Accuracy of salt test calibration

[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?

[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.

[OLS]

Never forget also the volumes of BS info out there that are just begging for someone to read it and be
taken down the wrong path. My blog for instance, ROFLMAO.
No I mean the 50 or so places you can read "Squeeze the cigar between your fingers...it should give
slightly and then spring back, and should not crackle". If a cigar doesn't crackle, I wouldn't LIGHT the
thing, cause I know a properly humidified CC ought to certainly crackle. Knowing the difference between
a crack and a crackle, see Ninja's point above. And I guess a NC should "give", but what does GIVE
actually mean. 1/16th inch...1/4 inch....1/8 inch....fingers touching, lol.

Or another one..."Please look at our Counterfeit gallery to see what the bands should look like." Please.
How many Bolivar bands are there. Almost every one is different in color from one year to the next.
"My rows of squares are cut off, these must be fake." "The embossing on one side is crisper than the
other, I must have fakes." Time my chirrens, TIME. It's all it takes.

[wayner123]

Thanks for your answers. How does one up the humidity in that certain box alone? And how long does it take?

[shilala]

Originally Posted by wayner123

Thanks for your answers. How does one up the humidity in that certain box alone? And how long does it take?

Wayne, I have about umpteen cigar jars with beads. I can set the beads at whatever RH I want. Plus I have a cooler. And a couple humidors. And a great big cabinet humidor. And a couple little display humidors.

Point being, taking care of a particular box of cigars is not a problem, beit up or down. Oversimplified, I keep an RH for NC's and CC's.
If I get some really wet cigars that I want to dry out quickly without screwing them all up, I use the cigar jars with beads. It takes about 8 months to get them from gross to real good.
I seldom raise the humidity of anything, but I'd do a single box of cigars in a jar, just the opposite.

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by wayner123

Thanks for your answers. How does one up the humidity in that certain box alone? And how long does it take?

By "box" I mean humidor.

And Shilala is dead on about manipulating humidity.

It really just takes some time and careful observation.

I know that I can keep my Por Larrañagas in the same humi as my Tat West Coasts and at the same humidity because I know that I like both of those cigars a little more humidified (About 80% RH to exact) I just add extra humidification devices to the box and make sure they are full at all times.

My LGC Serie R Maduros on the other... I hate when they get above 70% because they burn for ****. So I keep them in a seperate humidor that I maintain little or no humidifiers in. Keeping it about 60% RH.

Changing the RH of a humi is as simple as opening the door once... or putting another batch of more humidified cigars into it... If I'm having trouble getting the RH up in a box... sometimes I'll chuck a handful of my PLPC's into it for a quick burst of humidity. The cigars themselves will go much further to regulate the RH than just about anything else.

God I am confused. The hygrometers both read 73% 68F on the big one and 74% 68F on the little one after 24 hours with the salt test. No problem here because I was expecting it to be close to 75%. However, the one hygrometer has a max/min and the maximum it says it reached is 76%. Does that mean that my hygrometer is shy 2 or plus 1?

[bobarian]

+2 is likely as accurate you will get from a non-lab hygrometer. Anyone who says they have a +-0 is blowing in the wind. The chips are not that accurate even in laboratory testing. FWIW +-5% is good enough for your cigars, they are just not that sensitive to Rh. Be happy and smoke em up!

by ninjavanish:

The truth is... The only really reliable way (IMO) to tell if your cigars are at the right humidity is to feel your cigars. Feel them between your fingers... Smoke them, literally fondle them until you can pick up your favorite cigar and know by the way it feels if it is going to smoke the way you want it to.

I have to agree. I think its fine to test, I did, but the bottom line is......how does the cigar feel? A gentle press between your forefinger and thumb should have a little "give". Your cigars should light easily and not go out the second you put it in an ash tray to do something else.

I have both a digital and an analog hygrometer. I tested the digital with a kit, it was dead on 75%. The odd thing was, for as much bad press the analog hygrometers get, it is also dead on with my digital and I never tested it or calibrated it!

That said, my humidor maintains a constant 68 RH and my cigars feel and smoke great.



Cheers,


Mike T.

I found this while browsing the JR website:

"Both mechanical and electronic hygrometers are available. Typically, the mechanical ones are more attractive, while the electronic ones tend to be more accurate. But this is not always the case. Sadly, many hygrometers, both mechanical and electronic, are grossly inaccurate and require either adjustment or replacement. One of the easiest methods of verifying the accuracy of your hygrometer is to perform a "Salt Calibration Test."

Without boring you with the chemistry of why, let me simply state that this test will always result in achieving the exact relative humidity level of 75%.
Salt Calibration Test

SaltMaterials required:

* Tablespoon of plain Table Salt (NaCl - like Mortons)
* Empty Wide-Mouth Jar with lid (like an old Mayo jar)
* Bottle Cap (like those on a Snapple bottle)
* Coffee Stirrer (or other thin object with which to stir)
* Distilled Water
* Your Hygrometer

Place the tablespoon of salt within the bottle cap. Slowly add distilled water to the salt while stirring with the coffee stirrer. You want to add just enough water to moisten the salt so that it becomes a thick paste. Do not add enough water to dissolve the salt!

Place the bottle cap with salt gently into your wide-mouth jar then add your hygrometer. Make certain that the sensor is exposed and not being blocked by the sides of the jar.

Seal the jar - this test will not work if there are any leaks. Then put the jar in a place out of direct sunlight and with a stable temperature.

Leave undisturbed for a minimum of 8 hours.

Check the reading on the hygrometer through the glass jar. It should read on or near 75% RH.

Due to the salt paste reacting with the confined air the ambient RH within the jar will be exactly 75% RH. Most inexpensive hygrometers are only accurate to within 3% of 75% RH, so do not be surprised if yours reads 72% or 78% RH. Whatever it reads plus or minus from the 75% benchmark is the amount of error of your hygrometer.

What you do about an error depends on the circumstances. If your hygrometer has an adjustment potentiometer then, by all means, try to tweak it to exactly 75%. You should repeat the Salt Calibration Test after making any adjustments. If your hygrometer can't be adjusted but the reading is close, then I suggest you don't worry about it; just remember that your hygrometer is X% off - either high or low.

If the reading is grossly in error and you are unable to adjust it, I suggest you replace it.

And finally, let me say that hygrometers are not really necessary. You will find, over time, that you be able to judge the relative humidity within your humidor by simply touching and smoking your cigars.
Alternative Cigar Storage Methods"

Don't know if this helps anyone out.

[76GTFan]

Very informative. I just bought a Xikar hygro and am calibrating it as we speak. It is reading 80. My old one, which I was concerned if accurate, is dead on 75/76. I agree that hygros aren't necessary, but are a good indicator of when RH drops too much and gives an indicator of when to raise.

[Porch Dweller]

"Lifestyle Ambient synthetic hair large size hygrometer"? No thank you! My hygrometers use REAL hair. Preferably obtained from strangers on public transportation. Sure, I get slapped a lot, and MAN the amount of restraining orders against me is just ridiculous. But when I smoke my cigars...well, it's all worth it then.

[Weelok]

Originally Posted by Porch Dweller

"Lifestyle Ambient synthetic hair large size hygrometer"? No thank you! My hygrometers use REAL hair. Preferably obtained from strangers on public transportation. Sure, I get slapped a lot, and MAN the amount of restraining orders against me is just ridiculous. But when I smoke my cigars...well, it's all worth it then.

We take our cigars seriously and maybe some of our obsession is voodoo and hair samples plucked from unwitting strangers is just one example of what a true cigar smoker goes through beyond just the glares and sniffs from offended non-smokers.

Imagine a min-smokers horror if they knew you plucked their hair to precisely calibrate the humidity level of the very cigar they find offensive? Is this irony?

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Porch Dweller

My hygrometers use REAL hair. Preferably obtained from strangers on pubic

Fixed it for silkstring's benefit. Although there is NOTHING silky 'bout those strings.

Originally Posted by Weelok

Imagine a min-smokers horror if they knew you plucked their hair to precisely calibrate the humidity level of the very cigar they find offensive? Is this irony?

Yes. Yes it is.

[BlindedByScience]

I didn't have much faith in the salt test until I quit using baggies for the test environment and started using mason jars. The difference in test consistency was nothing short of amazing. It's easy to check your work; salt test your hygro, then wait a few days and test it again. If you don't get a reading within a point or two, something is amiss. With a mason jar, I can always get readings that are well within the accuracy I'd expect.

The hygro I depend on most is the one in the controller in my Staebell cabinet. After a decade of solid work, I was pretty sure it was off and it got sent back to the controller vendor for a rebuild. Now it's back in business, ready for another decade. What convinced me it was really off...?? Not the hygros I have in the cabinet, though they were off quite a bit....rather, the feel and sound and way my cigars smoked, believe it or not......