Accuracy of salt test calibration

[shilala]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

Felt like posting on this again...

I'm in no way saying we should completely ignore technology... But I can't help but feel like we've become so reliant on digital hygrometers that some of the old ways have been lost.

How did people check the humidity of their cigars before digital hygros came about?!

I have digital hygrometers in all of my humidors. However, when it comes down to it... My bottom line test of humidity is literally picking up and feeling my cigars.

Just do it! And stop worrying about stupid salt tests and hygrometers that may or may not be working correctly!

Cigars are a hobby for all of the senses... And touch is one of the most important if not one of the most neglected ones... We should all take a little more time to simply feel our beloved smokes... Yes... It sounds dirty... But caress them. Be gentle with them... Take the time to get to know them by touch. And I guarantee you you never NEED another hygrometer or salt test ever again.

I agree and disagree, NJ.
If a person has no frame of reference on how wet or dry a cigar "should be", it's dang near impossible for them just to go on their gut. The worry will drive them insane.
I think it's an evolution. Bear me out...
Once a guy gets the salt test under control, then gets good hygros, then gets their cigars where they like them, then they have gathered lots of valuable experience. That whole process takes time. Maybe a year, maybe a couple years, maybe less.
Through that process, they'll have tried cigars stored at many different levels of wetness, and they'll figure stuff out. Important stuff like "it appears my cc's smoke a lot better at 55% than 70%" and "it appears my nc's smoke better at 65% than 55%".
I can pick up a cigar and smell it and feel it and know if it's too wet or too dry for my liking, but I have some time in. A guy who has just started in the hobby may not have someone with experience to teach them in person, which would be a lot better. So they rely on the next best thing, which is our brothers online.
In time, the new hobbyist isn't going to rely or obsess on hygrometers.
Or at least this is how it all progressed for me.

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by shilala

I agree and disagree, NJ.
If a person has no frame of reference on how wet or dry a cigar "should be", it's dang near impossible for them just to go on their gut. The worry will drive them insane.
I think it's an evolution. Bear me out...
Once a guy gets the salt test under control, then gets good hygros, then gets their cigars where they like them, then they have gathered lots of valuable experience. That whole process takes time. Maybe a year, maybe a couple years, maybe less.
Through that process, they'll have tried cigars stored at many different levels of wetness, and they'll figure stuff out. Important stuff like "it appears my cc's smoke a lot better at 55% than 70%" and "it appears my nc's smoke better at 65% than 55%".
I can pick up a cigar and smell it and feel it and know if it's too wet or too dry for my liking, but I have some time in. A guy who has just started in the hobby may not have someone with experience to teach them in person, which would be a lot better. So they rely on the next best thing, which is our brothers online.
In time, the new hobbyist isn't going to rely or obsess on hygrometers.
Or at least this is how it all progressed for me.

You're right.

And I think we're on the same page and trying to make a similar point.

I can simplify my rantings to this:

We could all probably afford more experience when it comes to cigars.

So to the point... I would encourage new enthusiasts (and even some old ones) to develop their experience through their senses (ie. feel)... and testing and hygrometers so that they too one day can pick up a BBF or a FFOX or whatever their "fave" may be... and know simply by feeling it if it's right to smoke... rather than simply trying to rely on the tests and hygrometers.

That being said... you can ALWAYS rely on Shilala's beads to keep a perfectly measured humidity.

I also feel like that's one of the coolest parts of the cigar lifestyle... and unfortunately I think a dying part... the next time you get ready to smoke your favorite stick... pick it up... feel it... smell it...take a close look at the veins and the coloring... even listen to it as you slightly apply pressure to the area just below the cap to check its elasticity. Using all of your senses to examine and enjoy your smoke will really enhance your experience. At least it does for me.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

I also feel like that's one of the coolest parts of the cigar lifestyle... and unfortunately I think a dying part... the next time you get ready to smoke your favorite stick... pick it up... feel it... smell it...take a close look at the veins and the coloring... even listen to it as you slightly apply pressure to the area just below the cap to check its elasticity. Using all of your senses to examine and enjoy your smoke will really enhance your experience. At least it does for me.

How many times have you done this and found it not to be where you like it and still went ahead and smoked it?

[shilala]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

You're right.

And I think we're on the same page and trying to make a similar point.

I can simplify my rantings to this:

We could all probably afford more experience when it comes to cigars.

So to the point... I would encourage new enthusiasts (and even some old ones) to develop their experience through their senses (ie. feel)... and testing and hygrometers so that they too one day can pick up a BBF or a FFOX or whatever their "fave" may be... and know simply by feeling it if it's right to smoke... rather than simply trying to rely on the tests and hygrometers.

That being said... you can ALWAYS rely on Shilala's beads to keep a perfectly measured humidity.

I also feel like that's one of the coolest parts of the cigar lifestyle... and unfortunately I think a dying part... the next time you get ready to smoke your favorite stick... pick it up... feel it... smell it...take a close look at the veins and the coloring... even listen to it as you slightly apply pressure to the area just below the cap to check its elasticity. Using all of your senses to examine and enjoy your smoke will really enhance your experience. At least it does for me.

Amen.

Originally Posted by wayner123

How many times have you done this and found it not to be where you like it and still went ahead and smoked it?

Good question, and that kinda goes to NJ's point.
For me, I go "dammit, these ain't ready yet", and pick something else. If I really, really want the one I wasn't happy with, I'll smoke it anyways, but only if it's within a certain "window".
If they ain't ready, they just ain't ready. That's just me, though. If a guy likes their stuff real wet, then they can go ROTT all the time. I just don't like wet stuff, and my like for dry stuff just gets drier and drier.

Thing is, I wouldn't know the difference between wet and dry were it not for guys teaching me. I think we use hygros and stuff as the best possible way to translate our senses to each other when we can't be in each other's presense. I know I'd learn a lot more in a day with a seasoned BOTL playing in his humi than I can in a year fighting with hygrometers.

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by wayner123

How many times have you done this and found it not to be where you like it and still went ahead and smoked it?

That depends a lot on the cigar and my experience with it.

For instance... I know that when I pick up a Por Larrañaga PC... I'm going to want it to feel literally squishy. I know this because I have smoked tons of them and I feel they smoke best when they feel squishy and make little or no noise when I apply pressure.

So if I pick one up and it doesn't feel that way... I'll put it back and up the humidity in that box.

On the other hand... if it's a cigar I'm not terribly familiar with... I may examine it and smoke it anyway... making a mental note of how it felt and looked and sounded so that if I don't like the way it smoked... I'll know next time if I pick one up and it feels the same way... I probably won't smoke it. Or Vice Versa if I did like it... the next time I pick it up... if it feels the same way I'll be more likely to smoke it.

And please DO NOT believe when they say a cigar should not "crackle" of course it should crackle. You should not hear any distinct "pops or snaps" (Rice Krispies anyone?) but hearing a sound slightly like the crackle of the famous cereal is definitely ok... if not preferred.

Hope that helps.

[OLS]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

That being said... you can ALWAYS rely on Shilala's beads to keep a perfectly measured humidity. .

hehe, don't get me started on that subject.