Before I begin ranting and raving about my new toy I’d like to make a confession. I am terrible at looking after my cigars. A busy work schedule coupled with family commitments and others mean that time is at a premium. The knock-on effect is that I occasionally don’t get to check my humidor when I would like to.
2 months ago I decided to take action and do something about my situation so I made my way on to the C.gars Ltd website and had a look at the options available. In the end I opted for the Xikar 70% RH Puck. The logic behind my thinking was simple; RH beads are a low cost investment therefore even a cheap git like me can afford to go for a respectable brand. So for the sake of a few quid “why not?”.
I opted for the standard delivery as opposed to one of the quicker, more costly options as it wasn’t a priority and I couldn’t justify paying £6 delivery for an £18 item. Nonetheless the fine chaps and chapettes over at C.gars Ltd still got it to me the next day which I was over the moon about. Great service always pleases me, and I would imagine many others which is why C.gars Ltd are one of the most reputable Cigar and accessory retailers in the UK.
Setting up the puck was nice and simple. Add humidifying solution, wait for the crystals to soak it all up, bang it in the humi, and let the good times roll.
The instructions say to add humidifying solution when the crystals reach half their ‘full’ size. For me this took a little over 3 weeks. Impressive! However, I was keen to see how long the second cycle took before I write my review. This was 4 weeks. As I am writing this, that was over 1 week ago. The crystals are still at full size, bloated with sweet, sweet humidity for my babies (1 HdM Epicure No. 2, 1 HdM Double Corona, 1 Monte Open Eagle, 12 RyJ Mille Fleur’s, 1 RyJ Churchill).
At each point where I have refilled the puck I also inspected the cigars in there. Granted, only the HdM’s and the Open Eagle (you sexy beast) have lasted the entire journey. All sticks survived good as new with no compromise in the construction of them. My cigars remain firm with just the perfect amount of bounce.
My other concern was obviously the humidity in my humidor. The main reason I bought the puck. At regular inspections each week i only recorded one inconsistency. On the first occasion I had to refill the puck the humidity reached 72%. Not a big deal for me as it was back down to 70% the next week. Now I’m not a scientific man but logic would dictate that if the beads are low on water the RH would remain either constant or drop so I have no explanation for this apart from thinking back to my school days when we were taught that in many scientific experiments anomalys occur. “You’ll survive” as my chemistry teacher once told me.
So am I happy I bought the Xikar 70% RH Puck? You can bet your top dollar I am. It did exactly what I wanted (and needed) it do. Kept my cigars fresher than Will Smith.
If you have a few bob to spare and are struggling with your sponge humidifier I can not recommend RH beads strongly enough. And for those still trying to get by with the old sponge, “I pity the fool!” as Mr T might so eloquently put it.
Let us know of other RH solutions you have used and your thoughts below in the comments and don’t forget to click on subscribe to keep up with the latest from Cut The Cap!