[wayner123]

Originally Posted by icehog3

My preference for 62% came from a couple years of experimentation, starting with the 70% and gradually working my way down in humidity. I went through long periods at 70%, 67&, 65%, so I can say my preference for 62% is definitely experience-based, and I much prefer the way my cigars taste and burn at 62% over 70%..

I still am not convinced that wetting the wrapper and not having the mositure reach the filler is equivalent with an RH level affecting the filler during long term storage, but this is strictly my thoughts and I don't have any science to base it on....making the thought worthless to anyone but me.

Originally Posted by Mark

I think there is a logical fallacy in this, Wayner. Granted the water didn't get to the filler within the span of a few minutes or hours, but I am SURE if you wet the cigar and let it sit for months, the extra humidity would permeate the cigar. When you have a gas-permeable solid (tobacco, in this case) and you put it in a humidified environment for a sufficient amount of time, the solid will reach equilibrium with the environment (in this case it will be evenly humidified). If you put a cigar in a 70% humi for a day, yes the filler will still be lower than the wrapper and binder, but leave it for a number of weeks or months and equilibrium will, necessarily, be reached. Thats just the nature of gases and permeable membranes.

All that to say, if Tom's cigars are in the cab/vino/humidor long enough the entire cigar will, eventually, reach equlibrium. The binder and wrapper will humidify faster, but it is not possible that it will forever "insulate" the filler.

Cut the caps or not, after long enough time in the humi (I would say a month or so, although a couple of weeks is probably sufficient) the cigar will always be evenly humidified.

( from a bible scholar. Take everything with a grain of salt, but know that that grain of salt may be your eternal damnation )

Both very valid points. My explanation was merely a guess and based mainly on my own experiences and advice written by MRN and others.