Expert: M J Robbins - 4/17/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hey,

I am concerned about the dryness of my cubans. I use the pinch test on the
foot and they seem perfectly humidified, but when i squeeze the body or the
cigar i hear the filler crack very easily. It feels like a dry cigarette. My
humidor is at around 73% RH 65 degrees so what is causing this? could it be
that my hygrmeters are reading the wrong humidity? iv already salt tested
them and reset and when i leave them out in the open they get the same
reading as my humidex reader in my house. Why are my cigars dry on one
part and moist on the foot?

Thanks for your help.

ANSWER: A pretty great unit is 73/65
Remember to check the unit AFTER refrigeration and humidification are off for a few hours to get an accurate stability reading.
If they are newer cigars, humidity could take weeks to permeate the whole cigar starting at the exposed the foot.

Hanging humidification is the best as moisture falls.
Do you have hanging humidification or is your humidity device down by the cigars? Moisture falls so hanging humidity or electronic is the best.
If it is an electronic device make sure it is circulating properly.
One problem I have seen is bottom humidification where the device is sitting near the foot of the cigars and only the foot gets moisture.

The salt test does not work on a hygrometer that is inaccurate. It is like setting an inaccurate watch every day. The next day it is still inaccurate.
Do not trust your humidex reading in the house they are not very accurate.

If you have a real commitment to excellence buy a real accurate hygrometer for $100. Put the hygrometer on the cigars for a perfect test.
Bacharach 12-7012 Sling Psychrometer would be the ultimate for testing all hygrometers. I pull it out once a year to check my high accuracy digital hygrometer.

Finally if the cigars are not right for you then raise humidity to 74/65 and test after a few weeks. Raise to 75/65 if needed for you.
Some tobacco needs a little more (or less) humidity to smoke right. Arturo Fuente gives different humidity to different leaf, for perfection in his special cigars.


MJR




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks alot. I still have a problem though. I tried raising the humidity last night by puting in another hanging sponge humidifier. (i was using a crystal 50 madalaine humidifier before that) Now i'm up to around 75%RH and now theres a weird musty smell in my humidor like the beggining of a mould infestation. But how can there me mould starting if my cigars are too dry in the first place?? im thinking its probably that im raising the humidity too fast and the cigars humidify slower than the spanish cedar, but i don't know. Any ideas of whats wrong with my humidor?

Answer
Get the Boveda as I am sold on that device.
Remove the new device you put in.
Get the Boveda 74% and lay a few on the cigars along with your original humidification. It controls mold and keeps exact humidity.

How are you achieving 65 degrees?
If it is not 65 degrees then 75% RH is way too high. If you do not have refrigeration in the box 65 degrees is not possible unless you keep your house real cold. And this is perhaps a reason to check your thermo- hygro for accuracy.

Perhaps you needed to wait out the original set up to catch up with the interior of your cigars?

MJR