humidor help... update #2

[Falcon1]

Wipe it down lightly with distilled water nightly like the others said to season it for a week. Also do the hygrometer calibration to make sure it is accurate. Fill a water bottle cap with salt and a little bit of water, just enough to make it look like wet sand, and put the cap and your hygrometer in a ziploc bag. That will always create a relative humidity of 75%. Always used distilled water in your humidifiers and don't give up it will stop drinking water eventually and you will get it under control. I have also put a shot glass of distilled water in it with the lid closed for a week to season one.

 

[Willy Leadwell]

it will stop drinking water eventually and you will get it under control.

This. The new dry wood is just soaking in what little water you've got in there. I've actually seen new humidors where the inside was dryer than the room air because the wood was so dry. The wood is acting like the desiccant in a safe.

 

[jimmythegem]

I started out using distilled water and was never able to maintain 70. Changed to Xikar and after a few weeks it reads 70 constantly. I didn't know about seasoning a humidor. Appreciate the info.
By the way what's your favorite stogie? (maybe this topic should be in a different thread).

 

[VanillaGuerrilla]

Wipe it down lightly with distilled water nightly like the others said to season it for a week. Also do the hygrometer calibration to make sure it is accurate. Fill a water bottle cap with salt and a little bit of water, just enough to make it look like wet sand, and put the cap and your hygrometer in a ziploc bag. That will always create a relative humidity of 75%. Always used distilled water in your humidifiers and don't give up it will stop drinking water eventually and you will get it under control. I have also put a shot glass of distilled water in it with the lid closed for a week to season one.

So let's say my hydrometer does not read 75% after the calibration. Can I adjust it or should I get another? Thanks for the info!

 

[VanillaGuerrilla]

I started out using distilled water and was never able to maintain 70. Changed to Xikar and after a few weeks it reads 70 constantly. I didn't know about seasoning a humidor. Appreciate the info.
By the way what's your favorite stogie? (maybe this topic should be in a different thread).

I'm pretty new to cigars but right now I'm loving the rocky Patel vintage 1990. That and a nub Cameroon. Only problem with those is the only place I can find them local is the liquor store in dalton and I think their humidor is jacked up cause they don't taste like the ones I get from pcb cigars. That's the first place I got one and loved it, but they taste totally different at home.

 

[jimmythegem]

Rocky Patel is a good smoke. Arturo is also good. My favorite "everyday" cigar is Isla Del Sol, has a sweet end and very mild.
Strange as it sounds. I enjoy second hand cigar smoke almost as much as smoking. But after saying that a good cigar with some single malt scotch makes an enjoyable evening on the patio.

 

[7pt62THOR]

Rocky Patel is a good smoke. Arturo is also good. My favorite "everyday" cigar is Isla Del Sol, has a sweet end and very mild.
Strange as it sounds. I enjoy second hand cigar smoke almost as much as smoking. But after saying that a good cigar with some single malt scotch makes an enjoyable evening on the patio.

Haven't had one in many moons, but I sure liked (and miss) those Arturo Fuentes!

 

[jimmythegem]

Haven't had one in many moons, but I sure liked (and miss) those Arturo Fuentes!

Became friends with a guy fresh from Cuba. He claimed Arturo Fuentes was closest thing to a Cuban cigar at half the price. I don't know cause I've never had a real Cuban cigar, but looks like things are about to change in that regard.

 

[Glockspeed31]

Became friends with a guy fresh from Cuba. He claimed Arturo Fuentes was closest thing to a Cuban cigar at half the price. I don't know cause I've never had a real Cuban cigar, but looks like things are about to change in that regard.

I wouldn't rush out and buy the "legal" Cubans once they come on the market. They will be very green and would need about a year to age. The Cubans will be doing rush work to try to supply the US market. There are great cigars from the Dominican that rival Cubans.

 

[Falcon1]

A lot of the Cuban growers defected and left Cuba and took their seeds with them to the Dominican and Nicaragua, which have very similar climates to Cuba. Fantastic cigars come from these countries as well as others that are just as good as Cubans.