65% - If used properly you will only have variation for less than one day. The day they need to be re-charged. I only have to re-charge once a week and I have a wine-a-dor that get's opened daily.
lol.. I don't charge my beads very much and it stays about 68-70. Maybe I should charge them more and see if it stays closer to 65.. btw I have 65 beads
The beads should keep the RH within a percent either way of what they are designed to do. So keeping your humi between 65% and 68% with 70% beads would mean that your beads would not have any water left in them based on my understanding.
That's some good info duty, I'm pretty sure that my humi has a good seal. I guess I just need to charge more beads in it. I have a tuppador that is staying about 72 but it doesn't have many beads, mostly just a humi pack.
I'm using 65% beads and because of where my humi is located, it bounces between 64% and 67%, usually not a problem, only dips to 64% about a day or 2 before I have to recharge. Can't say I have had a problem with them ever.
This winter, I used some 70% beads, and they were great. Last summer, I used 65% beads and they were perfect. I've loaded up he new humi with 65% beads and it's been awesome. If low humidity is an issue next winter, I'll pick up more 70%, and switch between the two seasonally.
I just bought the 70% beads, I needed to get something quick, because I added 32 new cigars and I have had trouble getting my humi up to target RH. I hope they get here before my cigars dry out.
I like the way my cigars burn at 65%. They taste better and have fewer burn issues.
And as all tastes are different, I have always enjoyed the results of keeping my humidors at 70%
Do you have any burn issues when keeping them at 70?
None that I ever noted, I think what I like best is a cigar that is a little softer(spongy). I don't get this when they are stored at 65. Actually my humidors right now are 68, 68 70 and 71. I need to rotate some of those sticks in the 71.
Well, I got my beads yesterday and tried to follow the directions on charging it, but for whatever the reason I could not pull off the two plugs on the side of the humidifier. I could have tried pulling them off with some pliers, but I didn't feel like breaking something. So I decided to get plate and fill it with some distilled water and set it down and charge it that way. Has anyone else had a hard time pulling the tabs off the heartfelt aluminum case? My humidor has gone up from 60% to 67% over night, which is great. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be in the 68-70 range.
I use the 65% beads, but...my house is pretty darn dry, our humidifer hasnt worked in years, and its the middle of winter (sorta). Anyways, with the 65% beads on a lucky day i could get as high as 63%, but average is about 58%. So, i ordered a large 70% tube to overcompensate to get to a better range, and ill just use the 65% in the summer when i move my humidor back downstairs for temperature reasons.
Now, in regards to what people say about what RH is right for what...
I have found that RH and quality of smoke is generally related based on the type and filler of cigar.
Light Connecticuts i have found are at the high end of RH in terms of quality, nearer to 70.
Mediums...generally Natural wrappers...fit well in the mid range...65-67.
Stronger cigars, specifically ones with maduro wrappers..tend to be best at 65 or a point or two less.
Now, with regards to the lighter ones, if you have them at a lower RH, you probably wont notice much of a difference, the taste might be ever so slightly different. However, with the maduros...like a padilla black or vegas A or whatnot...when you keep those at 70ish or definately higher, it makes a big difference, they're a pain to smoke and they tunnel again and again, happens to me all the time in the summer if im not careful with my settings.
Id love to hear if anyone agrees with my RH/quality critque from their own personal experiences.
Hey Vidarien, I keep my humidors near 70 all the time and maybe one out of a hundred have tunneled on me. My house is always about 68-70 degrees so I have an easy time keeping a 70/70 in my humidors. I maybe missing something with cigars at a lower humidity level, since I sure enjoy them the way I have them for many years,
Hmm, well, im just speaking from my personal experience, maybe there was a different factor at play in my situation but i can only say what i tend to see. Interesting to know though.
Hmm, well, im just speaking from my personal experience, maybe there was a different factor at play in my situation but i can only say what i tend to see. Interesting to know though.
Or maybe I have just been lucky, I always age my cigars for months before I get to them.. Built a bigger collection and give them some rest time. I have a humidor with over a hundred cigars that have a year or more on them.
Never a problem with any of those guys. It seems the fresh ones are the ones that burn oddly if it ever happens.
I have a hard time keeping my temperature below 74 in the house, (South Carolina summers) so I try to stay at 65% in both my humis as I'm paranoid about mold/beetles. Maybe not ideal, but they smoke fine.
I'm having big problems right now with my humi. I just received my heartfelt beads the other day, and humi still is reading between 48-50%. I ahve about 40 stix in there and I'm nervous after time they will dry up. Its been about 4 days. And yes, I did wet the beads and just recalibrated my digital hygrometer.
How much did you get? I have found that using 2-3 times as many beads as recommended works really well. Perhaps you don't have enough beads in your humi. The calculator on the Heartfelt site comes out really low, IMO.
I bought a half pound and used half of that....I filled up one of those rectangular humi devices...the problem is..I take a cigar out every other day to smoke..I should probably just not open it for a week
How much did you get? I have found that using 2-3 times as many beads as recommended works really well. Perhaps you don't have enough beads in your humi. The calculator on the Heartfelt site comes out really low, IMO.
That's exactly what I did. Instead of 2oz I bought 4 and it only took my humi 24hrs to go from 60% to it's current RH of 70-71%. Those beads work awesome, I wish I bought them sooner.
Comments
I just wanted to add my two cents here about RHs.
I use the 65% beads, but...my house is pretty darn dry, our humidifer hasnt worked in years, and its the middle of winter (sorta). Anyways, with the 65% beads on a lucky day i could get as high as 63%, but average is about 58%. So, i ordered a large 70% tube to overcompensate to get to a better range, and ill just use the 65% in the summer when i move my humidor back downstairs for temperature reasons.
Now, in regards to what people say about what RH is right for what...
I have found that RH and quality of smoke is generally related based on the type and filler of cigar.
Light Connecticuts i have found are at the high end of RH in terms of quality, nearer to 70.
Mediums...generally Natural wrappers...fit well in the mid range...65-67.
Stronger cigars, specifically ones with maduro wrappers..tend to be best at 65 or a point or two less.
Now, with regards to the lighter ones, if you have them at a lower RH, you probably wont notice much of a difference, the taste might be ever so slightly different. However, with the maduros...like a padilla black or vegas A or whatnot...when you keep those at 70ish or definately higher, it makes a big difference, they're a pain to smoke and they tunnel again and again, happens to me all the time in the summer if im not careful with my settings.
Id love to hear if anyone agrees with my RH/quality critque from their own personal experiences.