dry cigar restoration?

[ChrisM]

Hey all:

I just received a package of mail-order cigars and 4 of them are very dry. I read an article about restoring them, but I wanted to hear some real experience about doing this if you have it. I've also contacted the shop I bought them from and am awaiting their resonse...

Here's the article:
http://cigars.about.com/library/weekly/aa041402a.htm

Thx.

[poker]

Just remember one word: S L O W.

Cigars that get humdified too fast will manifest problems, just as cigars that need to dehumdify can also suffer, if done too fast.

If too dry, keep them the farthest from the humdification device in your humidor initially. After a week or so, you should be able to move them anywhere in the humidor you want, but I would wait at least another week or 2 before lighting (yes I know, 3 weeks is a long time).

Usually anything that happens fast in the storage area of this hobby is a bad thing.

[OnePyroTec]

If your lucky, the vendor will respond and take care of it for you.

Otherwise, that article is pretty good rule of thumb, except the part about tossing the cracked wrapper cigars. ANY cigar can be salvaged. (though sometimes not worth the trouble)

OPT

[Brandon]

You might want to even put the cigars in a dry box or ziplock bag before placing in the humidor. That way, it will take a little while before the humidity around the cigars begin to rise.

[ChrisM]

Thanks fellas - LJ Peretti offered to replace the cigars if I shipped them back, but I'll just use them to practice this technique for more valuable smokes in the future...

[emgjet]

Patience is the key here... good luck!

[hogg]

I would take four or five of the mexican dogrockets I've had for years and put them in the ziploc with the dry cigars for a week before putting them in a humidor. But then I don't know how dry you mean, the most dry cigars I've gotten were maybe (I'm thinking) in the forties or fifties RH (>?)

[cashcow]

what Poker said

[MoTheMan]

Poker's right on the money!

Remember,

Tobacco leaves lose their porousness as they dry, so a cigar will dry out very quickly but as you try to re-aclimate it first the wrapper leaf has to get supple again before it starts to allow humidity to permeate into the binder. Then the binder has to get supple, and so on and so on. You get the picture. In other words, take it slow.


MoTheMan

[BigSkyCub]

How quickly will a cigar dry out? Although ideally, cigars should be transported under the proper conditions, that is not always possible. How long can a box of cigars go without being properly humidifed without causing truly adverse results?

Secondly, if you had to rig up a temporary humidor for a few days using only common items around the house, what would you do? (Quick! Put on those MacGyver hats!)

[poker]

Originally posted by BigSkyCub
How quickly will a cigar dry out? Although ideally, cigars should be transported under the proper conditions, that is not always possible. How long can a box of cigars go without being properly humidifed without causing truly adverse results?

That would depend on a couple things:
1) What was the rH of the cigar envionment prior to them being taken out
2) What they are being carried in
3) What the rH is of the current environment the cigars are in while out of the humidor

Secondly, if you had to rig up a temporary humidor for a few days using only common items around the house, what would you do? (Quick! Put on those MacGyver hats!)

1) Get a Tupperware of the apporpriate size to accomodate the cigars you want to keep
2) Get a small ziplock baggie or a small piece of Saranwarap
3) small folded piece of paper towel or a small sponge cut to approx 3"x3"

Wet sponge with water & squeeze out excess water, or fold paper towl to approx 3"x3" and wet (not soaking wet).
Place sponge or paper towel wad into ziplock (but do not seal), or wrap in Saranwrap.

The idea is to allow the moisture to be able to escape the ziplock or saranwrap, but not get the cigars physically wet or allow too much humidity too quickly to escape. With a ziplock, you can sort of regulate the releaseof moisture by how much of the bag is sealed vs open.

This can hold you over for a few days to a week.

...or just run to any local cigar shop & buy a HumiBag. That'll last a month if needed.


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