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Help me Please!
Eagles39
Posts: 5
I have always enjoyed smoking cigars and learning about them. I just decided to start my own collection. My brother got me a nice humidor for Christmas. My one friend made a deal with his kids to stop smoking cigars so he gave me a really nice and very large humidor. Also he gave me his collection of cigars that were not maintained for some time. There are hundreds of cigars and most seem to be dried out. I am just now seasoning my humidors and want to know how to bring these cigars back to life? If I keep them in my humidor and rotate them for months will they become healthy again? Thanks for the help!
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Once the (empty) humidor is properly seasoned, and the sticks go back in it...if you start with a lower rH, and slowly bring it up..over a period of a few months, the sticks should come back around. Now..that being said...they can be TO dry, and...well, then I don't believe there is anything you can do.
This is what I've always read/heard.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Your best bet on these is to start with a cooler that fits the cigars with a little more room to spare. Find the lowest boveda pack you can (one pack per 50 or so cigars.) I think they make a 59%? Then put those with the cooler in an area where the temperature is 60 degrees or so. Check once a week. Not more often. Rotate the sticks carefully when you check them. Do this until the boveda packs are dry and crunchy. Then use 65% boveda packs and repeat the process. It could take 4-6 months.
Meanwhile season the humidor and buy some cigars from cigar.com to get it to half full minimum. If you fill it less your humidity will fluctuate wildly at times and frustrate you. Salt test any hygrometer you use before you trust it. Start out like those dry cigars might not ever make it back. I hope they do but for another 6 months consider them dead to you.
Years ago someone was given a bunch of cigars to give me on her next visit, Well she forgot to pack them and it was another 2 months, they were dry enough to use for kindling. I tried the above method, courtesy of Seven Corners VA cigar store owner, and it worked. I think maybe 2 out of the bunch (about 50) were beyond any help.
I was a small time smoker many years ago and stopped, but kept my small humble stash over the years. On occasion I would add some distilled water but over all the humidor was neglected.
Fast forward to 6+ months ago and I got back into cigars. I did what I could to save my old cigars using the above tips mentioned. Truth is none of them were truly saved. A few were even destroyed. I am in the process of smokeing them still just cause you can call me thrifty or stubbern.
I keep a log in a notebook with the band attached to any notes I make. If even in the crappy condidtion I still got some enjoyment from it Ill make a note to my self if I ever find that same cigar then Ill give it a second try on a cigar that was properly cared for.
Robert
I am down to my last four or five rescue attempt sticks and today was good one (smoked with a nice burn and didnt taste like I was sucking on the ash from an ash tray), I was so happy to finially almost enjoy a smoke (right now I am avoiding my "good stuff" as much as I can until I have purged these that I have attempted to save from my big humi) Todays smoke was a Don Rene and was very surprised. Guess the ten plus years of age helped this one out. The last remainder of rescue cigars I have are three St. Luis Rey's and two cigars I bought almost four years ago on my honey moon from a guy that was rolling cigars at a stand just as we exited the cruis ship. (saving these to smoke on my anniversary comming up in April.)