Cigars/Humidity without humidifier
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Question
Hi James,
A friend of mine has this weird problem with his humidor. I actually did the seasoning when i passed to him it was perfect. He made the mistake of adding water on the humidifier and drymistat tubes. The RH spiked, he removed both humidification device. Now the RH is holding steady at 65-70 without any humidification device for the past several months. Pls advise me on what to do.
Regards,
Zain
Hi Zain,
The first thing you should do is make sure your friend's hygrometer is accurate. Use a salt test on the hygrometer and calibrate if necessary. If your friend is using a digital hygrometer, it most likely does not require calibration or configuration but some analog hygrometers can lose accuracy from a simple bump or jolt to the humidor. This can give off an incorrect reading.
If the hygrometer is fine, then it may just be that your friend's home is humid enough that he does not require a humidifier for his humidor. In very humid regions/homes, a humidification source for the humidor is sometimes not necessary. South Asia is an excellent example of this; the region can be so humid that cigar stores can sometimes leave the cigars outside of their humidors all day long and the cigars are fine.
65-70% is perfectly fine so for now, your friend does not need to keep a humidifier or drymistat tubes in his humidor. Your friend should still monitor the humidor on a daily basis and add the humidifier/drymistat tubes back to the humidor as soon as the humidity level begins to drop.
I hope this helps. As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.
Regards,
James
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| Comment | As always James is spot on with the answers. | ||
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James 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 19 dedicated years of cigar smoking 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.
Publications
Maple Leaf Gardens: Memories & Dreams 1931-1999 (1999; ISBN: 0920445616)
50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do (2006; ISBN: 0452286654)
The [London] Times (October 8, 2009)
Education/Credentials
B.A. University of Toronto
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