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hey, question from a noob,

what are the takes on a punch? good or bad?

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Personally, I like to use a punch. I probably cut about 25% and punch 75%.

Cheers
Mark

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i was always curious about the punch, my lotus came with one, but i never knew how to use it, just stuck to the double guillotine

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Also.. I should add.... I always put the 'un-punched' stick in my mouth for a min or so to soften the end before I punch it. Seems to make a bette , cleaner hole then trying to do it dry.

Cheers
Mark

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I do the same, even with my usual guillotine cut. Definitely cuts down (pun!) on the ragged edges....

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definitely worth considering on the next stick, maybe i'll try that punch on a cheaper stick first, i guess. thank you all.

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I just bought my first humidor:banger and was wondering the best type of beads to get. There's the tubes which most people seem to be using, but on site that I've been shown has sheets. My humidor is just over 2200cu/in don't know if that matters, but what do you guys think is better the tubes or the sheets?
Another question, I'm going to need 2 of either, is it better to get two the same size or one big one small? Does it matter or just as long as it's the right coverage for the box?
Thanks guys!
Todd

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I recommend Heartfeltindustries.com. I use a 2oz tube of 65% in my desktop and a pound each in my Vinotemps. :2

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that's the company that was refered to me, but my main question is they have two styles a tube of beads and sheet/case. Which on is better?

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I believe they are for different applications. They all do their job efficiently.

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For your size humidor, I would use the tube. Better for convienence, as they both perform the same.

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I was never sure how to cut these...that definitely helps.

Now does exposing more surface area affect only the draw? I'm just curious if you could also get the same affect by cutting a little higher up and straight?...or are there other consequences to a straight cut on a torpedo?

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Ok, quick question from a newbie.

I am buying my first humidor and have my eye on The Pompeii (http://www.cheaphumidors.com/HUM-100PR.html). I think I would like one with a glass top but have seen scattered comments about glass tops potentially causing problems. Could any experts please advise if this is generally true from experience?

Of course, would also love to hear the thoughts of any one that owns this particular humidor.

Thanks very much

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I bought a used one of the same model from the Bay and have had no issues with it holding humidity. Glass tops just add another variable if the seal isn't good, but I've had no issues with my 2 glass-tops.

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Tim is right, many glass top humidors hold humidity just fine, but getting one without a glass top removes one more potential issue regarding a proper seal.

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Thanks Tim and Tom, much appreciated.

Have been doing a lot of reading, but just a few more questions before I make the all important first purchase, if people wouldn't mind obliging.

1. Seasoning - Do people recommend/had good experience with the Boveda seasoning packs? Or do people just go with the bowl of water trick?

2. Humidity - Was looking at going with the Puck as my first humidity controller.
a) Do people recommend the 65% or 70%. I know it can be personal taste. I've read a lot about 65% being better, and would like to go with 65% But will the 65% Puck actually normally deliver less than 65% (and 70% =<70%) due to leakage etc?
b) Have people had good experiences with the Puck? Or would more people recommend Boveda packs or Heartfelt beads for a long-term cost effective solution? I need to decide on one!


3. Am looking at maybe buying from cheaphumidors.com unless anyone knows of a better site and/or a discount code? :)

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1. I have always just seasoned with the beads and distilled water, and never had a problem. Remember, seasoning takes a little patience and may take a few days...your Rh might jump around until it is fully seasoned.

2. I prefer 65% or lower, my cigars seem to smoke better and taste better at lower humidity. If you jave a humidor with a good seal and learn how to use the beads properly, it should hold right around 65%. Be sure you have a properly calibrated digital hygrometer as well. I used Heartfelt beads before getting active humidification for a large cabinet, and was happy with the results.

3. I bought two humidors from cheaphumidors and had good experiences with both.

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Another Noob Question Here,

I have a 30ish ct humi. and Just got a 100 ct (selling the 30 to a friend, works out well to help me down the slippery slope...), but I'm thinking of going with the bigger puck?

Would you guys suggest that puck or to go with some other form of beads?

Thanks in advance.

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Beads are much less maintenance. A little pricier upfront, but you're buying peace of mind. shilala or heartfelt both have them.

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I concur with Tim, I've had a few pucks that come with the humidors and I end up just replacing them with beads.

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Cigarmony has puck shaped bead holders. http://www.cigarmony.com/puck-ifierpuck-10065.aspx

So does Heartfelt. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/p...od=RH_Large_65

There is a volume calculator on the Heartfelt site that will tell you the amount of beads you need for your humidor.

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Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? :D
Good catch, Bob.

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I had one of the puck shaped bead holder for my smaller humi, and I think im going to get the bigger size bead puck for the new humi. its made for a humi with around 10 more cubic inches than the one ive got coming.

That should be fine, right?

Thanks for the help guys, so many knowledgeable guys and so much info in here.

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I would say yes although I would ditch the floral foam and retrofit it with humidity beads.

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Heartfelt beads are the way to go! I was bombed with a pound of beads from another company and they are not near the quality as the Heartfelt beads. They take forever to charge and don't seem to hold a good charge. They also kept exploding on me even though I was using a spray bottle to charge them slowly.

Heartfelt beads are so easy to use and hassle free. Definitely worth the peace of mind. I will never use regular pucks again.

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I am taking over the production and sale of Shilala's beads from Scott. I don't have any pucks, but these beads are prepackaged in bags of various sizes that lay in your humindor and work very well at stabilizing and maintaining the RH.

The web site is not complete, but you can take a look at what is there so far, which also includes a calculator: Shilala's Beads (www.shilalasbeads.com).

These beads have many very small, uniform pores so their ability to hold moisture is much greater than other beads. They also do not absorb particles from air (or water) so they stay clean. They will absorb free ammonia (given off by all cigars, but particularly NC's), but even the amount of ammonia is so small that it will not "taint" the beads.

The beads themselves are inert, so they contain no harmful chemicals or toxins. If cared for properly, they will last forever. Proper care: don't immerse in water (not a chemical reaction, just friction which causes extreme heat).

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

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These sound interesting. Have you used Heartfelt beads before? If so, how would you compare the two? I would like to learn more about these.

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I started my bead journey with Heartfelt and while thier beads work great they work no where near as well as the Shilala Beads do. Those things are magical. The best part is they are almost zero maintenance.

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How often do you reload your heartfelt beads?

They have worked wonders in my smaller humi, and i just bought from cigarmony the bigger puck for the incoming humi.

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Much depends on the ambient Rh and how often you open the humi. Since this is your only humidor, I would guess you will need to recharge every 3-4 weeks.
It shouldnt be much different from the puck you use now. Also, if you still have the old beads you can use both together as long as they are the same Rh. You can never have too many beads. :2

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A few months later along the path, and I have more questions...

If there are different Rh, (puck 50 = 65, puck 100 = 70) what would happen?

Also, i've noticed the wrapper being quite fragile (sometimes ripping when taking cello off) in my bigger humi where the temp has been right around 68 and rh is usually reading 67-69. Any ideas whats wrong in there? (and this is a case by case deal, most are perceftly fine, but on occasion i get one where the wrapper cracks shortly after lighting...)

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Sounds like they're too dry...you may want to change your humidifying system and get some gel jars or beads, make sure your humidor seals well, and get a good hygrometer...

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Was smoking a cigar and brown ink fluid kept coming out the head of a cigar. At first it was just a little brown (guess it was like a tobacco stain) on my fingers then I started to notice almost a drop. I thought it was saliva but then made sure to not salivate over the end and it kept getting worse.

Someone else who smoked some from that bundle said they got a little of the same thing. One of my cigar buddies thought it was just oils coming out, I have never seen that much come out.

Any ideas? Humidor was at 65 to 70, and I was thinking maybe for whatever reason the stick was too wet...curious to know more.

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The brown liquid is tar, foul tasting. Sometimes you can recut and it will stop. Also smoking slower will keep the tar from flowing. But there are times you just have to pitch the stick. It happens randomly and can appear with any cigar, from cheap to super premium. :2

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So lately I have been in a smoking slump,I don't really have the desire to smoke unless it's at a herf. have any of the old gorillas been down this road? also whats the cure?








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I am not a FOG but I have been down this road. If you don't feel like smoking then don't. I just went like 2 months without one.
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Nothing wrong with taking a break, Mike. You have a lot on your mind right now. Sometimes its good to take a break to refresh you palate. :2

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thank you both I think I'll wait for a bit and smoke a few on the big day,hope to see you there Bob.

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Good to know!

I did have to just put it down, but it was a cheaper stick so I wasn't too concerned.

Was kinda worried I was doing something wrong to cause it.

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What specific cigar was it?

I have another thought but want to find out first.

~Mark

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an 1876 Churchill

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I have seen some pics on this site of labeled cigars. I did a search and found what people use to label them (napkin rings, p-touch, blank labels,..etc) but not why. I have always been the buy, cut, smoke, repeat type, turning my small humidor over every 4-6 weeks. I have just graduated to a cabinet and plan on keeping more cigars for longer. So i'm wondering why people label their cigars, What info they place on the label, and is this something everyone storing cigars should do? Or is it only practiced by anal retentive types?

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I label cigars that were given to me, that way I know when I got it and who gave it to me.

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Personally I don't label everything, just cigars I want to remember what they are or when they were made. Like dates or box codes from cuban cigars or unlabeled non-cuban cigars like AVO LE07. Some people will label cigars that they are gifted or bombed by other members to remind them of who gave it to them when they smoke it down the road. I find it curteous to label cigars that I send to other people if there might be a question of what it is. Sometimes I just write in on the 5 finger bag or will add a white label to it. :2

Its really your decision in the end, but when you delve further into the world of cigars and store them for long periods of time it will be much easier to look at a label than trying to remember what the cigar is and who you recieved it from. :tu

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Thanks for the info.:)

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I put the date I got the stick for singles on my labels. That let's me keep track of how long I have had it. It's tough to keep track any other way for me. I like to keep my sticks sitting for at least 1 month before I'll smoke them to let them acclimate to my preferred conditions. It doesn't always work out that way though.

If a box doesn't have a date code, I will throw a label in there also. I am at the point now of acquiring boxes, so I'm going to try and let my boxes sit for a year and live off singles until then. So the date on the label let's me know how long I have had them.

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I'm having a humidification problem and I can't seem to fix it!

I currently have an Edgestar 28, fit with 4 Chasidor drawers and 2 shelves. I have 3 pounds of Heartfelt beads spread throughout, and three 4 ounce bags of Shilala's beads put in the drawers. All beads are set to 65%.

The temp on my unit runs at 60 degrees, never wavering. The humidity is where the issue is. The humidity holds steady at 58%. I have the drain plugged, so there is a constant pool of water forming at the bottom of the unit (I think I'm gonna rig up somthing so it drains into a bowl inside the unit).

Am I doing something wrong? What can I do to help the unit keep my humidity?

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Are your hygrometers calibrated? 60 is a little on the cool side, which may be causing your unit to run a lot.....try turning the temp up to 65 and see if that helps.

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My hygros are calibrated with the salt test. Did it when I initially got them and then again last week because I was so frustrated with the humidity issue!

I'll try raising the temp to see if it helps at all. Anyone have any suggestions for the water collection issue at the bottom of my unit?

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Turning up the temp will probably result in less water in the bottom. Some people put a container of beads at the bottom and direct the water into it. I think there may be some photos around here showing that.