Optimal moisture content smoking/bunch/wrapper

[Feet Up]

Cigarmedic moisture meter must work the same way a wood moisture meter does and than do a conversion internally to get a RH. I wonder what the readings would be in comparison to a wood moisture meter. Like what does a wood moisture meter reading of 15 % translate to in RH.

 

[Feet Up]

Answered my own question. Apparently someone already has thought of this.
"What CigarMedics did with the HumidiMeter was extrapolate a conversion factor based on moisture content and present to the user a RH value. I was told it is calibrated at a 70% RH factor which corresponds to about 15% moisture content under controlled conditions. "

 

[tullius]

yup, it's just a conversion scale administered electronically before display

 

[George aka Jorge']

Answered my own question. Apparently someone already has thought of this.
"What CigarMedics did with the HumidiMeter was extrapolate a conversion factor based on moisture content and present to the user a RH value. I was told it is calibrated at a 70% RH factor which corresponds to about 15% moisture content under controlled conditions. "

I also got the standard. Totally sealed black little box. You just touch the pins to the screw heads on one end and the meter reads 70%.

 

[IXanadu]

I also got the standard. Totally sealed black little box. You just touch the pins to the screw heads on one end and the meter reads 70%.

I did the same thing. Cigar medic plus the standard. I have not used it to test a leaf before rolling, but I will test a cigar before smoking. Then if I have problems with excess moisture or cracking I take a note about the behavior and the measurement from cigar medic. Some sticks like more and some less humidity. I have some acrylic jars(I’m not convinced they’re sealing well) that I keep at different humidity levels for different blends of cigars.

 

[jvnshr]

Optimal smoking condition: 13.2% moisture content

According to Nick Perdomo it is between 12-12.5%. You may also see him on this video using a pocket psychrometer to measure the moisture content of a cigar.

 

[jvnshr]

using a pocket psychrometer to measure the moisture content of a cigar.

Somehow that didn't sound right. Psychrometer is used to measure the relative humidity in the air. I think he is using a moisture meter but it says pocket psychrometer on the device.

 

[Feet Up]

Yes looks like a moisture meter with the 2 prongs and it's reading in total percent of water. He also states that 12.5 % is about 68 % RH.

 

[waikikigun]

Funny thing: I have all these 65% Boveda packs in my humi to maintain what for me is the best RH for cigars. Meanwhile I leave most of my cigars just lying around the house in various drying piles, boxed or not. People ask me about my drybox-humi ritual, my leaf storage, etc. and I just say, "I do nothing. I just leave stuff open and lying around, because the RH where I live is about right."

So I too got one of these Cigarmedics gismos and I stuck it in the various cigars I have just lying around, and all my homerolls read 65%. I reckon I'm wasting dough on those Boveda packs, then.

I wonder what moisture content 65RH represents at 65F.

 

[deluxestogie]

I wonder what moisture content 65RH represents at 65F.

I'm certain that would vary. Different materials as well as different tobacco varieties (and even different primings and batches of the same variety) have differing abilities to absorb water at a specific temp/RH. My Habano 2000 leaf and kilned burley red tip and Maryland leaf are water magnets. Other leaf is much slower and stingy with their water absorption. That's also true of finished cigars within a stable humidor. Some blends/brands just stay drier.

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

I'm certain that would vary. Different materials as well as different tobacco varieties (and even different primings and batches of the same variety) have differing abilities to absorb water at a specific temp/RH. My Habano 2000 leaf and kilned burley red tip and Maryland leaf are water magnets. Other leaf is much slower and stingy with their water absorption. That's also true of finished cigars within a stable humidor. Some blends/brands just stay drier.

Bob

Okay, thanks.

 

[waikikigun]

Well, what might be a guess at an approximate RH for "19% moisture content," all subtle variables disregarded? 75?

 

[deluxestogie]

"Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) in wood vs. temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH). Wood is weakly sensitive to a temperature change, but very sensible to humidity changes, especially in moist environments, i.e. for RH > 80%. In the humidity range 10% < RH < 70% the plot is a straight line, but the coefficient may vary with the wood species, seasoning and temperature."

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Equilibrium-Moisture-Content-EMC-in-wood-vs-temperature-and-ambient-relative_fig33_264547606

I don't know how temperature affects the tendency of tobacco to absorb water, aside from temp's direct effect on RH.

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

"Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) in wood vs. temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH). Wood is weakly sensitive to a temperature change, but very sensible to humidity changes, especially in moist environments, i.e. for RH > 80%. In the humidity range 10% < RH < 70% the plot is a straight line, but the coefficient may vary with the wood species, seasoning and temperature."

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Equilibrium-Moisture-Content-EMC-in-wood-vs-temperature-and-ambient-relative_fig33_264547606

I don't know how temperature affects the tendency of tobacco to absorb water, aside from temp's direct effect on RH.

Bob

Thanks very much.

 

[jvnshr]

Well, what might be a guess at an approximate RH for "19% moisture content," all subtle variables disregarded? 75?

Isn't 19% too much?

 

[waikikigun]

Isn't 19% too much?

This is taking about wrapper leaf at the time of rolling, so maybe it isn't too much.

 

[jvnshr]

This is taking about wrapper leaf at the time of rolling, so maybe it isn't too much.

It isn't probably. May I ask how you are measuring the moisture content?

 

[waikikigun]

It isn't probably. May I ask how you are measuring the moisture content?

I don't measure the moisture content. I just case my leaf to the flexibility, which I measure with my hands, which I need to roll. But if I wanted to attempt a measurement I guess I'd use my Humidimeter:

 

[waikikigun]

Side note, I've read that burley farmers would measure the local RH by feeling the case of a piece of leaf. That's why I say case is how the leaf feels in my hand. It sort of goes in a circle.

 

[jvnshr]

I don't measure the moisture content. I just case my leaf to the flexibility, which I measure with my hands, which I need to roll. But if I wanted to attempt a measurement I guess I'd use my Humidimeter:

Thanks for the response. You came up with the number 19 so I was wondering where you got that one from. I wouldn't trust that cigarmedics thing. I still wonder how a device can measure the RH of a solid matter. If it is converting the moisture content of a solid matter to an RH level then it should be calibrated at some temperature. If it is calibrated at a constant temperature then the reading is wrong when you use it in a different temperature.