RH

J

JKeats

Gorilla
surely there has been a post on this before... but it's been some time since i've seen anyone comment on it so i thought i would get your guy's take on the issue of relative humidity.

i have been talking with my future father-in-law about relative humidity lately (he's just starting to get into cigars and has been asking me a number of questions). although i don't really have an issue with this as the climate here is fairly temperate and therefore i generally don't have temperature issues... my discussions made me start to wonder....

we all know what the terms "relative" humidity means.... and i've seen a number of sources, including cigarnexus which i consider to be a very good source of information, say that all of the talk about changing the RH based on the temperature is a bunch of hokey-malokey. but... i'm wondering if this is true...

according to cigar nexus, a cigar should contain about 12-14 percent of its total weight in moisture. to maintin this "ideal" state... the general paradigm is to keep cigars in a 70/70 environment (although many of us keep our cigars at a lower RH out of personal preference). my thought is this... it is TRUE that different temeratures of air holds different quantities of water.... therefore wouldn't it logicly follow that if youre wanting 12-14 percent of your cigars weigt to consit of moisture, and that the amount of moisture in a 70/70 environment is condusive to this, that you would want to adjust the RH based on the air temp so that regardless of the temperature the same amount of water exists in the air as does at 70/70?????

did i just make any sense at all or is that total rambling up there? hehe....

anyway... i was just currious what you all thought about this.

:7
 
[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-02 AT 04:28 PM (CDT)]The short answer, JK, is no, you do not alter the relative humidity to allow for different temperatures. It should remain at sixty-five to seventy percent regardless of the temperature. For the long answer go to www.cigargroup.com and click on "Cigar FAQ." Scroll down to the "Table of Contents" and then to 5.0, "Humidification." Good luck and happy reading.
 
JK,

I have recently experimented with this situation as I constructed my coolerador. I respectfully dissent from what jdancingkid said, it has been my experience that temperature will directly effect RH, RH will not effect temperature. Example, I have a coolerador that maintains a constant air temp of between 73° and 75° and the RH loves to follow it the air temp characteristics since the temperature is more condusive to holding or increasing the ability to maintain RH because the air will hold more moisture. I have to open the cooler about 3 to 4 times per week for about 10 to 15 minutes to keep the RH from skyrocketing up. One thing I have learned as I am sure you have, is that the 70/70 configuration is a good starting point, but I can almost guarantee if the quorum of veteran LLG's were asked about 70/70, most would say they vary from the 70/70 base point.

A good rule of thumb is the warmer it gets in the humi, the more likely the RH is to rise. I have found this theory to prove true everytime, especially in the Florida (sub-tropical) climate. Now, if you live up north, or north enough to where the climate makes a dramatic shift, these effects may be prolonged and not as sudden as it will be here, but they will still hold true. I once heard a talking head in a tobacco shop in Orlando telling his client(s) that any air temp above 80° and you will have a beetle haven shortly. This may be true, but I can guarantee you that it also has a LOT to do with the RH percentage rising.

Hope this helps, even though I am no authority on this subject whatsoever and I bow to those who have better input to add to the equation.

-Justin


 
Just when I thought I almost understood this I had to go and read Poker's link.x(

FWIW, My basement is a constant 68-70 degrees and the % is 64-66 and it seems like a good mix.
 
[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-26-02 AT 02:25 AM (CDT)]Let's briefly deal with temperature first, because that's the easiest. Habanos SA recommends that the cigars it markets be stored, if my memory is correct, at from between 62-63 degrees Fahreheit and 67-68 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it is a free country, and anyone who believes that they possess a greater knowledge of cigars than the Cubans is, of course, free to deviate from this advice to whatever extent they might deem appropriate. As for relative humidity, unless I misunderstood, JK was asking whether or not it is neccessary to vary relative humidity to compensate for different temperatures. For example, I have a chart before me (taken off an Internet cigar site) which states that in order to store cigars properly at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, you must increase the relative humidity to 78%. For another example, it states that in order to store cigars properly at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you must increase the relative humidity to a whopping 85%! The link I mentioned in my first post explains that this is balderdash - and why - and that relative humidity should remain between 65-70 percent regardless of temperature. This, if you think about it, is precisely in line with what Habanos SA recommends with regards to temperature and humidity. Let me conclude by suggesting that problems involving excessive humidity can easily me solved by use of a di-humidifier.
 
I have a box of CAO Brazilla GOLs and a box of Bolivar Fuertes arriving today or tomorrow. My 2 desktop humidors are almost full so I have no room for the new arrivals. Should I leave the cellophane(plastic?) wrapping around the BOX(not talking about the 'sticks') and put the boxes in my utility room where the RH is close to 70%? Or, should I remove that outer box-wrapper and place them in the utility room--naked?

Dan

Fast Smoker--12.532 sec. in the 1/4 mile@108.31mph--2001 F150 Lightning Truck
 
Speaking of RH...... Has anyone used the Cigar Oasis

http://cheaphumidors.com/cigaroasis.html

shown in that link? If so, what's the smallest humidor that can be used to hold it and some(?) cigars?

Dan

Fast Smoker--12.532 sec. in the 1/4 mile@108.31mph--2001 F150 Lightning Truck
 
Have the cigar oasis and it works like a champ. Well worth the $$. I don't use it currently because of my coolerador, but when I put a humi in the office, its gonna go in it. It will easily fit in a 50-100 count humi.

-Justin
 
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