Dried out.. What should i do

[nate4796]

I was given 2 boxes of habanos BUT they are dried out. They were just sitting around my buddies house (dont really know how long). I really would hate to waste these. How can i bring these back to life? My humidor now is keeping at between 65%-70%.

[yakc130]

All you can do is let them sit foe a long while. It depends on what happened at his place. Did they get over heated? Just left out of the humidor?

If they sat out for too long, then the oils may have evaporated. In that case, nothing will help.

[icehog3]

Are the wrappers split or cracked?

Can you ask your friend how long they sat out?

[nate4796]

Theres a box of trinidads and a box of bolivars. The trinidads are in great shape except for the fact that they are dried. Theres about 2 of the bolivars where the wrappers were flaking a little, but are good for the most part. No heat, just not in a humi

[yakc130]

If the oils haven't evaporated from these, they should be salvageable.

[jesto68]

The old saying goes:

"Don't cry over spilled milk.............."

The part they left out:

"....But do cry over dried Habanos"

I'd put them into a well maintained humi, let them sit for a LONG time and pray for the best.

[icehog3]

I would still be curious to know how long they were unhumidified.

[havana_lover]

from what I have read this seems to be the most popular way to bring them back to like..

If you keep your cigars in their boxes and they are beginning to dry out, here's a really good way to revive them. Keep in mind that if cigars are very dry they will be difficult to revive satisfactorily. The key here is, if moisture can escape from a cigar, it can also be replaced. One of the simplest methods is to place the entire box inside a plastic bag. Be sure the bag is not completely closed because you have to have a little air flow in there. It helps to place a sponge dampened with distilled water or 50/50 solution in the bag, too. The idea here is to allow slow absorption of moisture, preventing the cigars from getting too much humidity too soon. If you shock the cigars by adding too much moisture at once they can actually burst - the last thing you want to do to pricey primos. This can take several weeks to over a month, so be patient. Rotate the cigars every few days bringing them from the bottom of the box to the top. Keep this up continuously and in about three to four weeks you should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
If you don't have a cigar box, you can use a sealable plastic container. Put the dry cigars in the container and seal it for the first two days. This will trap any moisture still left in the cigars. On the third day, add the piece of dampened sponge, but here again, you run the risk of bursting, so be sure not to over-saturate the sponge and to keep the lid propped open in one corner to allow air flow.
When cigars lose a certain amount of moisture, they also lose much of their bouquet and will probably not taste as good as a well-kept cigar. The key to all of this is (whether you're reviving cigars in their original box or in a humidor) cigars lose moisture slowly, therefore, they need to regain it slowly. Once again, be patient and never resort to drastic measures to revive your cigars or you'll ruin them permanently.

Hope this helps

[trogdor | the burninator]

Originally Posted by havana_lover

Once again, be patient and never resort to drastic measures to revive your cigars or you'll ruin them permanently.

yes, let's not dunk our cigars in olive oil when they've dried out.

i say follow what havana_lover said, but keep in mind that if they were sitting out long enough...they likely lost all their oils. they won't be in tip top shape, but hey...maybe you'll still get a good smoke out of them. you'll never know till you try.

[Chuckie]

Originally Posted by havana_lover

If you shock the cigars by adding too much moisture at once they can actually burst - the last thing you want to do to pricey primos.

Agreed, not something to do to pricey primos, but now a cheap smoke, that might be fun to watch. but, I guess it wouldn't explode or anything That would be way cool.

[fr3nchguy]

Use above technique with cigars in original boxes if possible...

Bottom line; they may be revivable; you won't tell until you wait a few weeks and smoke em!

[RGD]

It's a tough deal to see a box of Cubans dried out like that - and it's even tougher not to try and save them. Here is the deal though: Yes you can re-hydrate them and as mentioned it needs to be done very slowly and can take months to do properly.

But - since you say that a few are cracked and/or have flaked wrappers - here's the truth: After all of your hard work all you are going to end up with is some really big cigarettes.

Sorry -


Ron

[yayson]

Originally Posted by RGD

It's a tough deal to see a box of Cubans dried out like that - and it's even tougher not to try and save them. Here is the deal though: Yes you can re-hydrate them and as mentioned it needs to be done very slowly and can take months to do properly.

But - since you say that a few are cracked and/or have flaked wrappers - here's the truth: After all of your hard work all you are going to end up with is some really big cigarettes.

Sorry -


Ron

(wb!)

I tried to bring a load of NCs back to life and it was ultimately a huge excersize in frustration, every one I smoked after hoping they were ok would just make me angry that I didn't grab something good.

Good luck to you if you try but just don't expect too much!

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by RGD

But - since you say that a few are cracked and/or have flaked wrappers - here's the truth: After all of your hard work all you are going to end up with is some really big cigarettes.

Sorry -


Ron

Not only do you lose moisture when they dry out but the essential oils go bye bye. You can replace the moisture but not the latter.
A short while out of a humi and some moisture loss is one thing and usually not a total loss. However, kept outside a humidor long term, allowed to dry out? Kiss them good bye.