Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

Oh I thought these are minis and smaller are cigarillos? What is the correct verbage so I don't make the mistake again?

Also, why is 70 too high for cubans? I believe you as youbare more experienced than me but I just had never heard that before.

The vast majority of smokers seem to like find their Cubans smoke better and taste better at 65% or below....I keep mine around 62%. At 70%, they seem to smoke "wet"....problemed burns, problems staying lit, flavor issues, etc. I know this from my own experience, but can't explain the "science" behind it.

[Kreth]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

Also, why is 70 too high for cubans? I believe you as youbare more experienced than me but I just had never heard that before.

70 is too high for anything, IMO. I find my sticks smoke best around 65. But if you like the way your sticks are smoking, don't worry about the numbers...
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[Bill86]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

Oh I thought these are minis and smaller are cigarillos? What is the correct verbage so I don't make the mistake again?

Also, why is 70 too high for cubans? I believe you as youbare more experienced than me but I just had never heard that before.

Minis and cigarillos are more like a ring gauge in the 20's. Party shorts are a 42 RG, I personally lump them in with the "Petit Corona sized sticks". Knowing all the correct sizing on every CC would be too much IMO. Technically the petit cazadores is a ....petit cazadores 4 1/8 x 43. But for my purpose and reasoning they are "PC sized sticks".

Thanks for the info fellas. I will post any more questions I come across.

Hi , I am a new member here and I am hoping that someone can help me with a humidor question . I live in Chiang Mai , Thailand and the weather gets real hot here so I assume that this is a problem for keeping cigars ?
I am thinking that a wine cooler is the best option ? I have found 4 or 5 wine coolers that I can buy here , a couple of different Sanyo's as well as a couple of Samsungs .
I hear that thermoelectric is the way to go but even after doing a lot of searching on the net , have not been able to figure out if these coolers are thermoelectric or not
So I guess my questions are :
1) Do I need to buy a wine cooler as it gets up to over 100F here in the hot season ?
2) How the hell do I figure out weather the cooler is thermoelectric or not ?
And asking the salesman here in Thailand is not the answer as very very few salespeople here have any knowledge of the product that they are selling .
These are the 4 coolers that are available in this area , any help is appreciated , thanks everyone in advance .

sanyo SBC-245K
sanyo SBC-725K
samsung rw52dass
samsung rw33ebss

[icehog3]

I looked through the internet for Samsung and Sanyo wine coolers and could not find anything, even without trying to use the model numbers. Do you have other wine cooler options available?

[Cornrow_Wallis]

I found them all online, but the sanyo website was only in Thai(I guess) and there was no mention of what kind of cooling unit the samsung ones used. The samsung site has a contact us section, have you tried calling or emailing?

The sanyo ones:
http://www.sanyo.co.th/coldchain/pro...llar/index.php

The samsungs:
http://www.samsung.com/ie/consumer/h...=specification
http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consume...il&tab=support

Compressor type coolers can be made to work, but most prefer thermoelectric. If you can't get thermoelectric, ya gotta make do with what you can get. I don't have any real experience with wine coolers, so maybe someone else can give a better answer.

If you can't get a hold of anyone over there, I could call their N. American help lines and see if they know anything.

[MiamiE]

Do a Google search for Vinotemp. They have some nice models and I am sure they have a distributor in Asia.

Hi and thanks for getting back to me , I will do some more searching and see if I can find a wine cooler that is thermoelectric , these are the only brands that I have come up with so far . I am pretty sure that the ones that I have previously mentioned are not thermoelectric and yes that language was Thai .
On a side note I guess there is no way that I can get away with not using a cooler here in Thailand as it is so hot ?

[bobarian]

I would talk to other enthusiasts in your area regarding the necessity of a wine cooler. They may have other alternatives or be able to steer you in the right direction. Good luck.

Hi,

Can I use coarse Kosher salt for the salt test? It's all I have in the house right now.

[kydsid]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

Hi,

Can I use coarse Kosher salt for the salt test? It's all I have in the house right now.

Potentially. Salt testing is really about making a paste with the salt and just a bit of water. If the crystals are bigger like they are in most kosher salts achieving paste might be a bit difficult. Might have to grind up the salt to get it to work.

But I say sense kosher salt costs more than the cheap iodized stuff just wait until the next grocery visit. Unless you have ridiculously high humidity or no humidity even a couple days at where its at will have a long term affect on the cigars.

[SteveH]

I used kosher salt for my salt test; worked fine. Just realize that its a fine line between just right and too much water.

[Zeuceone]

i noticed a tiny bit of mold brewing on the humidity puck in my humi, any reason why?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Zeuceone

i noticed a tiny bit of mold brewing on the humidity puck in my humi, any reason why?

You're using the floral foam humidifier (aka: "credo") I take it?

Not an uncommon occurrence, considering it's a perfect environment for mold to grow, and PG solution won't completely stop it.

I'd just toss it and order some beads from either Heartfelt or Michael (CigarNut).

[Zeuceone]

yes im suign the foam. the mold is actually on the plastic puck. definately going to get beads once i have cigars to fill my humi. thanks, adam.

[chachee52]

So to keep with the hydrometer theme a little. I bought mine about a year and a half ago. How long to the batteries usually last and when you change the battery i would assume that you should also recalibtrate it?
Mine seems to be starting to get a little hard to read so I was going to go get a new battery anyway.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by chachee52

So to keep with the hydrometer theme a little. I bought mine about a year and a half ago. How long to the batteries usually last and when you change the battery i would assume that you should also recalibtrate it?
Mine seems to be starting to get a little hard to read so I was going to go get a new battery anyway.

How long the batteries last depends on the hygrometer and the batteries. Certain types & brands of batteries will last more or less than others, but it's probably best to change it once every 6 months to a year regardless.

Rechecking the calibration at that point isn't a bad thing.

[Whee]

Originally Posted by chachee52

So to keep with the hydrometer theme a little. I bought mine about a year and a half ago. How long to the batteries usually last and when you change the battery i would assume that you should also recalibtrate it?
Mine seems to be starting to get a little hard to read so I was going to go get a new battery anyway.

Really depends on the battery. I have had them last months. Just had to change them recently with batteries that only lasted about 5 weeks.

I always recalibrate with new batteries, just in case.

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by chachee52

So to keep with the hydrometer theme a little. I bought mine about a year and a half ago. How long to the batteries usually last and when you change the battery i would assume that you should also recalibtrate it?
Mine seems to be starting to get a little hard to read so I was going to go get a new battery anyway.

Personally I change the batteries in mine about every three months. Proabably overkill, but it's only a few bucks against my peace-of-mind.

Digital hgygrometers need a good battery in order to provide accurate results. As the battery degrades so does the accuracy.

Also, when you change the batteries I recommend recalibrating/retesting.