65% RH or 70% RH - Which to Choose?

Everyone knows the old rule of thumb "70% RH & 70 degrees". This "rule" originally became from an insert that a cigar manufacturer put into their cigar boxes and since it was an easy to remember marketing tool, brick & mortar owners quickly grabbed onto it and passed it on their clients.

I believe the reason many cigar shops like the 70% "rule" is because by the time most clients get their cigars home and put them in their improper home storage conditions, the cigars sold by brick & mortar cigar shops end up being smoked in the low to mid 60%s RH ranges anyway. But that's just my opinion with no data to back that up at all.

The choice between storing your cigars at 65% RH or 70% RH is first and foremost should completely based on personal preference. Some people prefer the "wetter" smoke that 70% RH delivers and others prefer the drier smoking experience of 65% RH.

With that said, many cigar aficionados actually prefer storing their cigars at 65% RH for several reasons.

1.) You will experience far fewer draw problems (on average) with a cigar stored at 65% RH as opposed to 70% RH.

2.) You will experience far fewer burn problems (on average) with a cigar stored at 65% RH as opposed to 70% RH.

3.) You should experience better flavor maturation and aging with a cigar stored at 65% RH as opposed to 70% RH.

After switching to 65% RH storage conditions nearly 10 years ago, I have experienced virtually ZERO draw, burn and flavor problems that couldn't be associated with construction problems of the cigar instead of RH storage conditions.

Don't believe me? If you are currently storing your cigars at 70% RH, try this:

1.) Grab one of the cigars that you smoke on a regular basis and that you are very familiar with in regards to construction, flavor problem and typical burn patterns that you experience.

2.) Get a small humidor with NO humidification device in it.

3.) Prior to smoking your next cigar, let it rest in the "dry box" for 3-5 days prior to smoking it.

See if you notice a difference.

I hope this helps and happy smoking my friends!

~Mark


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65%...in Florida I have to dry box it even more with the humidity or the cigar will soke up the moisture...I just prefer the dryness of 65 over 70
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Mark knows stuff!

Going from 70% to 65 % can solve a multitude of problems!
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I agree! 65 is the only way to go.
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If you see these improvements in moving from 70 % to 65 % can further improvements be experienced moving from 65 % to 60 %.

Would this also prevent the need to dry box prior to smoking?
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65% for sure, 70 is too wet for 99/100 cigars

even at 65 some dry-boxing is often necessary
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I stay between 63 and 65%. Since going this direction I have definitely had less draw/burn issues
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QUOTE=Dood;14168]Mark knows stuff!

Going from 70% to 65 % can solve a multitude of problems![/quote]
:-) Take this advice from a Pro! Mark has a great wealth of knowledge!:-)

Even a Newb like me can see a big improvement with 65%RH.:-)
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I think 60% is too dry for my tastes. The cigars become somewhat "Brittle", IMHO.
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Hi Kevin,

Just like going from 70% to 65% RH, going from 65% to 60% is entirely what you prefer.

I personally like my stored between 63-65%, most HK collectors are mid 50s, UK collectors like them wet and the French like them soaking wet.

Before making a switch from 65% to 60%, I'd recommend setting up a small humidor and putting smokes in both the 65% and the 60% to see which you prefer.

65% seems to the preferred number as it's not too wet and not too dry...juuuuust righ :-)

I hope this helps

~Mark

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I found that when I went to 65 from 70, draw problems left and also I got rid of the sour taste that some smokes had toward the end of the smoke.
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I keep my boxes right between 66 and 68RH. I typically have issues keeping the temp. down, but normally hovers around 72F. My loose smokes are around 61-63RH. I find this works better for my maduros.
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My humis almost all maintain 62-63% rh with little help from me, and this actually is a "good" rh for the way I like mine to smoke. Any wetter, and they become problems half way through when smoking outside in central Bama. Enough humidity in the air that the wrappers on wetter smokes quickly become waterlogger and tunneling happens often. I can see where higher RHs closer to 70 might be necessary in the drier climates to compensate for the lack of ambient humidity (I like the word ambient, sounds smart!). Mark is entirely correct in that the actual RH you keep will be somewhat dependent on your likes and dislikes. Your environment will dictate to some degree the storage RH for your smokes to have them at the desired smoking RH when you get ready to fire them up!:-)
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My humidity also hovers around 62-63ish. I’ve found this to be the sweet spot for me. Since lowering my humidity from around 70, 3 or fours years ago, I've had almost no burn or draw issues and smoking is lot more pleasurable. It’s nice not to have to relight every couple of minutes. :-)
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Living in florida, if the outside RH is in the 80's plus I try to drybox my sticks to about 55%. By the time I get halfway, the stick will be very close to matching the outside RH so it is an aboslute must. 70% is too wet most of the time. It's not too bad at corona and they keep theirs at 70
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After switching to 65% I definitely had no more burn issues. 70% seems way too wet.
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I've noticed less problems with draw/burn issues since switching to 65%.

I've read several places that 70% is better for aging since it keeps the oils wetter and they can mix together better. Oliva, one of my favorites, says to keep their puros at least at 70% for proper aging. My question to those with more experience here is:

Does 70% humidity age cigars better or just faster? I would think that the wetter environment would allow the oils to mix faster but maybe that's not a good thing.
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A couple years ago I contacted Dave at Heartfelt and asked if he could make me some 60% RH beads.

I like them very much for long term cooler storage and for my "ready to smoke" desktops and travel humis.
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I too am a 60 % fan for long term storage (thinking about going down to 55 %). I asked earlier as it appeared like the likely next question (in case anyone was afraid to ask).

I personally use 65 % beads but I use them dry and have never wetted them they are there to insure that the RH in my humi does not get about that 65 % range. Instead of checking to see if my beads are clear and recharging them I make sure they are all still white and would dry them out if they were not.
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Both 60% and 55% are available :-)

I too use the 60% in my "dry box"

~Mark
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