Staging area in the coolidor

[CigarStone]

I have recently remodeled my coolidor and built a small three-tier staging area where I move my good cigars which I hope to smoke in the coming few months. Tell me if I am on to something or blowing wind up my own skirt.

Here’s the idea……after smoking some good cigars which were too dry, too moist, uneven burn, etc. I realized that even though they sit in my humidor in a cigar box it could take a long time for them to be perfectly humidified because there are 25 cigars in that box and they may all be 4% - 5% off of what I like. Naturally, the humidity of my coolidor will permeate those cigars from the outside inward so even after months in the humi they could burn uneven.

The three-tier staging area is three Spanish cedar trays about 7 inches square and ½ inch deep, each holding 8 – 10 sticks. Each time I open the door I gently turn them. My hope is that by directly exposing the sticks to the 68% environment they will be perfectly humidified when I am ready to smoke one.

Plus……I am between contracts right now and being the anal person I am, it was a good way to spend an afternoon.

 

[nfulton]

I suppose that might work but I think your RH is a bit high to start with. I stage my cigars, but at 60% RH in a desktop. I generally take out 50 or so that look good for the next few months and toss them in. Right now it is full of my Tats witch seem to like 60% for a bit longer. 68% is a bit high, IMHO. You might find that if you keep your coolidoor between 60-65% you will have better luck right out of the box. You might also want to try a small fan to keep the air and humidity from sitting still. The little Oust fans work well. Crack your boxes and let them go.

Just my $0.02

 

[BlindedByScience]

I suppose that might work but I think your RH is a bit high to start with. I stage my cigars, but at 60% RH in a desktop. I generally take out 50 or so that look good for the next few months and toss them in. Right now it is full of my Tats witch seem to like 60% for a bit longer. 68% is a bit high, IMHO. You might find that if you keep your coolidoor between 60-65% you will have better luck right out of the box. You might also want to try a small fan to keep the air and humidity from sitting still. The little Oust fans work well. Crack your boxes and let them go.

Just my $0.02

On the money. My coolers run right at 65% but my desktop averages closer to 60%. I'll put a selection of smokes in the desktop and I smoke out of that for a couple of weeks until I repeat the process. Everything seems to smoke better, IMHO.

I've never felt the need for fans as (1) I'm in the coolers at least once a week and (2) there's no damn room...!!... :laugh:

Regards - B.B.S.

 

[AVB]

First I gotta wonder why you're wearing a skirt :0 What you are trying to do is possible but I don't know if it will speed things up or not. A separate box with 60% beads might be your best bet IMO.

 

[CigarStone]

Thanks, I think I will be moving to the desktop for staging.

My concern with the fans is that I currently use Cigar Oasis XL and am switching to the beads because I don't like the fact that the fan blows directly on to some boxes.

I had a digital hygrometer go bad and subsequently cranked up the Oasis too high, the cigars in direct line of the fan were destroyed. Wanna guess as to whether they were a favorite?

 

[Saxjazzman]

I do stage my cigars but I use my coolidor for that. I take them out of the humi and move them to a 60% coolidor. Sometimes I even move them to my desktop for a couple of days which is about 55%. I found this system works for me. Good luck. :thumbs:

 

[CigarStone]

It seems the consensus is that 60% - 65% is better. I just hate a cigar that makes crumbs when you cut it. I typically soak a good smoke in ¾ inch of port before smoking so I guess that is not a big issue.

On the other hand, I love a cigar whose wrapper burns slightly better than the filler. Moving cigars to a lower RH staging area would almost guarantee this.

You guys are good!

 

[BobbyRitz]

Thanks, I think I will be moving to the desktop for staging.

My concern with the fans is that I currently use Cigar Oasis XL and am switching to the beads because I don't like the fact that the fan blows directly on to some boxes.

I had a digital hygrometer go bad and subsequently cranked up the Oasis too high, the cigars in direct line of the fan were destroyed. Wanna guess as to whether they were a favorite?

The OUST fan creates a very small amount of circulation. IMO, it wouldn't cause any problems to your boxes, even if it is aimed directly at them.

An Oasis destroyed cigars??? I find this hard to believe. How close were the damaged cigars to the fan?

 

[Ginseng]

I stage my cigars but in a cooler, not desktop humidor. Curiously, I'm the exact reverse of most of the other guys. I store in the low 60's and I prep to smoke in the upper 60's. To me, the cigars perform better at the slightly higher humidity. Richer, fuller flavor. No burn problems.

The primary reason I stage is so that I open my storage coolers as little as possible. I've got "ready" smokes in spare boxes in the staging cooler and a bag full of yard and "dent/scratch" smokes always at the ready. Box of loose Habanos, a box of loose NC singles, and the bag.

If I need to smoke something right out of one of the storage coolers, I give them a quick rinse in filtered water to toughen up the wrapper (to prevent cracking/splitting) and to kick start the moistening process which occurs during smoking.

Wilkey

 

[BlindedByScience]

It seems the consensus is that 60% - 65% is better. I just hate a cigar that makes crumbs when you cut it.

....maybe you need a better cutter. Just a thought....??

I typically soak a good smoke in ¾ inch of port before smoking so I guess that is not a big issue.

To each his own, but I mean.....damn. Sounds like a good recipe for plugged cigars to me. I wouldn't do that on a dare.

Regards - B.B.S.

 

[BobbyRitz]

Very interesting Wilkey!

I keep my cooler at 65% and have loose singles at 60%-62%. My cooler is at 55-60 degrees and my desktop is around 70 degrees.

Wilkey, are your coolers stored at the same temperature?

 

[CigarStone]

It seems the consensus is that 60% - 65% is better. I just hate a cigar that makes crumbs when you cut it.

....maybe you need a better cutter. Just a thought....??

I typically soak a good smoke in ¾ inch of port before smoking so I guess that is not a big issue.

To each his own, but I mean.....damn. Sounds like a good recipe for plugged cigars to me. I wouldn't do that on a dare.

Regards - B.B.S.

They are soaked in port for a few minutes "prior to cutting" so no chance of plugging. It's kinda like Wilkey rinsing his, I just rinse them in port.

 

[CigarStone]

Thanks, I think I will be moving to the desktop for staging.

My concern with the fans is that I currently use Cigar Oasis XL and am switching to the beads because I don't like the fact that the fan blows directly on to some boxes.

I had a digital hygrometer go bad and subsequently cranked up the Oasis too high, the cigars in direct line of the fan were destroyed. Wanna guess as to whether they were a favorite?

The OUST fan creates a very small amount of circulation. IMO, it wouldn't cause any problems to your boxes, even if it is aimed directly at them.

An Oasis destroyed cigars??? I find this hard to believe. How close were the damaged cigars to the fan?

My hygrometer failed and was reading low. I slowly kept cranking the Oasis up (old one with a dial for RH) thinking it was failing to keep up. By the time I noticed chewy cigars I had replaced the Oasis (gave it to my brother in law) then realized it was the hygrometer that was bad. The next time I opened the box of Temple Halls, which sat directly above the fan, they were all blown up!

 

[Strayvector]

I'm with Wilkey on this one. My wine fridge is set at about 60-63% humidity and the desktop is at about 68%. I'll let the smoke sit in the desktop for at least a week before smoking them. I find the flavors of a wetter cigar to be more robust.

 

[CigaryGuy07]

Anyone do dry boxing? I have a humi at 70% RH using PG and was wondering whether putting cigars in a dry cigar box for a day prior to smoking made sense. So far, in my humi, which is a 100 count, with upper and lower level, I've been smoking off the top tray (near the humidity source) and it's been fine. The ones on the bottom also feel a little drier so I suppose my staging area is the one in top tray, which is probably near the 70%RH.

 

[antaean]

I use 65%RH and close to 65F (plus minus seasonally) for bulk storage/aging.

I have gravitated to different desktops for smoking. I keep one in the 68% to 70% range near 70F for many of the light to medium "domestic" smokes. I keep another one at 63% to 66% and 65-68F for the darker, heavier smokes. I like to let them be in the desktops for 2 to 8 weeks for conditioning before smoking. However, I sometimes just smoke directly from storage, depending on mood.

My results seem to be pretty good with the above "system", but I am constantly experimenting with these things...usually depending on what the latest and greatest ideas someone else has :whistling:

Cheers,
antaean

 

[The Volusianator]

Sorry for my ignorance here, but Wilkey, can you give a somewhat detailed description of what you mean and how you actually do that? I've found that I prefer my sticks a little more on the moist side too, I like the flavors better and it seems to me, that if they're more toward 60-55% that they seem somewhat harsh, bitter or grassy.

Thanks,
Wade

If I need to smoke something right out of one of the storage coolers, I give them a quick rinse in filtered water to toughen up the wrapper (to prevent cracking/splitting) and to kick start the moistening process which occurs during smoking.

Wilkey

 

[Saxjazzman]

Anyone do dry boxing? I have a humi at 70% RH using PG and was wondering whether putting cigars in a dry cigar box for a day prior to smoking made sense. So far, in my humi, which is a 100 count, with upper and lower level, I've been smoking off the top tray (near the humidity source) and it's been fine. The ones on the bottom also feel a little drier so I suppose my staging area is the one in top tray, which is probably near the 70%RH.

Funny you should ask. I do experiment with dry boxing. I have an empty box of Montecristo Whites, a cedar box, that I try some cigars in. I brought some cheap bundles to play with and I placed some in the humi and some in the dry box for a couple of days. It turned out that the dry box picked up a lot of the cedar and smoked better for the particular bundle I was experimenting with. There is a lot one can do with a dry box but it needs to be explored before trying some expensive smokes in it. :thumbs:

 

[CoventryCat86]

First I gotta wonder why you're wearing a skirt :0 What you are trying to do is possible but I don't know if it will speed things up or not. A separate box with 60% beads might be your best bet IMO.

Word
X2
Whatever :laugh:

I agree with AVB.

 

[les017]

First I gotta wonder why you're wearing a skirt :0 What you are trying to do is possible but I don't know if it will speed things up or not. A separate box with 60% beads might be your best bet IMO.

Word
X2
Whatever :laugh:

I agree with AVB.

I also use a 3-stage storage process. Sterilite-dor sitting at 70% for unopened boxes and long storage/aging. Montegue cabinet humidor with 65% beads all around the bottom. This keeps the main cabinet at 65% and the drawer (which holds all my "staged" smokes at 60%. Moisture induced burn issues are almost non-existant anymore