Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

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?

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.

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.

[Eleven]

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

[jonumberone]

Thanks for the info.

[quantim0]

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.

[MortonMilo]

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?

[lightning9191]

Originally Posted by MortonMilo

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?

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.

[MortonMilo]

Originally Posted by MortonMilo

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?

As a followup to my above question, I still cant seem to get the humidity right! I still have my drain plugged, and have the condensation that is collecting draining into a bowl of heartfelt beads at the bottom. Beyond that I have 2 lbs of heartfelt beads and a pound of shilala beads spread throughout. Still trying to find a way to fix another condensation issue....condensation now collects on the bottom of the dish I use to collect it from the drain! Will keep working to solve that one...

Any suggestions on how I can fix the humidity issue?! Despite all my efforts, its still holding steady at 58%!

[bobarian]

How are your cigars smoking? That is more important than a number. It will be difficult to get the Rh higher without raising the temperature. Put a hygrometer inside a box and take a reading. I dont know if the Edgestar uses a compressor or a peltier cooler, if its a compressor you will need an external temp controller to raise the temp to 65.

[lightning9191]

Originally Posted by MortonMilo

As a followup to my above question, I still cant seem to get the humidity right! I still have my drain plugged, and have the condensation that is collecting draining into a bowl of heartfelt beads at the bottom. Beyond that I have 2 lbs of heartfelt beads and a pound of shilala beads spread throughout. Still trying to find a way to fix another condensation issue....condensation now collects on the bottom of the dish I use to collect it from the drain! Will keep working to solve that one...

Any suggestions on how I can fix the humidity issue?! Despite all my efforts, its still holding steady at 58%!

What is the temp of the room that your wine cooler is in? If it is too hot, then your wine cooler will run often keeping the humidity low. Did you try turning the temp of the wine cooler up to see if that helps?

Hey guys another quick question. Is there any way to tell if a wood is spanish cedar or not? Do you just have to take a manufacturers word for it? Thanks again.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by saru22

Hey guys another quick question. Is there any way to tell if a wood is spanish cedar or not? Do you just have to take a manufacturers word for it? Thanks again.

Examine it closely & observe the grain.

This is Spanish Cedar:

More info: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-...spanish-cedar/

This is Western Red Cedar (best avoided):

More info: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-...ern-red-cedar/

This is Aromatic Red Cedar (You really don't want this - this what they line closets with):

More info: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-...tic-red-cedar/


Another wood sometimes seen in humidor lining use is Mahogany, which is great for humidor use (possibly even superior to SC), it just doesn't have an aroma and it costs a lot more than SC, hence why it's not as common. Why Mahogany you ask? Well, Spanish Cedar is not actually a softwood cedar, but rather it's in same family of trees as Mahogany hardwood, but it has a cedar like aroma, hence how it got it's name.

You can look up what mahogany grain looks like here: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-identification/
(should be immediately evident that it's almost the same as SC grain)



Oh, and when in doubt...

[MortonMilo]

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?

[lightning9191]

Originally Posted by MortonMilo

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?

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.

[Big_Ern]

I just found mold on some cigars. what should I do next?

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by Big_Ern

I just found mold on some cigars. what should I do next?

How bad is it? Pictures? How humid is your humidor? How many cigars is it affecting?

Simple answer is to wipe it off. If it is on the foot or all of your cigars are effected, it might be more complicated.

[Ogre]

What color is it. A light gray color is a normal part of aging. If it is black or green it is mold. I picked up a Ashton VSG at my local B&M and got a lesson on how to ID this. If you are not sure, take one to you local and see what they say.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by Ogre3239

What color is it. A light gray color is a normal part of aging. If it is black or green it is mold. I picked up a Ashton VSG at my local B&M and got a lesson on how to ID this. If you are not sure, take one to you local and see what they say.

Never heard that before. I've got a number of 20+ year old cigars and none are a light gray color. Frankly, most b&m's don't know the difference between mold and plume. Plume takes a long time to appear (years) and if you bought a recently produced VSG, it will not have plume but mold. Mold can be gray. I opened 4 boxes of VSG's yesterday as a matter of fact and all of them were sopping wet and was starting to develop mold.

[Big_Ern]

a couple of pictures. do I throw them out? let them air dry?

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by Big_Ern

a couple of pictures. do I throw them out? let them air dry?

That doesn't look good. Cut off a 1/4 inch off the foot of the cigar and see if mold is still there. If so, cut another 1/4 inch and check. If still there, I would toss them. If not, wipe down the rest of the cigar and keep them in a proper environment. Anything under 70%.

[Ogre]

I was told that lite gray spots may appear on a cigar as it ages. It wipes right off. When I first saw it I thought it was mold. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I am still learning myself.