Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

What does the term "toothy" mean when speaking of the wrapper?

[icehog3]

Usually it means the wrapper has a coarse texture

[Mattso3000]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Usually it means the wrapper has a coarse texture

Maduro and camaroon wrappers are naturally more coarse and frequently described as "toothy" Icehog3 nailed this one.

Originally Posted by longknocker

My Preference Is The 62-66 Range.

if you put some dry sticks in your humidor how long do you think it'd take them to get in that 62-66 range? and what's your method of humidification

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by sparkboss

if you put some dry sticks in your humidor how long do you think it'd take them to get in that 62-66 range? and what's your method of humidification

Less Than 24H For Me. Be Sure & Recalibrate Your Hygrometer When You Add A Lot Of Sticks To Your Humi. I Use 65% RH Boveda Packs From http://www.bovedadirect.com/ And 65 % Beads From Here:
http://www.shilalasbeads.com/

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by sparkboss

if you put some dry sticks in your humidor how long do you think it'd take them to get in that 62-66 range? and what's your method of humidification

Depends on how dry they are. If they are really dry, it's a slow process to get them to be smokable again. At least 6-8 months, imo.

[Jbailey]

I will also add to Gregs post by suggesting slowly raising the RH over time if they are really dry.

oh wow.. alright i'll try to leave my humi closed for as long as possible.. someitmes i just get the urge to smell them though!

@greg, do you use both or one or the other?

and dave, i did increase it through a few small steps but i dont know if they were too dramatic. i put in my 65%, then after a few weeks did my 65% + water pillow (although im guessing the boveda would keep it the same as it was), then after no success for a month or two i threw in my 84%

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by sparkboss

oh wow.. alright i'll try to leave my humi closed for as long as possible.. someitmes i just get the urge to smell them though!

@greg, do you use both or one or the other?

and dave, i did increase it through a few small steps but i dont know if they were too dramatic. i put in my 65%, then after a few weeks did my 65% + water pillow (although im guessing the boveda would keep it the same as it was), then after no success for a month or two i threw in my 84%

You May Have A "Leaky" Humi (Poor Seal). You Should Be Able To Place A Dollar Bill Under The Closed Lid & Pull The Humi Without The Bill Coming Out. I Use Shilala's Beads Primarily & A Few 65% RH Boveda Packs In Each Humi & Coolidor To Get The RH To 63-66. You Shouldn't Need 84% To Maintain RH.

well, i'm doing okay holding a RH, the only problem is getting the humidity back into the sticks i've got. most the sticks i have are in pretty bad shape since everything i order takes so long to get here. i've also tested my seal a few times with bobs' 1" drop method, tests nothing but positive

[Blak Smyth]

Can I stand cigars on end in my humidor, with the foot down or is it best to leave flat?

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

Can I stand cigars on end in my humidor, with the foot down?

Yes.

[NCRadioMan]

You can but you risk damaging the foot of the cigar. I wouldn't consider it. I have a few jars and I even lie them on their side.

[racerX]

For those who freeze to keep the bugs away, do you see any issues with a week long stint in the garage freezer? I have to wait for some beads to arrive.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by racerX

For those who freeze to keep the bugs away, do you see any issues with a week long stint in the garage freezer? I have to wait for some beads to arrive.

Nope. I always freeze for a week, never had an issue with it yet.

[racerX]

Originally Posted by T.G

Nope. I always freeze for a week, never had an issue with it yet.

Thank you so much for your reply. Big relief.

I'm a newbie, and so far have read through about 3/4 of this thread, so if I missed a question and am re-posting one .

I currently would like to store just a few sticks (say a dozen to 20 or so) at a time while I find my palete (sp?). I'm thinking about buying one of those stoneware jars I se at shops. Will this work well, or would I be better ff with a little tupperdore? The jars have the cool factor, but if the tupper would be better for a month's worth (or so) sticks, I'll use that.

I'm also thinking of eventually setting up a coolerdore, but live in a house where there's no a/c. I'm thinking freezer packs to keep it under 70 degrees when it gets into the 80's in the house. Would that work? Otherwise, I may not ever worry about long term storage, as I love visiting shops and buying a few new sticks at a time anyhow. Part of the experience for me, ya know?

Thanks all!

[Cornrow_Wallis]

Originally Posted by Hippiebrian

I'm a newbie, and so far have read through about 3/4 of this thread, so if I missed a question and am re-posting one .

I currently would like to store just a few sticks (say a dozen to 20 or so) at a time while I find my palete (sp?). I'm thinking about buying one of those stoneware jars I se at shops. Will this work well, or would I be better ff with a little tupperdore? The jars have the cool factor, but if the tupper would be better for a month's worth (or so) sticks, I'll use that.

If the jar seals reasonably well I don't think it would be a problem. I'm guessing those things wouldn't have any sort of weird smell to them, but I don't know for sure. That might be something to look out for.

Originally Posted by Hippiebrian

I'm also thinking of eventually setting up a coolerdore, but live in a house where there's no a/c. I'm thinking freezer packs to keep it under 70 degrees when it gets into the 80's in the house. Would that work? Otherwise, I may not ever worry about long term storage, as I love visiting shops and buying a few new sticks at a time anyhow. Part of the experience for me, ya know?

Thanks all!

I think the freezer packs would be a pain. I also think that the condensation they give off as they melt would play hell with your humidity, but that is just a guess. I don't know anyone that has tried it.

How hot does your house get? Set up the cooler in the coolest spot you have and freeze all the cigars you buy to minimize the risk of beetles. Here is a thread on how to freeze. http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7919

If you keep an eye on craigslist you might be able to score a used wine cooler on the cheap. That is a popular option around here, and sounds like it might work well for you down the road.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for a wine fridge, as I probably won't get a big stock for a bit. I share a freezer with a room mate, so really don't have room in there to freeze too many sticks.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the wine fridge works better than a regular one due to the different way it cools, correct? Do those little cheapo fridges cool like a regular one or a wine fridge? Just a thought, as those tiny fridges can be had fairly cheap and would be fairly easy to make seal, if they don't already. I guess the other problem would be if they got too cold even at a higher setting.

[CigarNut]

The wine refrigerators that are best for cigar storage use thermo-electric cooling units. The "standard" refrigerators use a compressor for cooling. Thermo-electric is much better for cooling our cigars and the units generally have less internal condensation.