What kind of cigar humidifier do you use?

[JeffInChi]

I've been using the cigar oasis xl in my 500ct and 300ct humidors for the last three years, with pretty good results. It can run on batteries, (primary source of power or back-up) has a digital hydrometer attached to it, and just needs distilled water every 3-5 weeks depending on the humidity in my house.

i've never tried the 50/50 gel (glycol?) but i've heard it might kind of leave a funky taste in the cigar. Anyone ever experience that out there?

One last thing, for those of you that have a large amount of stoagies on hand, do you keep them in there plastic wrapper (if they came with one) or not? I smoke maybe 1-5 cigars a week and I always leave them in the plastic wrapper in my humidor until I'm ready to smoke them, anyone else? There are pros and cons to both ways.

Happy smoking !

[Razorhog]

I use 65% RH beads, from heartfelt industries. They work great!
I leave all cellophane on the cigars.

[mitro]

I use 65% RH beads, from heartfelt industries. They work great!
I leave all cellophane on the cigars.

Same here. 65% Heartfelt beads with cello on (ones that came with it).

[black_ice_pc]

I'm rockin' a tupperdor . It's big enough for about 12-16 sticks, which is plenty good enough for me. I leave the little air vent open, and I use a 65% RH packet that came with some sticks I ordered. Seems to be keeping them at a good RH.

[JeffInChi]

I'm rockin' a tupperdor . It's big enough for about 12-16 sticks, which is plenty good enough for me. I leave the little air vent open, and I use a 65% RH packet that came with some sticks I ordered. Seems to be keeping them at a good RH.

How long do those packets last ya?

[RandomTask]

I only have a 40-50 cigar humidor. I use the 2oz 70% gel cup stuff. Works great and I just rehydrate the crystals with distilled water every couple of months.

[nation45]

Cigar Oasis XL.

[brokerboy]

I use a large coolbox lined with cedar and a puck humidifier to keep my Sublimes and no.2's fresh.

[My Hubby's Hobby]

An excellent inexpensive one that hubby uses is a product called "Water Pillows".
Basically looks like a descecant in a small sealed plastic pouch that has a porous front that uses only distilled water.

[QED3]

I have a humidor with beads (moist with distilled water) and my cigars still dry out. I checked and the humidity is low. The cedar box is not hold the humidity needed. I did season twice when I purchased. Will seasoning multiple times work or should I just buy a new one?

[QED3]

Bueller?

[glockboy]

Try flower foam with distilled water.

[mitro]

More water, more water, more water. I have a "150-count" humidor that I have far more beads that I should need (1/2 lb.) and I fight with it all the time just to keep it above 60% (the beads are 65%). I have a jar of the gel and a small jar lid with a little distilled water in it, and I have to add water at least every two weeks. I recommend moving to a more sealed container (I prefer coolers) and it will be far less problematic.

[Garys4598]

Heartfelt beads, and nothing but!

[loc]

wet a spong and wet the wood.........lots of water...need to swell the wood to get a tight seal.....

[abanytime]

I have a humidor with beads (moist with distilled water) and my cigars still dry out. I checked and the humidity is low. The cedar box is not hold the humidity needed. I did season twice when I purchased. Will seasoning multiple times work or should I just buy a new one?

The problem is more than likely the seal of the humidor. You don't want to get into a pattern where you are always adding water when the humidity drops, because this will rapidly change the humidity until the water evaporates. The rapid changes in humidity with cause the wrappers of the cigars to crack. You could try adding cedar strips or weatherstripping to the inside of the humidor to improve the seal. Once way to test the seal is to put a lit flashlight in the humidor (should be easy enough) and turn off the room light. If you can see light leaking out you know you don't have a good enough seal.

[Tuikku]

At wintertime I have the same problem with my relatively small & cheap humi.

I use a rather big plastic bag around my humidor, NOT airtight, a bit loose.
When I get the readings close to 70RH, they keep there easier.
I believe my problem is also not too airtight humidor...

I know this is not optimal solution. Still, if I add many more beads or other, there will not be any space for Cigars...
I open it and let the air change maybe once or twice a week at winter. Just in case because of that bag.

[reedux]

shelf life of a ciggie without a humidor? bought a couple from my trip to the Caribs. saving it for when the canucks take down those beanies

[mojospapi]

Lol. Take down the beans? If we win then u gonna share them stogies? Go B's!

Cent frum mah smahtfone Droiiiiiid

[AKM]

The shelf life of a cigar without humidification could be days. You can take a tupperware container and put your cigars in it. slightly wet a paper towel and put it in a plastic baggie that you poke a dozen tiny holes into. Either that or go to a cigar shop and buy a humidipack for a couple bucks.

As to the original poster, i have a 155 quart cooler i bought from walmart that i put one pound of heartfelt bio beads in. I have a hydrometer that i properly calibrated and it reads very few fluctuations. It sounds like your humidor or humidification system are messed up.

[xxllmm4]

I don't know if this helps in your case but you can seal-a-meal cigars! Some have suggested this may be the very best way to store and age cigars. Obviously you need to put them in a strong box, put the bag over the box then vacuum pack it. I aged some for 2 years one time and they came out way better than they started.

[mojospapi]

Curious, after a cigar dries up, can it be brought back to life with humidification?

[mitro]

Well it depends on how dry it got and how long it was under-humidified. A cigar that has "dried out" will never taste the same regardless of what you do to it.

[Tuikku]

They say, that when a cigar gets too dry, it loses it´s oily compounds.
So, it´s not only the water, that evaporates... Not sure though, some cigar books claim this but I haven´t tried myself nor do I have any scientific proof of it.

Just don´t let them dry

Cigar without any cover should IMO be smoked the same day.
If you buy one or two, put them into plastic bag & seal it. It will go a lot longer.
Notice, that tubed cigars are about the same, tubes are NOT airtight.

If you get a plastic bag with Humidipak(r) from store (I´m sure most will give you one on top of the deal), they go a lot longer in a bag. I would say weeks.

[xxllmm4]

Curious, after a cigar dries up, can it be brought back to life with humidification?

Too some extent yes you can bring them back but their never as good. I had a couple of cigars in my makeshift humidor that got left open next to the window one time and where really dried out. After about a month back in the humidor they where smokable but I would say they went from $8 cigars to $3 cigars.

[desclumina]

I ruined about 100 good cigars a while back when I didn't realize you have to season a new humidor. I learned from this and now I have a digital humidifier with 2 jars of humi-care beads as back up. I would say a digital humidifier, properly calibrated is the best way to keep your cigars properly, if you can spare the $60-$90 for a decent one.

[raul1984]

I've got an expensive Davidoff I bought in Switzerland 20 yrs ago, it comes with a plastic slotted bot that is stuck via magnetes on the inside part of the lid, the instructions to keep the cigars fresh is to use a few drops of water on each of the sections, my experience is that just a few drops every 45 days keep the contents very well, there are small metal discs that slide on a red line that has the 31 days of the month and the 12 months of the year they help to remember the day of the last charge

[jeffek]

Large Igloo cooler full of cigars in cedar boxes. One perforated case holding a small brick of Oasis attached to the lid. I will get something fancier someday.

[Texas Made]

I use the Chrystals with distiller water. I am not a regular smoker so I have a hard time keeping distiller water in the jar with the chrystals.

After the. Chrystal's went bad, I just started to leave a small cup of water in the humidor which seemed to work just the same.

[28gauge]

I have a John Christopher I bought in Springfield, Mass., where he manufacturs. It's babinga wood and holds 50 cigars. I wipe down the wood with distilled water occasionally but find it keeps the humidity up better when full. I live in Tucson so humidity is tough to hold on to.