i ended up getting a couple of pounds of 65% beads and got rid of the hygrometer all together...unless your super anal about the RH and feel you need one. i go by the way my cigars smoke. :-)
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I bought the cheap Walmart hygros for my big coolers. I tested them both. One was fine, the other was 6% lower. I just slapped some masking tape on it and wrote +6% on it to help me with the math.
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Grabbed 7 Casa Magna Gran Toros, 5 Belicosos, and 2 Camacho Connecticuts. Plan on taking one of each and letting them age for a while.

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I'm gonna need a bigger cooler.....
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always go bigger then what you think you will "need", and instead of one you should of bought 2 :-)

:-) :-)
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true statement :-)
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I didn't think I'd need anything bigger. I was obviously WAYYY wrong :-)

I'll be getting 2 100+qt coolers much sooner that previously expected. :-) :-)
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You have learned well :-)
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Wow Eli, that was fast!
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That's why I went from a 50ct desktop humidor to a 150qt cooler. Been good on room for over a year now. I think I'm close to 600 sticks and still have room in the cooler for more. Oh, make no mistake....I'll need another one before another year passes :-)
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I kinda go crazy when I get involved in new things. :-)
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That's how lots of us started out thinking. I went from two 100-ct humidors to a wineador in a year.
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Nice grab man. You might as well start clearing space for your Aristrocrat now.
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Eli Day 1 as an inmate.

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Eli Day 10 as an inmate.

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Accurate :-):-) But it's not like I just ordered the 24ct 5 Vegas Mega-Sampler from CI!!





Okay, maybe I did. :-)
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(stoopid question) When those sticks I ordered get here, can I just leave them in their box (closed) in the cooler, or should I have it open for a while?
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I generally inspect everything that comes in, before freezing them. After that, I ususally let them sit in the cooler for at least a week. In my experience, sometimes they are too wet to smoke right away. I guess leaving the box open for awhile might help with getting them to your desired RH quicker.
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So how's the cooler working out for you man?
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Really well! It's holding steady at 70% RH and 65 degrees and doesn't leak at all. I plan on getting another (larger one) somewhat soon, seeing as this one is already a bit full with only three boxes in it.
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If I knew then what I know now - 65% HF beads and that's it. Not debunking any other product, but those things hold 65% dead-on. Buy them and I promise you won't need to worry about a hygrometer. Ever. They turn white, you spritz just a little 'til 1/4 are clear and they're set for another however many months.
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From my experience, CI and the evil site ship everything wet. So let them rest for a bit before enjoying. I also picked out a couple sticks each Monday for the week and dry box them in my cigar caddy with no humidification. By mid/end of week I get a real nice burn across the board.
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