Bringing Back Cigars

Wilywilly · 08-09-2010, 08:58 AM

Back in the 90's before the dot.com bust and at the height of conspicuous consumption I got a humidor and filled it with several expensive cigars including several Cohiba's. Never smoked much, the box sat neglected in a wall unit cabinet unattended for well over ten years. Opened it up, they are all still there but the humidistat was down South of 30 and the unwrapped cigars were pretty dry. Removed them all, doused the humidor in distilled water and have been soaking the spongy humid keeping thingdaily and then put them back in. Now the humidity is 70+. A couple of questions. Is it best to remove or leave the cellephane wrap in place - most of the cigars have them (not the Cohoba's). Also what about those in glass and tin tubes - remove or leave in place? Also how long until they should be in good smoking condition, if ever? Always heard that you can bring them back. I know taking them to a cigar shop and using their humidor is an option but I'm a very occasional smoker. Thanks for the input.

Bill

mossguy · 08-09-2010, 09:03 AM

My guess is that if you haven't smoked a cigar in ten years, you probably couldn't tell the difference no matter what you did to them. Just a thought.

Best,
Tom

stomachmonkey · 08-09-2010, 09:03 AM

I'd leave the cellophane. If they are really dy you may screw them up while trying to remove it.

If you can get away with opening and end without too much handling that may be the way to go.

I'd open the glass/tin tubes and leave them in place till tey soften up some.

Dottore · 08-09-2010, 10:51 AM

If they're really dry, take them out of the cellophane carefully. Then take a small brown paper bag and wet it under the tap. Put the cigars inside, and place the thing in the middle rack of of moderately warm oven (say 250 degrees F) for about 5 or 10 minutes until the bag has dried out.

The cigars will be like new.

EarlyPorsche · 08-09-2010, 12:45 PM

I probably know more about tobacco and cigars than most on this forum.

You MUST bring the cigars back up to 65% or so slowly! If you humidify them quick they will split like a piece of firewood.

Also, aged tobacco only gets better. Even if you dried them to sticks if you bring them back slow they will be sweeter and more valuable than any cigar you can buy new. Most avid smokers give cigars a long time age in a higher humidity environment. Storage at 75% will make an unsmokeable cigar but will age them well and then you can put them in a "dry box" to bring them to an ideal smoke of 65-70%.

So now you need to get a calibrated digital hygrometer (could go to famous-smoke.com) and then go to 40% for a week, then 50% for a week, then 60% for a couple weeks, then 70% for a couple more weeks. In the end it will be worth it. If you feel like you're humidifying too quick because the ends of the cigar are cracking or the wrapper is cracking then take up humidity even slower and let them bask in the humidor longer between increases.