Can Dried Out Cigars Be Brought Back to Life?
I have a few cigars that I think are dried out. They have been without a humidor for about a week to ten days. I live in a fairly dry climate (Denver). Do you think they have dried up by now? Can they be brought back to life in a humidor?
This is a tricky topic because if your cigars are too dried out there may be no hope. However, it can’t hurt to try, right? That caveat aside, here goes, but you will need to be patient as this process can take weeks or even months:
Put the cigars in a humidor or other sealable container with a humidifier that hasn’t been re-charged lately. Let them rest in there for a few days so the cigars absorb what little humidity remains. Then, only partially fill the humidifier, letting the cigars rest again for about a week. Then fully re-charge humidifier. 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 with really pricey cigars. This can take several weeks more than a month. Remember, be patient.
If you have a very large humidor or cabinet-style humidor, start by placing the cigars a good distance from the humidifying device and every 5-7 days, move them a little closer to the humidifying device. This could take up to six weeks, so again, patience is key.
Before you light up, make sure the restored-cigars have a little "spring" to them like a fresh cigars should be. A dry cigar will only burn hot and the flavor bitter tasting.
Yes, they can. But, be careful. Too much moisture can make them rot if given too fast. A few drops of brandy mixed in the water will help it to evaporate at a lower temperature.
Yes they can but the key is to do it very slowly. Tobacco by nature is hygroscopic and will absorb humidity quickly.
Placing them in a humidor will not cause them to ‘rot’ as the previous poster stated, but will cause them to quickly swell and ‘explode’.
Only ten days? Yes, put them back in your humidor and leave the lid closed for at least a couple weeks. Make sure the humidor is producing the correct amount of humidity – your hygrometer should read somewhere between 65% and 70%. Assuming they haven’t been left out for more than a couple weeks, you’ll be able to revive them.
Make sure your humidor is properly seasoned. The hygrometer that comes with new humidors are usually cheap analog ones, which are very inaccurate.
- http://www.cigarswag.com