How long in your mold?

[Jtravis]

For those of you who use molds, just wondering, how long do you like to keep your bunches in the mold before you wrap them?

I've heard that a couple people like to leave them overnight to give their sticks a more "professional"/uniform look and feel.
I usually do this as well but have been playing around with the draw lately trying to get it better than just smokable.
I'm finding that it's dependent on my preference and how much leaf I use as well.

Also, does anyone else have a problem with their sticks not staying lit?

I've been primarily using the WLT's Sabroso Medio blend with Piloto seco and 5 1/2 x 50 rg mold.

 

[Jtravis]

Sorry! 43 rg mold is what I meant

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I generally do whatever is convenient. Perhaps two hours is better or worse than overnight, but my time and my life take president over whatever minute difference the mold time might make. So long as they're smoking good. Improving my rolling technique will have a much more immediate impact imo.

 

[webmost]

Half hour to an hour, then turn them ninety degrees. Couple more hours, then wrap them. Overnight works; but then any mold marks harden up.

Far as not staying lit, that happens a lot here in high cased Dull-Aware. Right now, for instance, we've 96% humidibbiditty outside at 6:30 in the morning. By noon that's set to decrease to 50%. But, being summer, it may decide to thunderstorm instead. I dunno where in PA you are, or how damp it is there. But here, even with filler dry enough to crunch a bit, I still may need several weeks age before a stick b urns decent. A day or two on the rolling table, then a week in the dry box, then a couple weeks more in the seasoning coolidor.

YMMV all depending where you are; but try to roll dry, as much as possible.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I agree with Webmost...half hour to an hour , turn, remold another half hour to an hour,wrap. set on table a day or so to dry.In the humidor they go to rest.
I learned to not fill my sticks so much , the draw is much better now. Shouldn't be like trying to suck up a fresh wendys frosty shake through a straw.

 

[charlie G.]

I use a 50 ring gauge torpedo mold I bought from WLT
I leave my sticks in the mold for half a day then rotate 90 deg then leave over night then rotate again then roll the second evening.
I don't get problems with set in marks and the cigars can be smoked the next day when the wrappers are dry.
Lately I've been smoking what I call a big ugly which are just rolled with a binder, and can smoke them the same day cause of the low casing of the wrapper.

 

[Raodwarior]

I go 1 hour turn 90 degrees the 1 hour more, wrap in newsprint paper and into the humidor for a couple weeks in half wheels of 50. Hope that helps.

 

[Jtravis]

Webmost, maybe the humidity is my problem. I must admit I rarely ever let my sticks rest an appropriate amount of time. Do you let them dry out below the humidity level you like, then bring them back up?

 

[Jtravis]

Thanks for the advice guys! Raodworior, that's an interesting method. I should come pay your shop another visit soon!

 

[webmost]

Webmost, maybe the humidity is my problem. I must admit I rarely ever let my sticks rest an appropriate amount of time. Do you let them dry out below the humidity level you like, then bring them back up?

Can't. I'd like 65%. It's 85% humidibbiditty here in the home office at a quarter of seven this morning, according to the hygrometer sitting on top of my dry box, and 88% outside, according to weather.com. Predicted to drop to 50% this afternoon. But by the time it cools enough for me to set outside on the porch this eve, I'll perhaps be sucking 75% thru that baccy leaf tube. See, it's not just how damp the stick is; it's also the damp you suck thru it.

I'm going for thinner leaves these days. Save the thicker for winter by the fire. That's my new plan.

I bought one of Don's clear acrylic cigar canisters a while back. Not getting much use out of it. I'm thinking I should try dropping a sock full of this silica dessicant I have here in the bottom, and using that as me dry box. That should suck some damp outta new sticks.

Some guys don't have the problem. Me, I like to smoke slow. I'll be reading or working with my hands or such, so I set the thing down.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Web, I sure wish somehow you and I could split the difference on the humidity ...most of the year my hygrometer reads 55-60% thats it...only these few weeks in summer does it climb about 75%.
Either that or I need to somehow calibrate my digital hygrometer that came with my humidor. I know my sticks are dry .

 

[deluxestogie]

...I need to somehow calibrate my digital hygrometer that came with my humidor.

IF it has a way to re-calibrate, here's the method: http://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/20...grometer-humidity-sensor-using-the-salt-test/

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

i did that when I received the humidor ...hmmm, a year ago Christmas. I only did it once so I suppose I'm overdue to re-calibrate it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Bob's truth: I mounted a cheap analog thermometer/hygrometer inside my humidor chest (a converted, walnut wash stand) over 40 years ago. It's readings are reproducible, but their accuracy is anybody's guess. Neither can be calibrated. What matters is that I know where their readings should point in order to match my preference for cigar humidification. The displayed numbers could be Chinese or cuneiform. Their actual values don't matter, unless you need to tell someone else what your temp/humidity are.

Plan B might be to re-calibrate your hygrometer whenever you change the batteries in your smoke detectors--the life of a cigar may depend on it.

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

Understand...
I put a couple tablespoons of kosher salt in a small restaurant dipping sauce dish. put enough filtered water in it to make a wet sand /paste of it ,put two popsicle sticks across and then parked the hygrometer on top of that so its above the salt by an inch and a half,all in a sealed plastic ziplock bag.
Right now its almost 4 hours later and the readout started at 55% is now at 67 %rH . I remember when I first got it and did the same (24 hours) it didn't read much higher ,maybe 68 I know for a fact it never made it to 70. I'll let it sit like this until bed time (will be a total of 9 hours by then)and if it doesn't change it is what it is...7-8% off.
For a double check I just put an analog hygrometer in with it. Two different styled hygro's can't be off calibration the same exact amount ....right?

 

[deluxestogie]

The last time I purchased a hygrometer (analog) at Walmart, there were a half-dozen of the same model. Two displayed distinct outliers. I selected the one displaying closest to the average of the remaining ones.

Perhaps the best approach is to get one of those souvenir "hurricane forecasters" with the jute tail hanging off an image of a donkey's butt. The legend says something like:

• If tail is wet: rainy
• If tail is dry: sunny
• If tail is gone: hurricane

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

ok , first of all I apologize for taking this thread totally off course. I turned it into a hygrometer post...
But, now that I'm this far ...
The digital and analog are both in the same bag (within a 1/4 inch of each other) sealed up ,perched over the container of wet salt. Digital is still at 67%rH +/- and the analog is at 72%rH +/-
I'm going to guess the analog is correct or at least closer to a realistic or optimal reading than the digital one. I'm leaving both in the bag until tomorrow morning then adjust the analog to 75% and record my correction on the digital.
Now I have to wonder if the 2 outdoor hygrometers I have in my curing barn are accurate...

 

[Jtravis]

I'll perhaps be sucking 75% thru that baccy leaf tube. See, it's not just how damp the stick is; it's also the damp you suck thru it.

That's a good point. I never thought about that. Maybe the answer to a good draw lies more in letting them dry than I realized.