gone bad?

[young_stogie]

ok so i recently started getting back into cigars after about a year absence. well the thing is i kept my humidor up and running with about 10 sticks in it.  it was usually pretty steady around 65% but for about the past month its been at 56% and i cannot get it back up. are my cigars just toast? or can i save them and smoke 'em?

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

You probably need to replace your humidifier. If you have a humidifier with a sponge or foam insert, these tend to last about a year and then gradually start going downhill. Replace it and see what happens.

About the stogies, you will have to check them out by gently squeezing to see if they have any spring left. Best bet is to try smoking one and see how they burn. It dependds how long they have been at 56%RH. Cigars are pretty resilient under less than optimal conditions. Perhaps all is not lost. Let us know the outcome.

Doc

[wingo]

Well, some folks store thier cigars at 60% RH.  I don't see how they would be toast, maybe a little dry for your taste. 

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

I'd be real careful about squeezing them until they spent some time at a higher humidity (over 64% for at least 2 months). Or the leaves will crack. Why risk cracking them, bring the humidity up and smoke them. If they taste ok, they they are good. If not, then save them for mowing the lawn.

[young_stogie]

i think that is what i will do is bring them up above 63% or so and leave it there for at least a month and try them out.  ill let ya know how it turns out.  also i just recently got a very nice paying job and want to get back into it i was wondering where i can find some info on how to build a coolerdor?

[Djaric]

Might help some if you try and re-season your humi.
But I would also certainly look at your humidification devices.

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

i think that is what i will do is bring them up above 63% or so and leave it there for at least a month and try them out.  ill let ya know how it turns out.  also i just recently got a very nice paying job and want to get back into it i was wondering where i can find some info on how to build a coolerdor?

my version... just a cup of water i a cooler... a few boxes of cigars and a digital hygrometer to monitor the humidity.

[scott81425]

i think that is what i will do is bring them up above 63% or so and leave it there for at least a month and try them out.  ill let ya know how it turns out.  also i just recently got a very nice paying job and want to get back into it i was wondering where i can find some info on how to build a coolerdor?

check this site out

http://www.stogiereview.com/?p=127 

 

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

comments on that article (which was pretty good actually).

The idea that you need cedar to hold the humidity is not quite right. The cooler is a vertical chest. Air and humidity will not flow out of it when opened like what happens in your fridge when you open that door. The cooler remains like a bucket holding the heavier moist air. (however I use boxes too simply for the organization, but I tend to store only full boxes in my humidor & not loose sticks).

Also, the cooler is so tight you will not need too much humidification. I find that half of what a wooden humidor of the same volume requires works fine. Remember you can always add more later (or take away)... In fact you will probably need more in the winter and remove some in the summer.

Also, I've never needed a fan. I'd say that if you use anything over a 90 quart cooler you should consider one of the following (only 1) either a fan or multiple humidifiers spread throughout (maybe 2, one at each end).  But smaller coolers should be 100% without the fan.

Lastly, I would not wash out the cooler with soapy water. I usually wipe it down with a damp rag. Dampened with regular tap water. That "plastic smell" is not plastic at all. It is a chemical the industry calls a plasticizer. It is in fact an acid. Usually hydrochloric acid. If you really want to smell it, take a good whiff of a new shower curtain. The only way to get rid of this smell is to expose it to air. Leave the new cooler open for 24 hours. Just like your new shower curtain, this will neutralize the odor. (actually what happens is hydrogen atoms evaporate thus removing the odor)

 

Remember, keep it simple. Keep it fun.

 

[young_stogie]

thanks for the advice on the coolerdor. im going out to buy all of the supplies today.