huge problem for consumers for the "Niche" brand and "Rare" tobacco became the rage.
Take for instance Gurkha... We've all seen super high prices and they "Always find a rare tobacco barn abandoned for years, but well maintained" and then BOOM, the cigars go on sale at up to 90% off and everyone buys them!
This only worked for awhile, the boom was officially over for the fat cats so they devised a new plan to not focus on capital turns, but on capital GAINS... Make more margin on current sticks than try to sell more sticks.
This is what has led to your problems. The Dominican and Nicaraguan cigar companies had the most drastic changes but basically the main reason the salt won't stay on is due to the roller him/herself. In an effort to reduce costs the factories made a mandate that only cigar rollers can be left-handed. So either they had to hire new staff at a Greatly Reduced cost or the righties had to relearn a new skill with a different hand, and thus all their "Experience" on the job was useless so they all took pay cuts...
So if you pull a cigar PRE-2002 and the same brand and vitola after 2002 you will see they are rolled backwards. Therefore the reversing of the wrapping and reversing of the groove of the cigar tends to have the salt roll off.
This is the world we live in, we are just pawns in their sick and twisted game...
Happy smoking my friend...