any problems with keeping cigars at 77F

[ZachF88]

Hey guys,

We are having an unusually war, summer here in NS and the indoor temps have reached 79F. Since it is Canada, no one really has an a/c. So my digi hygro/thermo is reading 77F and 67% rh. Is this alright?

Also, plume or mould?
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1852/img2388l.jpg

[Darrell]

Yup, that is just fine. You want it below 80˚. :)

I do not see any mold.

[Chingas]

Got some damn fine sticks there brother. Must be nice living in Canada and getting real CC's at the store.

Here's the deal, rumor has it anything over 74 degrees can hatch those nasty little bastards. It's a crapshoot with who you talk to about this but I do believe most will agree anything over 74 is a gamble most are not willing to take.

If you are having trouble keeping them cool during the hot days you could try your B & M and see if they have a locker you could rent for the hot months so your collection dosnt support the habit of some terrible things.

Plume or mold. I see a faint plume. It's a beautiful thing brother. I usually just wipe it off before I light up.

Wish you the best and take care of those beautiful sticks.

[RHNewfie]

Nobody here buys CC's at the store! Also, there are no real B&M's here to speak of! Put your cigars in the basement!

[T.G]

Here's the deal, rumor has it anything over 74 degrees can hatch those nasty little bastards. It's a crapshoot with who you talk to about this but I do believe most will agree anything over 74 is a gamble most are not willing to take.


74F is great for the beetles. Anything over 65-66F puts you at risk for hatching. Adults have to fly to mate and at temps less than 71F they won't grow wings so they can't reproduce, but at 74F on the other hand, you'll keep the cycle going.

Here:

http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/aez/41/1/87/_pdf
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q6TD74G9

You don't have to read the entire first pdf, just the first section of it. 18C = 68F, assume a about a 2 degree margin of error on your home thermometers (non-NIST calibrated).
Second one is an article from cigar magazine that talks a bit about the temps too.

[warren G.]

I feel you on that one..I live in New Orleans. My humidor was 75F and 65-68ish RH. I just get one medium size ice pack and wrap it with a towel and now my Humidor temp/hum is 68-70F/70RH.

[md4958]

Put your cigars in the basement!

that'd be my suggestion too.

[RHNewfie]

that'd be my suggestion too.

It's 42C with the humidity here today in Ontario and my basement is like an icebox and with the dehumidifier down here it keeps everything great!

[warren G.]

I wish I have a basement down here :(

[bobarian]

I dont see a problem if your high temp is 77. Beetles will need sustained temps above 75 for 10-14 days to hatch. If you night time temps drop below 70 you should be fine. :2

[T.G]

18C = 68F, assume a about a 2 degree margin of error on your home thermometers (non-NIST calibrated).


Oops, that should be 20C = 68F, was thinking one thing and writing another.

[T.G]

I dont see a problem if your high temp is 77. Beetles will need sustained temps above 75 for 10-14 days to hatch. If you night time temps drop below 70 you should be fine. :2

Yet, at 20C (68F) 80% of the eggs hatch within 4 weeks. ;)

[Eagle53]

Ive kept mine at 76 before (Its Florida what do you expect) and havent had any problems. In some cases it actually accelerates oils rising to the surface if you like that

[Skywalker]

VinoTemp with temperature control!:tu

[mosesbotbol]

Just make sure to keep them on the dry side until it cools down some.

[Chinogobraap]

your better off than I am I'm at 82F / 65% in New York I'm and those are some beautiful smokes

[ZachF88]

Thanks guys for all the nice comments! I have some 5-7 year old montes that I pride myself on. I'll keep an eye on the temp.... I might try using an icepack as I don't have a basement. Hopefully this heat wont last too much longer!

[Chingas]

VinoTemp with temperature control!:tu

So excited brother. I ordered two that should be here by Friday. No more high temps and crazy rh swings for me.

[Skywalker]

So excited brother. I ordered two that should be here by Friday. No more high temps and crazy rh swings for me.

Make sure to use RH beads!!!:tu

[ZachF88]

RH beads or Boveda packs?

[Subvet642]

RH beads or Boveda packs?

Well, you'll need 1 Boveda pack for every 25 sticks that the Vinos can hold...

[Chingas]

I bought two coolers. One cooler I bought 2 pounds heartfelt 65 and the oter cooler I bought 2 pounds 70 heartfelt. Do a little taste test.

[whodeeni]

I hope you're using distilled water to make your ice warren....
don't wanna get mold in your humidor brotha...


I feel you on that one..I live in New Orleans. My humidor was 75F and 65-68ish RH. I just get one medium size ice pack and wrap it with a towel and now my Humidor temp/hum is 68-70F/70RH.

[Chingas]

I hope you're using distilled water to make your ice warren....
don't wanna get mold in your humidor brotha...

Holy crap! Good point man. Smart.

[floydpink]

I'm curious as to whether or not ANY cigars in the southern hemisphere ever see temps BELOW 77....

[kydsid]

I'm curious as to whether or not ANY cigars in the southern hemisphere ever see temps BELOW 77....

How are temperatures drastically different in the Southern Hemisphere from those in the Northern Hemisphere?:confused:

[T.G]

I feel you on that one..I live in New Orleans. My humidor was 75F and 65-68ish RH. I just get one medium size ice pack and wrap it with a towel and now my Humidor temp/hum is 68-70F/70RH.


I hope you're using distilled water to make your ice warren....
don't wanna get mold in your humidor brotha...

Holy crap! Good point man. Smart.


Oy vey. Major reading comprehension & logic FAIL.

This is ice:
http://cache.gawker.com/news/upload/2006/07/ice-cubes.jpg

Which, when wrapped in a towel would still end up in a big watery mess inside the cooler, ruining most of the cigars. (Ever fill a cooler full of beer and ice? What happens to the ice?). If, by chance, the ice is placed in a sealed bag, then wrapped, it doesn't matter what it was made from, because it becomes.... <see below>

This is an ICE PACK:
http://images.outdoorpros.com/images/prod/6/Rubbermaid-1034-TL-220-rw-67528-79774.jpg



Now, both of you please click the link in my sig. :D

[T.G]

How are temperatures drastically different in the Southern Hemisphere from those in the Northern Hemisphere?:confused:

They're upside down.

[ZachF88]

They're upside down.

rofl!

[mukky]

I'm curious as to whether or not ANY cigars in the southern hemisphere ever see temps BELOW 77....

I understand what your getting at, and I kind of agree with this. Hopin someone has some insight into this. The countries where cigars are made are very warm. Good chance alot of our cigars have been sittin in hot places for a good amount of time. From my understanding, some companies freeze the cigars to take care of any beetles, so should it really matter what temp our smokes are stored at? Lookin for any insight into this.

[Eleven]

How are temperatures drastically different in the Southern Hemisphere from those in the Northern Hemisphere?:confused:

My wife is flying out of Lima, Peru at this moment. She called me from the Airport, they had been in Iquitos for 2 weeks, hot hot jungle action there.

She said when they got to Lima, it was around 50F and people were wearing heavy coats and scarves.

Truly upside down :)

[T.G]

I understand what your getting at, and I kind of agree with this. Hopin someone has some insight into this. The countries where cigars are made are very warm. Good chance alot of our cigars have been sittin in hot places for a good amount of time. From my understanding, some companies freeze the cigars to take care of any beetles, so should it really matter what temp our smokes are stored at? Lookin for any insight into this.

In theory, that should take care of any possible eggs, larve. pupae or beetles up until that point. In theory because sometimes things don't work out like planned, maybe a box misses getting frozen, maybe a whole lot of boxes miss getting frozen, maybe something doesn't happen like it's supposed to during the freezing. For the most part though, it's reliable when applied properly and dilligently. And not all manufacturers freeze.

Now, those cigars could still be exposed and reinfested at any time in the future, say in transit or a vendor humidor. Or even in one of our humidors and then sent out as a gift or trade before we discover the problem with our stash.

[mukky]

In theory, that should take care of any possible eggs, larve. pupae or beetles up until that point. In theory because sometimes things don't work out like planned, maybe a box misses getting frozen, maybe a whole lot of boxes miss getting frozen, maybe something doesn't happen like it's supposed to during the freezing. For the most part though, it's reliable when applied properly and dilligently. And not all manufacturers freeze.

Now, those cigars could still be exposed and reinfested at any time in the future, say in transit or a vendor humidor. Or even in one of our humidors and then sent out as a gift or trade before we discover the problem with our stash.

makes sense. Thanks

[floydpink]

What I'm saying is you'll find very few vinotemps in cigar stores if you ever have the opportunity to travel through the Carribean or South America.

What you'll normally see is an open air cafe and often times sea sponge used as a humidor credo in modest cigar stores and a ceiling fan circulating very warm air through the room. (think Hemingway in Havana)

Now , if you go to Havana Humidor on Paradise Island, you'll have a nice airconditioned room to go with the soft leather couches, but in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua and other places where power blackouts are a daily occurance, you won't find many rooms under 77 degrees.

I'm also saying for those of us who live in warm climates year round, I don't know any who keep their houses below 77 for very long unless they have no care about electric bills.

Not saying cigar beetles don't exist, I'm saying some people get a little obsessive about a few degrees and should probably relax.

Then again, it's your cigars, go ahead and freeze them if you want. Beetlemania!!!

[acruce]

My temps. stay around 77-78 degrees during the summer. I havent had any problems but I do freeze my cigars when I get them.

[Smokin Gator]

Not saying cigar beetles don't exist, I'm saying some people get a little obsessive about a few degrees and should probably relax.

That would be me and it is exactly why I have a cooled humi.

Now on the realistic side... I have always wondered about exactly what you considered... How do we ever get a stick that is not beetle hole ridden since there is bound to be less than optimal conditions in many places where cigars are rolled and stored?

[markem]

I like this thread - it has been educational, in more ways than one, to read.

It seems to me that beetles are a low probability, but that hatching only occurs after a sustained time above a pretty much undefined number that may or may not be in the mid-to-high 70s with a possible correlation to the humidity. After 30 years of storing and smoking Cuban cigars, that's all I've managed to glean.

Presently, I allow my cigars to get to the mid-70s a during the summer, since I set my air conditioning at 74* and it gets a little hotter upstairs. So far, no problems and I do not freeze or take any post-buy precautions.

My experience is that I have not had beetles from mid-70s temps, but that's just me. Others may experience different results.

But then, that's what I've read here already, so my post is merely a "me too" :tu

[floydpink]

My temps. stay around 77-78 degrees during the summer. I havent had any problems but I do freeze my cigars when I get them.

Southern Hemisphere in da house.

[Ferrari5180]

My humidor has been at 85F and 78% for the past month and a half here in Montreal. It has been a super hot and humid summer so far. I still have no sign of beetle or mold yet. However, I did freeze my cigars when I got them for one week. This might be why there has been no sign of beetle infestation.

[ZachF88]

Well guys, I went out and bought a portable a/c unit. Now the room that the humidor is in is 71F and 66% rh and my humidor is reading about the same.

[Blueface]

Well, 14 years now with mine reading an average of 77 degrees in terms of temperature.
It is a norm for anyone living in South Florida.
The only time I see it below that is in January, for a week......and that is usually no lower than 74-75.