| Author |
Message |
    
Ray
Member
Username: Ray98362
Post Number: 11
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 01:48 pm: | |
I'm looking into buying a product similar to what is used to maintain the humidity levels in a cigar humidor.
I'd like to maintain the proper humidity in my ceramic tobacco jars that I keep my open tobacco's in. The product would be a disc that could attach to the lid of jars and maintain a stable RH.
The question is, at what relative humidity would be the best storage to keep the tobacco at the right moisture content?
I realize this may be somewhat subjective, but hoping for a good ballpark avg.
Thanks,
Ray |
Paul Tummers
Member
Username: Paul_tummers
Post Number: 159
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 07:25 pm: | |
Depends on what you like, how long you want to keep your tobacco, and last but not least,which kind of tobacco you have in those jars.
Regards,
Paul. |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray98362
Post Number: 12
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 10:38 pm: | |
I don't know how many of my fellow pipers like to keep a few different jars of open tobacco lying around the way I do.
After talking to Craig at Cornell & Diehl, I purchased some 50% humidity beads from Cigarmony (dot) com.
Craig suggested the 50% as a good starting point. I'm sure diferent tobacco's, preferences and taste may require a different percentage of relative humidity.
Mark Neff at Cigarmony can get beads at various RH settings. They're nice because they only require distilled water. Also, because they not only release humidity but also absorb extra humidity.
As Craig cautioned, you must be on guard against mold of course. But with a lower humidity I'm guessing I'm actually minimizing my chances of mold growth on my "smoke ready" stash. |
Brian Silverman
Member
Username: Laufenstoc
Post Number: 11
Registered: 06-2009
| | Posted on Friday, August 14, 2009 - 07:08 pm: | |
As a rule, I think most folks smoke pipe tobacco too wet and cigars too dry. Cigars are more finicky since the line between humid and too humid is less forgiving than dry and too dry. Too moist and you have a mold problem, too dry and the wrapper splits... so cigars need fairly close attention and generally speaking, the moisture meters at tobacco stores are very unreliable.
Pipe tobaccos, IMHO, are generally tinned with excissive moisture, possible due to the fact that you can then dry it to your taste, but also because the tobacco is sold by weight and water is cheap. Moist pipe tobacco doesn't taste as good, produces much more bitter juice, gurgle, etc., etc. I think pipe tobacco tastes best when it is just a little more moist then crumbling. I keep my bulk tobacco in a container once it's dried out, and give it an occasional spritz with distilled water when it feels stiff. That's what works for me, anyway. Try your smokes at various levels of moisture and see what you enjoy most. |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray98362
Post Number: 13
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Monday, August 17, 2009 - 08:56 pm: | |
Well, not to beat a dead horse. However the intent of my post was to point out a product that not only releases moisture, but rather one that can also absorb moisture.
Maybe I just like gadgets  , but to me one product that can keep my tobacco from being too moist or too dry with no chemicals sounds pretty good.
Also, I spoke to the owner at HeartfeltIndustries (dot) com. He told me he can get his moisture beads as low as 10% RH. He would just need a little lead time if it's not one he normally stocks. |
Lawrence Bobrowski
Member
Username: Lawrence7208
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 05:53 pm: | |
The ASP cellaring FAQ mentioned that propylene glycol is used as a hydroscopic agent (or humectant, I can't remember which) because it "likes" to exist at 70% RH. It either attaches to, or releases, H2O molecules as needed to maintain that RH level. It sounds like with this product the chemists have tweeked-up a designer version. At any rate, I heard that with respect to RH, if you're comfortable then the tobacco is comfortable, which means somewhere between 50 & 70%
My greatest concern would be with the potential for mold; so I just put my bulk tobacco up in sterilized Mason jars and forget about the gadgets. |
Lawrence Bobrowski
Member
Username: Lawrence7208
Post Number: 3
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 12:47 am: | |
Correction: it's hygroscopic
(pardon my "senior moment") |
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