I saw a video with the guys who created the HumdiMeter and they recommended slightly pinching the foot once the probes are inserted. This will produce a more steady and accurate reading without the numbers bouncing around. Don't pinch the prongs toward each other. Have your thumb and forefinger parallel to the prongs. Don't pinch too tight, as that may cause the wrapper to crack. You just want to add a bit of pressure to put more tobacco in contact with the prongs. I've seen some people also insert it into the head of the cigar for a double reading. I don't do that, though. Depending on the cigar, I'll light up with readings between 63-66.
This is great advise. I will for sure try the 'pinch' method to see if the reading can be more stable. This may, probably, prompt another follow up video! Thanks for the heads up on this.
It's crazy just how much people can differ in their RH preferences when It comes to cigars. I have the Cigarmedics Humidimeter Pro, which is just the smaller aluminum model. I use it on every cigar I smoke before I light it and I check it at the foot, the head, and right through the side in the middle. I will only smoke a cigar if it reads in the 50s, 62 at an absolute max, because I've found that if they are over that they taste sour, bitter, and just plain nasty to me. It's like smoking nasty steam off the cigar. 54-58 is my sweet spot where they actually taste like delicious smooth smoke instead of steam. I try to keep my humidor between 60-62, then I dry box the cigars for a day or two before smoking them. Then you have guys like you that prefer mid 60s and there are other people that swear by the 70s. It's just crazy how much people can differ with that. It probably partially has to do with the climate where we all live too.
@@eric3835 Unfortunately no, it doesn't even come with the tester. Which I did find to be a little weird considering the cheaper standard version does come with the tester.
So I've got both the original and pro versions of this, and can confirm that the pro seems more accurate. However, my understanding of the original (as you mention) is that it is a tweaked moisture content meter - with probes a little closer together to fit into cigar feet, and different firmware to do the RH% calculation. The thing about RH% calculation is that it's proportional to ambient temperature. With that said, the calibration standard always gives a 70% regardless of temperature. I suspect that if you took the calibration standard apart it would just be a fixed resistor, or maybe a resistor and a capacitor. If that's true, then I suspect that it's using a fixed temperature for the relative humidity equation, maybe 70 degrees? (the calibration device reads 70% RH, so it seems reasonable to assume it was built with the '70/70' rule in mind). Anyways.... the point of this, (if any of this speculation is true) is that is RH% readings are only accurate for sticks stored @ 70 degrees, and error increases if you deviate from this temperature. In a way it does make sense for the temperature 'constant' to be fixed, because what you care about is the temperature inside of the cigar, where the RH reading is coming from, not the ambient air temperature. Would love to see an experiment measuring the RH of sticks stored at 70, vs lower temperatures to see if it's more accurate.
Many great points here! I agree that the 70/70 must have been applied here as there is no way to anticipate the temp variations. And I don't think the technology in these units is robust enough to take all things into account. I think as I eluded to in my video, that if you keep your cigars at a certain temp and can use this device to find the "reading" that most indicates the "smokabilty" you like...that could make this limited technology somewhat useful. Other than that, I think it would take a much more advanced reader to take temp and Rh into play to give an accurate reading...thus driving the cost way up I would assume.
@@SoCalCigars Agreed, if they added a temp sensor / meat thermometer stye thermocouple, they probably wouldn't be able to use the standardized PCB / chipsets.
It's interesting that the Cigar biz focuses on RH%, rather than % moisture content. Presumably this tries to simplify the cigars moisture to vapor pressure absorption rate. As far as actual smokability is concerned at the time of smoking, IMHO the moisture % content is what people really care about. From research I've done elsewhere, I've read that ~9-12% moisture content is really the storage / smokability zone for cigars, regardless of temperature (and 12% roughly corresponds to the 70/70 rule). Might be interesting to get just a straight moisture content meter and see more consistent results can be obtained. To be honest though, I don't see myself using the humidimeter going forwards. A tool that is inaccurate or that I can't trust is sometimes worse than no tool.
@@NickS34252 I agree. I feel the 70/70 rule is a starting point. Over time I am more toward the 65% Rh and as far as the temp...I really don't factor that in too much unless it's wildly high. In the end...it's a cigar toy. Maybe fun to have on the the table at a smoke fest in the backyard so people can tinker with it. Maybe a good conversation starter.
I saw a video with the guys who created the HumdiMeter and they recommended slightly pinching the foot once the probes are inserted. This will produce a more steady and accurate reading without the numbers bouncing around. Don't pinch the prongs toward each other. Have your thumb and forefinger parallel to the prongs. Don't pinch too tight, as that may cause the wrapper to crack. You just want to add a bit of pressure to put more tobacco in contact with the prongs. I've seen some people also insert it into the head of the cigar for a double reading. I don't do that, though. Depending on the cigar, I'll light up with readings between 63-66.
This is great advise. I will for sure try the 'pinch' method to see if the reading can be more stable. This may, probably, prompt another follow up video! Thanks for the heads up on this.
what do you thing happened with the last video cigar, maybe raising the humidor up helped. 64% is a good smoke reading.
We are waiting for everything that is amazing from you.🎉
It's crazy just how much people can differ in their RH preferences when It comes to cigars. I have the Cigarmedics Humidimeter Pro, which is just the smaller aluminum model. I use it on every cigar I smoke before I light it and I check it at the foot, the head, and right through the side in the middle. I will only smoke a cigar if it reads in the 50s, 62 at an absolute max, because I've found that if they are over that they taste sour, bitter, and just plain nasty to me. It's like smoking nasty steam off the cigar. 54-58 is my sweet spot where they actually taste like delicious smooth smoke instead of steam. I try to keep my humidor between 60-62, then I dry box the cigars for a day or two before smoking them. Then you have guys like you that prefer mid 60s and there are other people that swear by the 70s. It's just crazy how much people can differ with that. It probably partially has to do with the climate where we all live too.
Hello, was wondering can you calibrate the pro?
@@eric3835 Unfortunately no, it doesn't even come with the tester. Which I did find to be a little weird considering the cheaper standard version does come with the tester.
Atmospheric rh may differ from cigar moisture content. Tobacco leaves also differ in cigars. I test all my quality sticks with my humidimeter...
So I've got both the original and pro versions of this, and can confirm that the pro seems more accurate. However, my understanding of the original (as you mention) is that it is a tweaked moisture content meter - with probes a little closer together to fit into cigar feet, and different firmware to do the RH% calculation. The thing about RH% calculation is that it's proportional to ambient temperature. With that said, the calibration standard always gives a 70% regardless of temperature. I suspect that if you took the calibration standard apart it would just be a fixed resistor, or maybe a resistor and a capacitor. If that's true, then I suspect that it's using a fixed temperature for the relative humidity equation, maybe 70 degrees? (the calibration device reads 70% RH, so it seems reasonable to assume it was built with the '70/70' rule in mind). Anyways.... the point of this, (if any of this speculation is true) is that is RH% readings are only accurate for sticks stored @ 70 degrees, and error increases if you deviate from this temperature. In a way it does make sense for the temperature 'constant' to be fixed, because what you care about is the temperature inside of the cigar, where the RH reading is coming from, not the ambient air temperature. Would love to see an experiment measuring the RH of sticks stored at 70, vs lower temperatures to see if it's more accurate.
Many great points here! I agree that the 70/70 must have been applied here as there is no way to anticipate the temp variations. And I don't think the technology in these units is robust enough to take all things into account. I think as I eluded to in my video, that if you keep your cigars at a certain temp and can use this device to find the "reading" that most indicates the "smokabilty" you like...that could make this limited technology somewhat useful. Other than that, I think it would take a much more advanced reader to take temp and Rh into play to give an accurate reading...thus driving the cost way up I would assume.
@@SoCalCigars Agreed, if they added a temp sensor / meat thermometer stye thermocouple, they probably wouldn't be able to use the standardized PCB / chipsets.
It's interesting that the Cigar biz focuses on RH%, rather than % moisture content. Presumably this tries to simplify the cigars moisture to vapor pressure absorption rate. As far as actual smokability is concerned at the time of smoking, IMHO the moisture % content is what people really care about. From research I've done elsewhere, I've read that ~9-12% moisture content is really the storage / smokability zone for cigars, regardless of temperature (and 12% roughly corresponds to the 70/70 rule). Might be interesting to get just a straight moisture content meter and see more consistent results can be obtained. To be honest though, I don't see myself using the humidimeter going forwards. A tool that is inaccurate or that I can't trust is sometimes worse than no tool.
@@NickS34252 I agree. I feel the 70/70 rule is a starting point. Over time I am more toward the 65% Rh and as far as the temp...I really don't factor that in too much unless it's wildly high. In the end...it's a cigar toy. Maybe fun to have on the the table at a smoke fest in the backyard so people can tinker with it. Maybe a good conversation starter.
This unit can not be adjusted.