Newcomer (Newbie) Q&A

[Dkh]

Thank you all for amazing information!  I am new to this site but so impressed. 

[Dr Process]

Hey, guys.  So, for example, if I buy a sixer off 24:24 and it arrives after a few short weeks, how long should I let them rest in the humidor before diving in?  I thought I read 90 days on here.  Appreciate your help! 

[joeypots]

16 hours ago, Dr Process said:

Hey, guys.  So, for example, if I buy a sixer off 24:24 and it arrives after a few short weeks, how long should I let them rest in the humidor before diving in?  I thought I read 90 days on here.  Appreciate your help! 

Welcome, a month minimum. The cigars have jet lag so they need time to recover. I think the most important consideration for young Cuban cigars is the moisture content; I prefer 60 to 62% RH.  Properly humidified Cuban cigars lose a lot of that youthful bite and show off their wonderful flavor when they aren’t sopping wet. My .02$

[Dr Process]

2 hours ago, joeypots said:

Welcome, a month minimum. The cigars have jet lag so they need time to recover. I think the most important consideration for young Cuban cigars is the moisture content; I prefer 60 to 60% RH.  Properly humidified Cuban cigars lose a lot of that youthful bite and show off their wonderful flavor when they aren’t sopping wet. My .02$

Thank you!

[joeypots]

13 hours ago, Dr Process said:

Thank you!

60 to 62

[TygaWoods]

When does this forum usually release the top cigars of the year? Im curious to see what was the best from 2022.

[Jaxmc70]

Question - new to the site, still trying to score my first purchase, which is difficult.  Struck out 3-4 times this week so far but will keep trying.  My question is this.  I see a mention of "lockers".  What are they?  I am navigating the site and don't see any information. Thanks

[JohnS]

10 hours ago, Jaxmc70 said:

Question - new to the site, still trying to score my first purchase, which is difficult.  Struck out 3-4 times this week so far but will keep trying.  My question is this.  I see a mention of "lockers".  What are they?  I am navigating the site and don't see any information. Thanks

That was a system of storage, provided graciously by our generous host El Pres and the team, that was available for customers to store and age their cigars prior to shipping. With so many changes that have occurred in the past few years that seems like ages ago!

Basically, in a nutshell, changes to taxation laws in regard to Bonded Warehousing meant that the locker system for our members was (sadly) retired.

[rondogg]

How long would you age cubans vs say Nicraguans or Dominicans?

 

I have smoked 20+ yr old cubans recently from 1999 and wow they tasted amazing however don't know what that sweet spot is for non-cubans?

[Low]

2 hours ago, rondogg said:

How long would you age cubans vs say Nicraguans or Dominicans?

 

I have smoked 20+ yr old cubans recently from 1999 and wow they tasted amazing however don't know what that sweet spot is for non-cubans?

This is highly dependent on the cigar and what you're looking for. Do you want the flavors to mellow out and become more rounded? Or do you want them to be bold for as long as possible? 

Cigars from the same region won't age the same, it's all based around the blend 

[rondogg]

thanks Low! I appreciate that buddy 

I tried 2 yr old padrons, they tasted quite peppery tbh. 

I wonder what the groups recommend would be to age - Nicaraguans and Dominicans as they're more widely available - I would almost prefer a more mellow taste - some of the stuff I am trying maybe is too flavourful or peppery, which I don't think is my palate.

A creamier smoke like a Ramon SS - top of the list for sure 

[Deazie612]

Hello.. I’m a newbie to the forum. I recently bought a Newair “mini fridge” style humidor. I have some Cubans that I am storing in there and trying to determine the best temp and humidity level to set it at. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Dave 

[Fuzz]

44 minutes ago, Deazie612 said:

Hello.. I’m a newbie to the forum. I recently bought a Newair “mini fridge” style humidor. I have some Cubans that I am storing in there and trying to determine the best temp and humidity level to set it at. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Dave 

Welcome to FOH! It is customary to introduce yourself here, before asking the Forum for assistance.

As to your question, you will find what you seek here.

https://www.fohcigars.com/forum/forum/11-humidors/

[higgledy]

I bought 8 no-name sticks. When they arrived they were dry. I could tell they were dry just from touch and I am not that experienced with cigars. I put them in a separate tupperdor with 2 69% boveda packs even though there are just 8 cigars. The hygrometer, which is calibrated measures just 63% even after 2 days. Is this normal or is my tupperdor leaking or are these cigars just toast? Thanks.

[Arminius]

On 9/1/2023 at 9:59 AM, Deazie612 said:

Hello.. I’m a newbie to the forum. I recently bought a Newair “mini fridge” style humidor. I have some Cubans that I am storing in there and trying to determine the best temp and humidity level to set it at. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Dave 

Get the temp down to 60. It will likely stabilize at 62 or so (check with Govee), which is ideal. Buy a 320 size Boveda 62RH, put it in the middle shelf if possible. It doesn't matter if your cigar count is lesser. It will likely stabilize at 65% or so, which is perfect. If you live in a drier climate, this advice may not hold, but I'm fairly confident. edit: honestly in this case it may even stabilize at 60F and 62RH in a dry climate and then you can adjust accordingly. For a humid climate do what I said.

 

On 9/9/2023 at 7:34 AM, higgledy said:

I bought 8 no-name sticks. When they arrived they were dry. I could tell they were dry just from touch and I am not that experienced with cigars. I put them in a separate tupperdor with 2 69% boveda packs even though there are just 8 cigars. The hygrometer, which is calibrated measures just 63% even after 2 days. Is this normal or is my tupperdor leaking or are these cigars just toast? Thanks.

Your CALIBRATED hygrometer shows 63% with two 69% Boveda packs in an airtight tupperdor? That doesn't make any sense. I mean the tupperdor should be seriously leaking or the Boveda packs might be old and dried out. I don't think it's the cigars absorbing the humidity too much, like I've never heard of that happening up to the point where the RH drops down 6%. So in short check your Bovedas and Tupperdor, and I'd see for myself sure once again that the hygrometer is accurate. 

[TacoSauce]

On 9/11/2023 at 1:07 AM, Arminius said:

Your CALIBRATED hygrometer shows 63% with two 69% Boveda packs in an airtight tupperdor? That doesn't make any sense. I mean the tupperdor should be seriously leaking or the Boveda packs might be old and dried out. I don't think it's the cigars absorbing the humidity too much, like I've never heard of that happening up to the point where the RH drops down 6%. So in short check your Bovedas and Tupperdor, and I'd see for myself sure once again that the hygrometer is accurate. 

I agree with this. First step should be to double-check the hygrometer. Throw it in a ziplock bag with one of the bovedas and see what it reads after ~12 h.

[higgledy]

The hygrometer is calibrated. It read 63% after less than 12 hours in the tupperdor with the dry sticks. The rh has increased over the weekend to about 66%. (I don't remember the exact number) 

[Fuzz]

Your hygrometer is never going to be 100% accurate, no matter how many times you calibrate it. There is always going to be a +/- 5%RH accuracy, sometimes +/- 2%RH, depending on your hygrometer.

[higgledy]

Of course no hygrometer is 100% accurate, but I'd expect it to meet the manufacturer's specs. I am using a SensorPush HT1 sensor, whose spec is below. However, I am unsure as to which applies to my application. I just sent an email to SensorPush asking this question. I'll let you know the reply.

https://www.sensorpush.com/products/p/ht1

Humidity Accuracy (@ 25°C / 77°F, from 20% - 80% RH )	±3% typical ±4.5% maximum
Humidity Accuracy (@ 25°C / 77°F, from 0% - 100% RH )	±4.5% typical ±7.5% maximum

This is SensorPush's reply to my email:

One of the ratings covers the spectrum of relative humidity between 20% and 80%, which is what applies for most use cases. The other covers the full range of potential conditions ranging from 0% to 100%. Accuracy ratings for hygrometers are not as precise once you get to very low or very high humidities (e.g. 85%RH), and so a different range needs to be listed for that. I've attached the data sheet for the SHT20 chip that's used on our circuit boards for sensing RH and temp. It includes some sensor performance graphs on page two that help illustrate the performance drop offs at the outer limits.   

 

 

The other question about accuracy is how accurate is the calibration method. I used Boveda's 75% Calibration Kit. I left the sensor in the bag for more than 36 hours. Probably 48 hours total, and then adjusted the sensor to read 75%.  I don't know how accurate Boveda's packs are, but I am sure they too have a tolerance. Boveda's site states an accuracy of +/-2% https://store.bovedainc.com/products/boveda-one-step-hygrometer-calibration-kit-75-rh

[RKPStogie]

This thread is amazing. So much great information and I'm working through of CC vs NC cigars. I understand the recommendation to keep RH different between the two. I also see the recommendation to keep them separate because NCs can/will affect CCs. What are the specific ways that NCs can affect CCs? What am I missing. Thanks.

 

[Mr_Phist]

I started a cigar Instagram page for my area in SoCal to show where to smoke and upcoming events. Is it ok to post somewhere? If so, where would be a good place? My profile? Thanks for the help, guys!

[higgledy]

On 2/21/2018 at 7:45 PM, stogieluver said:

The rH definitely makes its way into the boxes, even if closed.  I think it even makes its way through freezer bags, albeit not as quickly.  Mr. Piggy could probably enlighten us more on this topic.  I store my boxes with lids completely closed, and that damned nail will get under your fingernail and hurt like a mother if you try too hard to push it back into the box.   

What about NW cigar boxes? Should I store the boxes with the outer cellophane box wrapper on or off?  (I assume it's cellophane but not exactly sure. Feels like plastic to me.)

[stogieluver]

If sold/delivered in plastic, eg Jose Piedra, I always leave the cigars wrapped as delivered until ready to break open the box to smoke. 

[higgledy]

I see you guys talk about "nudies" all the time. What exactly is a nudie?

[TacoSauce]

7 minutes ago, higgledy said:

I see you guys talk about "nudies" all the time. What exactly is a nudie?

A line of cigars produced by the owners of this site. Check the "Int Store" link at the top of the page.