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The Connoisseur

9

96TL

New Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2006
Messages
19
Hey guys. I was just gifted a Connoisseur from Cheaphumidors.com for my B-day. I kept 4 bowls of water in it for the first week or so (w/o cigars) to let it “season”. The RH went up to about 73%-74%. I calculated how many beads I would need from Vipers website and it came out to 1.1 lbs. I ordered 1.5 lbs to be safe since you can never have too many. I have them spread out in 5 small mesh bags.

I’ve had the beads in the humidor for about 2 weeks already along with about 200 cigars. The RH has not risen above 67%. I have 2 hygrometers, one analog “Adorini Hair” hygrometer in the lower section, and a digital from Viper in the drawer. Both were calibrated using the Boveda 75% humidity pack from Viper’s website in an airtight container. The Adorini was right on at 75% and the digital was off (no big deal, I simply adjusted it). So I know for a fact that my hygrometers are accurate.

Do you think the wood is still absorbing the moisture? Do I need more beads or maybe even an Oasis to bring it up a bit more? I thought 1.5 lbs of beads would be more than enough for the Connoisseur. I really don’t want to buy anymore. It’s already a little frustrating charging up 5 separate mesh bags of beads as it is. I know 67% isn’t really bad, but I’d prefer it to be at 70%. Thanks!

Dom
 
I believe you will find over time you prefer closer to 65% then 70%. I wouldn't sweat it.
 
lucasbuck said:
I believe you will find over time you prefer closer to 65% then 70%. I wouldn't sweat it.
Click to expand...

x2


Also - I put in 2#'s in mine. 2 mesh bags - one on the bottom and one on the shelf.

Where are your Hydro's located?
Is the 'plate' on in the back....not off?
Is the door adjusted?

When I seasoned mine, I wiped it down with distilled water..then left a couple bowl's of water in it.

All in all - I'd just listen to lucasbuck! :thumbs:
 
I have one hygro in the top drawer towards the front, and the other in the bottom compartment mounted on the left side, also towards the front. Should I move these further back maybe?

And yes, the socket plate is in place.

I didn make a few small door adjustments. the bottom was rubbing when I got it. Looks okay now. I can double check it though.

Dom
 
96TL said:
I have one hygro in the top drawer towards the front, and the other in the bottom compartment mounted on the left side, also towards the front. Should I move these further back maybe?

And yes, the socket plate is in place.

I didn make a few small door adjustments. the bottom was rubbing when I got it. Looks okay now. I can double check it though.

Dom
Click to expand...

I'd put one on the middle shelf - in the middle....and see what happens.

67 is really still pretty good!
 
96TL said:
Really? What makes them better at 65%? Better draw?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's a personal preference.

What RH bead did you purchase?
Those hair hygrometer are very accurate I hear. The adjustable Hygro from Viper are dead on also. From the sound of it you have a nice setup. The more beads the less intervention.

Also, those end cabs take a long time to season. If it wasn't stabilized it could be grabbing humidity from your cigar boxes and or cigars.
 
fpkjr, I bought 70% beads.

Thanks for the help guys. I'm gonna give it some time. It's probably just still seasoning. ;)

Dom
 
Are you serious? Do you think they're going to dry out? :0

Can I just add a bowl or two of water to boost up the RH? I don't want to ruin my sticks.
 
96TL said:
Are you serious? Do you think they're going to dry out? :0

Can I just add a bowl or two of water to boost up the RH? I don't want to ruin my sticks.
Click to expand...

This is my opinion, if you bought 70% beads and your hair hygro is reading 67% where's the H2O coming from? Are your cigars in boxes or singles with or without cello?
I don't think 67% is bad, in fact I keep all my cigars between 63 - 65%. Moreover, all vendors send cigars that are way over humidified..
I'd check with Viper if your not maintaining close to 70% on what action to take. Just to get another opinion.. I bought 65% beads and I run at 64%.. A problem could arise if the Cab wasn't properly seasoned before your cigars were added. This wasn't meant to put you in a panic, on the contrary. It was posted for you to monitor the box and get the humidity up..
I wouldn't add a lot of sponges with cigars in there that's asking for disaster. I would try to raise it gradually, try 1 small slightly damp sponge w distilled H2O on the bottom away from your cigars.
 
The sticks in the bottom portion of the humi are in boxes with the lids removed. I keep a bunch of singles in the top drawer.

I remove the cello from all my cigars before putting them in my humi. Never had a problem doing that in my desktop.

I’ll add a small sponge tonight and see if that boosts it up. Thanks for the advice. I’ll send this thread to Viper and see what he thinks.

Dom
 
I think you are doing just fine. Keep the beads hydrated to the point that 75-80% of the beads are clear with some white ones still left in the mix. It will take a while for that many cigars and the humidor itself to stabilize and the rh levels you already have are very good for smoking the cigars. The rh will continue to rise until it gets to the point you want, it will take some patience.
 
Alot of different factors come into play with RH... Temp and outside RH.... I see that you live in Bklyn. I am originally from Queens (just moved Upstate). The cold air in my house along with the Steam heat was playing vavoc with the RH... I checked the beads and put a damp sponge in there to compensate for the loss of RH....

I wouldn't sweat it if it is a couple of % off...... as long as the Hygrometers are calibrated
 
Thanks for the reply Viper. I'll just wait it out like you said. I'm actually only hydrating 4 out of the 5 bags of beads I have. I'm leaving one bag totally dry to absorb any excess moisture.

And thanks for the help everybody. I feel better knowing my cigars are doing fine. This is a great site. I don't post much, but I read and search a lot here.

Dom :love:
 
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