Newly seasoned humidor is waaaaaaay too humid
JohanTheMighty
Posts: 12
in Cigar 101
Let me first start out by saying that I am completely new to cigars and humidors; however, when I do develop new interests and hobbies I do a lot of research, and this is no exception.
I bought my first humidors, the Man O' War and another that I received as part of a sampler. I seasoned the Man O' War this weekend and I've only completed the first step with the glass top humidor, but both are showing rh's around 80%.
When I seasoned them, I only really wet the wood enough to make it change color, I was more conservative than I was liberal as I applied the water. I salt tested the hygrometers twice, the second time because I figured I must have done it wrong the first time, and after the second salt test I was able to confirm that they were reading properly (both at 75% in the bag).
Is this something that happens often? I watched several videos before I did this and the hygrometers in the videos always read right around where they should at the end of the process, so I am stumped.
I bought my first humidors, the Man O' War and another that I received as part of a sampler. I seasoned the Man O' War this weekend and I've only completed the first step with the glass top humidor, but both are showing rh's around 80%.
When I seasoned them, I only really wet the wood enough to make it change color, I was more conservative than I was liberal as I applied the water. I salt tested the hygrometers twice, the second time because I figured I must have done it wrong the first time, and after the second salt test I was able to confirm that they were reading properly (both at 75% in the bag).
Is this something that happens often? I watched several videos before I did this and the hygrometers in the videos always read right around where they should at the end of the process, so I am stumped.
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Yes, I am using the hygrometers that came with my humidors. On the smaller 50-count glass-top unit the hygrometer actually plugs the humidor, but not so in the 100-count Man O War. I did not realize that reliability was an issue until I had to start looking for answers for this issue. Additionally, I have refrained from any additional wiping down of the glass-top humidor and I have simply left a damp cloth in a plastic baggy and the fully charged humidity unit in there.
I will definitely upgrade as I continue to learn as I go along. I think everything is going to be alright. As of now the hygrometer is only reading about 74%, and that's after a good 7 hours since putting it back into the big humidor and closing the lid. I'll open it up for another couple hours again before bed, close it, and check the reading in the morning. As for the 50-count glass-top humidor, it's still holding strong at 80, but I had not taken steps to dry it out any as of yet.
Again, your advice and experience has saved me a lot of time, worry, and probably money as well, so thank you so much. I really do appreciate you all having taken the time to share with me.
But my cigars are in the humidor. I did this because I was told it will help.
I have now taken the humidity packs out and hopefully they will bring the humidity down.
But, for the record.... Cigars in or out for now?
Once you've got your cigars set aside you could open the humidor up to let it dry out a bit and then work with your chosen humidification system to see if you can get it to stabilize before adding the cigars back in. The Boveda packs will not only add moisture but will also absorb excess moisture so they're pretty easy to use.
Also @BigDaddy , did you calibrate your hygrometer yet?
The easiest way to calibrate it is to place the hygrometer in a heavy duty (freezer-style) ziploc bag with a boveda pack.
Set the bag in a cool, dry area of your house out of direct sunlight and away from any A/C vents....let it sit for 48 hours. The read out on your hygrometer should match the % of the boveda pack. If they don't match, either adjust the hygrometer to display the correct RH, or make a mental note of what the difference is and factor that in when reading your hygrometer.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
If you are on the coast, where the humidity can be in the 80-90% range, you will be fighting moisture.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Brett
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
Stop wiping them down!
OMG, who ever is telling these folks this should be slapped.Most of what I see when this happens is that someone tells them to wipe them down with a wet cloth (that should be "slightly damp" cloth) and people make them wet.
And then you find out that they are in an area with 75+ humidity and expect the humidor to stabilize and then wonder why it is still at 80%.
Outside humidity is going to directly affect your humidor humidity, unless you have an absolute airtight humidor, which most of us do not.
Personally, for small desktop humidors, I like the Boveda 84% seasoning packs or the shot glass with water method. Then switch to the Boveda you like. I personally like the 65%, myself. But that's me.
While it takes longer, it is far more effective.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Hello Everyone. This is my first post. I have read the beginning of this thread as I am on the same boat. I just started getting serious about the hobby and started purchasing some real cigars this year. I just purchased the Man O’ War 100ct humidor as well. I too seasoned it by wiping it down. I also did the same for my 50ct glass top. I had that one for over 8-years, and I only seasoned it once when I first purchased it. I seasoned per the instructions (I forgot how I seasoned it). But I recently seasoned that glass top and my new Man o’ war by wiping with a wet sponge using distilled water lightly. I have (1) digital, and (1) analog hygrometer in each humidor. All have been calibrated with boveda kits. The hygrometer that came with my cheap $25 glass top works better than the new Man o’ war analog hygrometer btw. Anyway, after following some online instructions following the “wipe” method (I now know is the worst thing to do), I was able to get the glass top pretty stable at 68% rh. When I open that guy up, the aroma is incredibly awesome! So I know that one is good!
Now my Man o’ war on the other hand, not so good. That one seems to be at a constant 75% rh on the top tray, and about 72% at the bottom under the top tray. I have about 60+ cigars in there total. They are all great sticks, and I don’t want to lose any of them. After reading this thread, I removed my sticks and placed in a zip lock freezer bag right away. What rh level should my humidor be constant at BEFORE I put my cigars back in? Is it 72% based on what I read here? I just want to confirm, and know if there is anything I need to do to get to the optimal RH before I add my cigars back in again. Please advise on any suggestions for my scenario. I plan to use my 100ct for aging, and my glass top for immediate smoking fyi. Below is a snap shop to make things clearer of my current setup between the two humidors:
//50ct Glass top humidor//
Seasoned with wipe method
(1) Original analog hygrometer, and (1) digital hygro-set . Both are calibrated.
(1) I am using the humidification device that came with the 100ct, but have it on the far right of the humidor alone in its own section with the divider right up against it. I am also using one of those 2oz cigar.com crystal jars in the middle of the box.
--This humidor is stable at 68% with 20 cigars that are still inside their original wrapper… and the box smells great when I open it!
//100ct Man O’ War humidor//
Seasoned with wipe method
(1) Original analog hygrometer, and (1) digital hygro-set hygrometer. Both are calibrated.
(1) This one I am using the Humi-Care HX10 rectangle humidifier.
--This humidor is at 75% on the top tray, and 72% under the tray at the bottom (I placed my digi on top tray for 2-days, and on the bottom for two-days for accurate measurements). All these sticks sit in the humidor out of their wrapper. (I have the wrappers saved just-in-case fyi), and this box doesn’t smell great yet like my glass top.
Please let me know any suggestions/recommendations based on my detail I provided before I put my cigars back in my 100ct. box. Thanks in advance!
Switch to boveda packs, I have 5 of the 60 gram ones in my 100 ct.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...