My first humidor

[ha_banos]

Thats an interesting one. Plenty of half truths and quackery in cigars and the distilled water thing is one of them in my opinion.

I can understand with active humidification as you are actually blowing particles of water around the space, but for passive like a dish of water it should make zero difference.

How do you make distilled water? You boil water and collect the condensate. Evaporation is the same process but slower, so the only particles you are getting in the air is distilled water anyway. Thats why when a liquid evaporates you get a bit of a deposit left behind on the dish, the minerals in the water are being left behind.

Again, if you are actively humidifying i can understand distilled water. Also ive read that normal tap water can reduce the effectiveness of a boveda if you recharge them in it... Who knows on that one. Unfortunately not a lot of science in this industry and a lot of people with money to spend...

If you watch bryan glynn of youtube fame he dunks his heartfelt beads in tap water once a month and has done for years.

My guess is that distilled water was a thing for cigars back when tap water was of poorer quality pre war. If the water is actually giving off an odour like you get from some local off grid properties it could be a problem, but not these days with the quality of suppliers like thames water. Best water in the world and thats including bottled!

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Like you say tap water can smell. Contains more bacteria. No idea how much and if this is a risk. Also I find after years of use, my crystals have turned brown. Cigar like brown. And they smell of cigars. So certainly there's something more in the evaporate.

Also boiling water to evaporate it or however they produce it kills off stuff.

On the other hand the water they spray onto the leaves during the maturation and making process are not likely to be distilled! [emoji16]

So yes, no science around it. But if it's easy and cheap enough to get. I'll stick with distilled.

Evian is too expensive.

B.

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[7kingsguy]

Like you say tap water can smell. Contains more bacteria. No idea how much and if this is a risk. Also I find after years of use, my crystals have turned brown. Cigar like brown. And they smell of cigars. So certainly there's something more in the evaporate.

Also boiling water to evaporate it or however they produce it kills off stuff.

On the other hand the water they spray onto the leaves during the maturation and making process are not likely to be distilled! [emoji16]

So yes, no science around it. But if it's easy and cheap enough to get. I'll stick with distilled.

Evian is too expensive.

B.

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Except distilled water isnt necessary sterile. Most tap water has less bacteria than bottled water because the standard for tap water is much higher. In other places around the world all this might hold true but not with british mains water. Plus unless you sterilise all the humidification devices and apparatus you will be mixing this pure water with a load of bugs anyway.

There was a really good bbc doc a few years ago that compared contaminants in various bottled brands and found tap water was better than all of them.

And cigars are probably the most unhygienic product out there. Dont tell me all those 300 people whove touched them havent rubbed their nose or forgotten to wash their hands once or twice...

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[ha_banos]

Except distilled water isnt necessary sterile. Most tap water has less bacteria than bottled water because the standard for tap water is much higher. In other places around the world all this might hold true but not with british mains water. Plus unless you sterilise all the humidification devices and apparatus you will be mixing this pure water with a load of bugs anyway.

There was a really good bbc doc a few years ago that compared contaminants in various bottled brands and found tap water was better than all of them.

And cigars are probably the most unhygienic product out there. Dont tell me all those 300 people whove touched them havent rubbed their nose or forgotten to wash their hands once or twice...

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My tap water had petrol in it a couple of years ago. We could smell it and called in TW. They had to replace some of the incoming pipework in mind and my neighbors. Luckily only dug up the road.

Wouldn't want benzine getting near my cigars!

And the virgins who rolled my cigars have yet to be touched by bacteria!

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[Vitola]

Well as I use e-cigarettes after giving up smoking ciggies around 7 years now. I make all my own juices. One additive I use for thinning down thick VG mixes is Lab Water. I tend to use this in my active humidification.

[Tomm783]

My tap water had petrol in it a couple of years ago. We could smell it and called in TW. They had to replace some of the incoming pipework in mind and my neighbors. Luckily only dug up the road.

Wouldn't want benzine getting near my cigars!

And the virgins who rolled my cigars have yet to be touched by bacteria!

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Bringing a new meaning to ?petrol head??

?What?s your favourite tipple then Banos??

?Well, recently I?ve been partial to Shell V Power with a couple ice cubes, but I?ve recently got a dispenser from Thames Water and I tell you what, it?s pretty good stuff, much cheaper too? [emoji23]

I think I?m starting to go mad on gardening leave!


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[Tomm783]

Should you get the 84% boveda seasoning pouches leave them in for 14 days then replace with say 69% boveda pouch let the humidor stabalize so your hygrometer gives you a reading of 69 before starting to put your cigars in.

In short, this will be the idiot proof, way of doing it when you are starting out.

All I?d say is buy a digital Hygro, site sponsor sells them as well, Caliber I believe. Analog is turd.


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