AboutJames Yee Expertise My main area of expertise is Cuban cigars but I can also assist you with cigar etiquette, humidor maintenance and troubleshooting. Unsure of a certain cigar brand? Wondering what a certain cigar tastes like? Have any questions about Cuban cigars? Just let me know! I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. (NOTE: My main focus is on premium, hand-rolled cigars and not cheap, machine made, convenience store cigars.) IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE CIGAR OR CIGAR-RELATED APPRAISALS. If you have a vintage cigar item and you want to know if it's worth something, please contact an antique dealer that specializes in "TOBACCIANA".
Experience I currently have 15 dedicated years of cigar smoking (an average 4 cigars a day) and counting. I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. For 5 years, I studied with Cuban torcedores (rollers), catadores (taste testers) and revisadores (inspectors) on every aspect involving the production of the Cuban cigar and I am currently writing a book that will help beginners understand everything they need to know about cigars and cigar smoking.
First off, thanks for all the info you have posted. It is a lot of useful stuff.
I recently purchased a Savoy humidor that holds 50 cigars. The man who sold it to me said that I should have at least 20 cigars in the humidor at all times to regulate the humidity. Is there any truth to this or was he just trying to get me to purchase a bundle of cigars from his shop?
I have about a dozen petite coronas in there right now. The only problem I have had is keeping the humidity down. It always seems to push 80% and I have not refilled the humidifier since I brought it home (about two weeks ago). I line in Northern Virgina and the relative humidity out here is usually around 70ish percent.
Many Thanks,
Ziggy
Answer Hi Ziggy,
It's good practice to have a handful of cigars in your humidor but there really isn't any noticeable difference in humidor performance whether you have 5 cigars in your humidor or 50 cigars. A lot of people do say that you should have your humidor half-full of cigars but from my personal experience with my own humidors and troubleshooting many humidors belonging to other people, any difference in performance is really negligible. All you need to do is make sure your humidor is properly maintained and has the right temperature and humidity level and it will be fine.
A high humidity level in your humidor can be attributed to the natural humidity level in your area in addition to your humidor's humidification device. To lower your humidor's humidity, add a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and propylene glycol to your humidor's humidification device. This should automatically balance your humidity level out at exactly 70% humidity. You can mix your own humidor solution by mixing distilled water and propylene glycol or buy a pre-mixed 50/50 humidor mixture from your local cigar store. (Propylene Glycol is available for sale at most drug stores/pharmacies and some cigar stores. If your local cigar store does not have any PG, they can most likely order some for you. You can also order PG off the internet from various chemical retailers.)
If after you add the PG/distilled water mixture the humidity continues to be high, fine-tune the mixture by adding a few more small drops of propylene glycol and let your humidor sit for a week so the humidity can stabilize. If the humidity is too low, add more distilled water to dilute the PG.
Propylene Glycol can last a long time inside your humidor (on average 2 years) so you only need to add it just once. After this, simply add distilled water to the humidification device when needed.
Hopes this helps. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.
