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Really hope you meant to type naive, and not native...

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Should I store cigars I got from mail order in my humidor for some amount of time before I smoke them. If so suggestions on how long?

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There is no science here. Everybody does something different. I have smoked some ROTT with a good outcome, but most of the time I prefer to let them rest a few weeks. :2

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No right or wrong way here. To each his own some will tell you store them other will say smoke them. It will always be what works best for you... :ss

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I'd suggest do both, by buying multiples when possible. That way you can smoke that cigar you've been craving for and start the aging process at the same time :banger

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Great suggestion... :tu trying is the only way to find out...

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How do I cool down the inside of my humidor when the ambient temperature in my home is 76 degrees?

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I recommend placing it in the coolest darkest place you can find. Basement, bottom of closet, etc..

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Yup, short of active refrigeration (vino), the only way to lower the humidor temperature is to lower the ambient temperature around the humidor. Keep it out of direct sunlight as well as that will actually get in hotter than ambient temperature.

I've been a basement storer for years.

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I don't have a basement, but the bottom of my closet sounds like a good idea. :tu

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The digital thermometer in my humidor still reads around 73 degrees. Is this a problem?

BTW, the RH is at 69-71%.

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Most folks would be thrilled with 73 degrees.
If your RH is 69-71% and you are happy with the way your cigars smoke, that's fine, too. However, most people I know prefer their RH in the 60-65% range. But as long as you are happy with the way your sticks are smoking, that's all that matters.

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Thanks for the reply. I don't feel that I know enough about it to know if I would prefer 70% or if I should try to get it down to 60-65%.

I was concerned that beetles may appear at 73 degrees and that would freak me out. :eek:

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Some folks experience burn issues with RH at higher levels. If your cigars seem to you to be smoking fine, then don't sweat the RH. My concern would be that if your RH goes up even slightly, you will very likely experience burn problems. I prefer low to mid-60s RH not only for how they smoke but it provides a comfortable margin should the RH rise.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to beetles appearing. From what I have read (and I believe) is that sustained temps above 80 are where you really need to be concerned. Think of the climates in the DR, Cuba and Central America. A lot warmer than 73.

I live in San Diego, have no temp control in my humidor and only use the central AC sporadically when needed.

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Thanks. It sounds as if I can stop worrying about beetles because I have my central A/C set to come on at 76 degrees. :tu

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Glad to have helped.
As with anything in life, there are no guarantees. But if I were in your situation, I wouldn't be worrying.

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I have another couple of questions...

Is there a good place to buy cigars online?

Should I just buy them locally?

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Search is your friend :)

There are a lot of Sticky threads in CA that list online retailers, peoples experiences, etc.

Needless to say, it is kind of a "religious" issue. Some people buy only online, some only local. The one thing to remember is that if you like having a local B&M then you need to support them otherwise, they may disappear.

Just my :2

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There are quite a number of online vendors listed in the following thread:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1612

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You may pay a bit more at your local shop but a small business is always worth supporting. I try to buy singles at my local B&M but boxes from online vendors. :2

Where in California are you?

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I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find an answer.

What does Herf mean?

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A herf is a gathering of BOTL and SOTL to relax, unwind and smoke cigars. A herf can be as simple as two BOTL getting together for a smoke after work or it can be a full blowout with music, food, games, etc. The main theme of any herf is relaxation and camaraderie, everything else is secondary - even the cigars.

(shamelessly stolen from UrbanDictionary with some edits, because it fits pretty well with how I would define herf)

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Smoking cigars with friends.

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I don't think my humidor is sealing the way it should. I seasoned it over time, prior to putting my cigars inside. Over the weeks, the RH just keeps dropping. Is there something I can apply to the edge of the lid where it meets the bottom portion to make it more air tight?

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What are you using for humidification? Hint: the correct answer is beads. The second best is, "i'll soon have my beads."

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I'm using 2 Xikar Cigar Bars filled with their PG solution. The Bars are filled with beads that expanded greatly when I poured the PG solution inside. The humidor is very small and will hold only about 30 cigars.

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Those are not beads -- they are a gel that releases moisture in an uncontrolled fashion -- that is they do not help at all to regulate RH.

If your humidor is not holding humidity you can check for leaks (lots of threads here about how to do that) but the two simple ways are the "dollar bill" test and the flashlight test. Passing these tests does not mean that there are no leaks -- they can just help you to find leaks.

Also, you might just try re-seasoning your humidor -- give it a good long time -- like two weeks. There are lots of threads on how to do this as well.

Once you are satisfied that your humidor is holding humidity you can keep using the gel and PG (not recommended) or you pick up some beads (Heartfelt or Shilala** -- both are good products) and be on your way. :)

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You've given me a lot of good, useful information and I really appreciate it!

It sounds like I have some work to do. :tu

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I am a padron whore (excuse the lang); by no means a padron expert. So it is my experience that the 64's are best at right around 7 months rest in my humi, family reserves and 26 serie need no rest, save a week or so if I choose. The x000 I have only bought by singles and have not let rest for any amount of time, so am unable to relate any experience. I buy the PAM's and reserve by the box to save some on cost, so I shoot to have them smoked within the year, and if I find I can not I will gift em, but that is just me. So yeah family reserves and 26's have a better rounded and balance of the flavor profile, the 64's tend to be more sharp in the flavor profile I have found 7 months the perfect amount of time for my palate to create the a more perfect balance so to speak. But Padrons serie and family reserves are amazing rott and I have let a 45 age for a period of 2 to 2 1/2 years and it seemed to have lost a little something, not much at all mind you but a little, was still amazing so... yeah those are my two cents.

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In general, how long does it take for cigars to be ruined as a result of temp/humidity? I am super paranoid about my cigars for some reason. I am leaving on a trip tomorrow and I plan on taking my tupperdor. It's winter where I live so if they sit in a car for 3 hours that isnt exactly between 60-70 degrees will they be ok? I'll be driving so they won't freeze or anything but still.

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In most parts of the US, a cigar can be placed out on the counter for several weeks with no negative effects.

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Weeks? Really?

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Bob is wise! Cigars are much more resiliant than people given them credit for.

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So I removed my beads from my tupperdor and the humidity went from 76 to 70 and is holding. Is this ok or should I put the beads back in?

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Even if this gets your cigars a bit too "wet", you can solve the problem by "dryboxing" them for a few days before you smoke 'em. By this I mean stick a few sticks into an empty cigar box to allow the extra moisture to dissipate.

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Don't have any cigar boxes:/ I only buy singles or 5 packs.

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Life's a b*tch, ain't it. :r

Do you get your smokes at a local B&M? Ask them to sell, or give you, one of their empty boxes. For your purpose, there's not much diff between a wooden cabinet or a dress box.

Some of the websites (like CI) also sell empty boxes too.

P.S. - You COULD ask nicely for one of the brothers here to send you something, but be forewarned: It is likely to come with escorts.

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Thay'll be fine at 70 or even lower. I keep mine at 62-65%. But honestly I dont even have hygrometers in either my vinotemps or desktops. They'll be fine without the beads. After a week or so, if the Rh drops below 60 just throw the beads back in for a few days.

At the higher Rh(76) you risk mold forming. I rarely drybox my cigars, I find that proper storage eliminates the need to ever drybox. :2

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How do i get my humidor to the right humidity?

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With a well seasoned humidor and a humidification device it should stabilize around 65 to 70. If you post your current situation I am sure we can help.

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As Zane said we need a little more information:

-- What kind of humidor?
-- How big is your humidor?
-- Is it seasoned already?
-- And most important, how OCD are you about this whole thing?

First, the "right" humidity is a matter of personal choice. Some people like sticks wet (>= 70% RH), some like them dry (<= 65% RH).

If you are going to be OCD over this then there are lots of things to do. You can search the threads here -- there is a lot of good information.

If you are not OCD, then season your humidor, get some 65% RH beads (Heartfelt or HCM), get a hygrometer and put it all together and sit back and have a cigar :)

The one thing I cannot stress enough (regardless of whether or not you are OCD): take the time to properly season your humidor. Do not rush this -- give it at least a week. Preferably two weeks.

(BTW, I don't mean anything negative when I say "OCD"; some people obsess about their cigar storage (OCD) and some don't (not OCD). Don't make a big fuss over cigar storage unless you want to and enjoy making a big fuss over it. Cigars are very resilient.).

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Hello Carlos. Hey your question is somewhat generic. The guys need some information here. Let me explain.

You need to properly season your humidor, or it will steal humidity from your cigars.
Tell us what kind of humidor you have.

You use the humidification device to maintain the humidity. It will be beads, packets, or a plastic puck ( or bar ) with a sponge in it.
Tell us what kind of humidification device you have.

You use the hygrometer to read and monitor the humidity inside your humidor. It may be a mechanical one, ( analog ) or a digital one.
Likely it will have to be calibrated or at least verified accurate.
Tell us what kind of hygrometer do you have.

Whatever you are doing over there, my friend, make sure you are using distilled water, not tap water.

Sorry if you know this stuff already, but we need the input. I see it's almost midnight over there. So let us know.
All this is relatively easy. It's like a terrarium, once you're set up, you then can enjoy your hobby and occasionally maintain it. :banger

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Hello again guys,

ok well lets start with the humidor i bought it from jrcigars.com it is from the quality importers company, the manual that came with it says it is made from spanish cedar that is kiln dried.

ok about the seasoning part the instructions told me NOT to wipe the inside with distilled water it told me to put a shot glass with distilled water in the humidor and let it sit there with the hygrometer in it. at the end of 2 to 3 days it was supposed to be seasoned and reading 75% humidity (this never happened) so i thought maybe the hygrometer might have been faulty so i purchased a digital one followed all the calibration instructions for that but i couldn't get that to read above 60% humidity. in the mean time the cigars i had already ordered had already arrived and had been sitting around so i wanted to get them in there so i ordered two drymistat sticks that were supposed to get the humidor to 70% all the time but that isn't working either so i have those in there and the two plastic pucks with the foam inside that it came with i have those filled with the pre mixed solution. oh and the humidor is a 100 count humidor. so with all that being said i don't know what else to do and the little bit of cigars that i do have are just getting dryer so what do i do guys.

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First, take your cigars out of the humidor and place them in a tupperware container or ziploc bags and they will be fine.

Go back and season your humidor until it holds humidity. Otherwise, the humidor is just going to dry out your cigars.

Use a sponge to season your humidor as there is more surface area than a shot glass full of water. You can pick up a new sponge for under a $1; soak it with distilled water, place it on a small plate and stick it in your humidor.

If your hygrometer does not calibrate then return it and get another one. How are you trying to calibrate it? (Salt or Boveda pack?)

The pucks and dri-mistat tubes do not regulate humidity. They just release moisture until the humidor (and your cigars) are saturated. However, they are better than nothing.

Good luck and don't fret -- this will all come out OK!

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thank you i will try that. and i used the salt should i buy one of those packs???

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A salt slurry will work just fine. Be sure to leave it in the bag with the hygrometer for at least 24 hours. Another trick I've used is to start out at 100% Rh by wrapping the hygrometer in a completely moistened paper towel until it reads 100%(usually about 1/2 hour). Then remove the paper towel and place in the bag with the salt slurry. :2

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Was curious if there was an issue using Zippo; sorry if this was answered already but when I searched did not turn up. I did read up on lighter posting but nothing mention about Zippo. I only ask because for Christmas received a really nice engraved Zippo for present and know they got it for me for cigar smoking. Comments, concerns I should know about?

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Lighter fluid may impart some unwanted flavor on the cigar. Butane is your friend. :2

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You can get a butane insert for it. Not sure how well they work.

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I have a couple, they work well.