well humdified ?.....Dry cigars?

jeff_connors

I keep my 100+ cigar collection in 3 humidors......20ct and 2 50ct..... the 50's are stuffed full..... each humidor has one of those foam/PG solution pucks inside..... i watch the humidity every day(sometimes twice)...... The humidity never seams to go below 62% usually stays around 65-70%...... all hydro-meters are salt calibrated. ...... However..Sometimes when a grab a cigar and give it the squeeze test i hear crunchy-ness....is this OK...all my cigars come from cigar.com so they arrive fresh.....will a well humidified cigar ever crunch?....should i keep the ccom water pillows in each humidor just to be safe?????......

madurofan

You do mean hygrometers, right?

I would recommend a different humidity source just because of the potential for mold with the foam.

I don't think that a little crunch is a big deal, as long as your hygros are properly calibrated and they are reading 65-72% I wouldn't be concerned. IMHO 62% is a little too low and would be "dry".

jeff_connors

what about keeping the ccom water pillows in the humi all the time Is this bad news?

brc81

I've found that some cigars just have a delicate thin wrapper that no matter how well maintained will be brittle.

brc81

jeff_connors:

what about keeping the ccom water pillows in the humi all the time Is this bad news?

As long as your humidity is fine I wouldn't bother. I sometimes toss one in my humidors if the RH starts to drop to far.

kent1146

jeff_connors:

what about keeping the ccom water pillows in the humi all the time Is this bad news?

I learned a hard lesson not to do that.  When I started my humidor, I was trying to go cheap, and not buy real humidification, so I used the pillow packs.  Long story short, my temp / humidity ended up spiking to 68F / 82%, and resulted in both mold and beetles.

I salvaged what cigars I could, and quickly went out to buy some real humidification intended for long-term use.

bigharpoon

Properly humidified cigars will have a subtle crackle when you squeeze roll them. This is not brittle or too dry, you're fine.

dan7876

Good point Kent, I'd definitely drop some beads in there...still have to do regular maintenance, but you won't have to worry much. Night and day. I'll also add a water pillow to compliment the beads every once in a while when it's really dry out, but only for a day or two, just to goose it a little..

I like my cigars around 62-63%...wouldn't worry about that number, unless you really feel they're regularly seeming too dry. It's all about what you like. I use the 65% beads, usually comes in a little shy, giving me my 63%. If you prefer the RH higher, go for the 70% beads and see how they work for you...good luck!

jeff_connors

how would i go about changing out to beads ???? I have beads coming...... .....just all my humi's are full.... can I just do puck operation, wet the bead and throw the puck back in, or do the beads need some time alone in the humidor without the cigars??

Garen B

If you got the bead pucks, it shouldn't be a problem. If you got the bag of beads, do some puck operations, wash them out thoroughly, throw the beads in there, wet em down with distilled water, shake out the excess and throw it back into the humi. The beads are good to go as soon as you get them.

madurofan

jeff_connors:

how would i go about changing out to beads ???? I have beads coming...... .....just all my humi's are full.... can I just do puck operation, wet the bead and throw the puck back in, or do the beads need some time alone in the humidor without the cigars??

Neh they don't need any time alone, they are social creatures. As far as charging them, the most humane way seems to be using a spray bottle to wet about 50% of them. DISTILLED WATER ONLY!

0 That Guy 0

I have just been taking my beads (a puck and a tube) and dipping them straight into a bowl and letting them soak up the water. You can literally hear the process taking place. I like this method because you can dip them in 50-70% of the way so you know exactly how many are getting wet - there's no guess work involved. Then I shake out the excess really well, dry them off and place them in the Humi. Should I spray them instead or is this method perfectly fine?

kuzi16

0 That Guy 0:

I have just been taking my beads (a puck and a tube) and dipping them straight into a bowl and letting them soak up the water. You can literally hear the process taking place. I like this method because you can dip them in 50-70% of the way so you know exactly how many are getting wet - there's no guess work involved. Then I shake out the excess really well, dry them off and place them in the Humi. Should I spray them instead or is this method perfectly fine?

the only problem with doing it this way is that ALL of the beads get charged. beds are good because they are a two way humidity system (to most but not maddy) if you only charge about 50% of them then if the RH gets to high they will soak up some of the extra humidity.

jeff_connors

From the heart felt site..“How do I add distilled water to the beads when they get dry?” There are a number of ways to do this. You can just pour distilled water on the beads. A lot of folks do it this way but the beads can fracture when it is done this way. One thing to remember, fracturing will not affect the efficiency of the beads or ruin them in any way, they will still do their job. A good rule of thumb is 25ml of distilled water per pound. My 1/2 ounce humi tube takes 1-2 teaspoons of distilled water, The 1 ounce humi tube takes 2-3 teaspoons of distilled water, The 2 ounce humi tube takes 3-4 teaspoons of distilled water, The four ounce humi tube takes 4-5 teaspoons of distilled water. ½ pound takes approximately 1-1 ½ tablespoons, 1 pound takes approximately 3-4 tablespoons.

0 That Guy 0

I see what your saying but if I only dip the tube in 50% of the way into the water then 50% of the beads are out of the water as well and therefor not soaking up any water correct? When I'm shaking the tube out another 10-20% maybe soak some water up but that still leaves plenty dry beads to soak up any sudden spike. Besides I'd have to think there's probably no real right or wrong as long as your humidity remains constant and there's dry beads to soak up any excess moisture.

madurofan

kuzi16:

0 That Guy 0:

I have just been taking my beads (a puck and a tube) and dipping them straight into a bowl and letting them soak up the water. You can literally hear the process taking place. I like this method because you can dip them in 50-70% of the way so you know exactly how many are getting wet - there's no guess work involved. Then I shake out the excess really well, dry them off and place them in the Humi. Should I spray them instead or is this method perfectly fine?

the only problem with doing it this way is that ALL of the beads get charged. beds are good because they are a two way humidity system (to most but not maddy) if you only charge about 50% of them then if the RH gets to high they will soak up some of the extra humidity.

I'm starting to believe that the 70% beads are the issue, duty and I both seemed to have problems with the beads absorbing excess humidity and we were both using the 70% ones. You guys all use 65% and don't seem to have the same problem.

The other issue with dipping the beads is that it will cause them to crack and split, this won't affect their functionality but it does create a mess in your humi.

0 That Guy 0

ahhh ok. What is the best way to spray them? I tried to do it this way my first time around and the humidity wasn't holding at all. When I took the tube apart I realized I had only charged around 30-40% of the beads which of course explains the problem. I just couldn't tell through my tube how much I had soaked. But when I dip them I don't have to worry about seeing them because I can hear it.