Reviving Dry Cigar - Too late?

[Erol]

Hello,

I havn't been here for a while, I hope you are all doing well. I can't smoke in the cold so I normally take a break.

During the xmas break I checked on my humidor, and the reading read 55%. I was scared, so I put some water and came back a few days later, still 55%. I came back a few days later and it as 55% again, and the humidifier kept getting dry.

I couldn't understand what was going on, so I decided to start from scratch and wet the walls again. Upon removing my cigars, I discovered a crack at the bottom of the humidor which you could see through. I wasn't a happy camper.

So I put some scotch tape on the crack and wet the walls. This is working so far at keeping the humidity but my sticks were dry like desert sand.

They must have been like that for a couple of weeks. They've been at 62-65% humitidy for the past month, I'm trying to bring them back slowly. Next 2 weeks im going to try and up the humidity closer to 70% and let them sit longer so hopfuly they'll be ready for spring.

My question is, were they dry too long that I ruined them? Will the flavour of my sticks be forever compromised?

I'm going to get a new humidor, but I'm going to wait for fathers day sales, until then I'm keeping a close watch.

Any input you could share would be helpful. I'd like the honest brutal truth.

Thanks!

[ccsmoker]

It sounds like you got it under control, but if the humidity spikes up to

fast some of the cigars may split open.It is also posible that some of your sticks may have lost some oils, if that is the case they may not smoke the same taste wise.Hope you can bring them back..

[shrink]

Hey, 55% ain't too far off. I doubt any harm has been done. Many British aficianados keep their long-term humidors this low, anyway.

[Tampa1257]

When you decide to buy a new humidor, PLEASE do yourself a huge favor, DO NOT WET THE WALLS! That is what caused your first humidor to split the wood and ruin it. Never, ever wet the walls of a humidor to prepare it and season it. Make sure the humidor has a good tight seal on it, and then properly season the humidor by placing a shot glass of distilled water in it and then check the humidor 24 hours later (DO NOT OPEN THE HUMIDOR EXCEPT ONCE AFTER 24 HOURS, THEN REFILL ALL THE DISTILLED WATER THAT IS GONE FROM THE SHOT GLASS, THEN LET IT SIT FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS.) Continue to so this until after a 24 hour period there is no need to refill any distilled water in the shot glass.

Wetting down the interior of a humidor with water is the absolute worst thing you could ever do to a humidor, as it will warp and crack the cedar wood interior.

It normally takes 4-5 days to properly season a humidor, and it is essential for a long life of a humidor to do it properly.

[jqmunro]

» When you decide to buy a new humidor, PLEASE do yourself a huge favor, DO

» NOT WET THE WALLS! That is what caused your first humidor to split the

» wood and ruin it.

I'm not sure I agree with this advice. Even a well known humidor manufacturer Daniel Marshall advises the owner to moisten the walls slightly. Agreed, one should not soak the wall with water; but a slightly moistened sponge won't cause a humidor of any decent quality to split.

Interestingly enough, the only humidor of mine to have a problem of separating is that which never had any moisture rubbed against the walls.

It's true the grain of the wood probably won't be smooth on the inside of the humidor like it was when purchased, but structural damage is not likely.

[Tampa1257]

» I'm not sure I agree with this advice.

Well, you are certainly able to make up your own mind, but the FACTS are that humidor makers only use a thin layer of Spanish Cedar to line the interior of a humidor, and every humidor that any of my friends have ever moistened the interior walls of the humidor has ended up having huge problems with.

I can tell you that even with my Aristocrat Cabinet humidor, it was expressly told NOT to moisten the walls of the humidor and to allow the humidor to naturally absorb the moisture from its distilled water source. BTW, I do consider an Aristocrat one of if not the finest humidor ever to be made, but that is just my opinion.

[Mark Twain]

Sucks about the humidor. I suggest you salt test your hygro if you already have not. Even with a crack you would expect the humidity to rise after you added water or drop lower than 55% for the extended period of time the seal was broken so it might be that your hygrometer has a bad battery if it is a digital one.

[Colt45]

» My question is, were they dry too long that I ruined them? Will the

» flavour of my sticks be forever compromised?

You can rehumidify them - but once the oils are gone, they cannot be restored.

I honestly don't know if 55% is low enogh to cause them to evaporate or not,

but would think there might be at least a partial loss.

When you have stabilized the situation, try smoking one (even though it's cold)

and let us know. More than likely, the cigars will be fine.

[wp2]

» When you decide to buy a new humidor, PLEASE do yourself a huge favor, DO

» NOT WET THE WALLS! That is what caused your first humidor to split the wood and ruin it. »

In addition it causes the grain in the cedar to rise, be rougher, & damage your valuable smokes.

[Erol]

Thanks for the messages guys.

I'll take you up on your advice Tampa. I was impatient the first time, but its best to be safe with my investment.

Well, so I guess the verdict is there is a chance they're ruined, but a chance they are not. so I hope that they were not in 55% too long and that they can come back.

I'll smoke'em once they're back but i'll need another month to let them sit in there.

I hope i can at least still enjoy'em. I have 2 monte Robustos that I was saving and a cohiba siglo VI I think (a small one) that I was trying to age, so now I'll have to buy'em again! (never tried a cuban cohiba before)

thanks again for the feedback.

[El Presidente]

Erol.

Mate, just one other point....recalibrate your Hygrometer or perhaps get a new one. 55% could be 45%. With experience you can tell by feeling and smoking the cigar however I have found that most off the shelp hygrometers are 5-10% out and have an accurate lifespan of only 2-3 years.

[Erol]

» Erol.

»

» Mate, just one other point....recalibrate your Hygrometer or perhaps get a

» new one. 55% could be 45%. With experience you can tell by feeling and

» smoking the cigar however I have found that most off the shelp hygrometers

» are 5-10% out and have an accurate lifespan of only 2-3 years.

will do! It'll be my weekend science project. Didn't realize these things go bad!

Thanks again,

[Mel]

» Erol.

»

» Mate, just one other point....recalibrate your Hygrometer or perhaps get a

» new one. 55% could be 45%. With experience you can tell by feeling and

» smoking the cigar however I have found that most off the shelp hygrometers

» are 5-10% out and have an accurate lifespan of only 2-3 years.

100% correct about these hygrometers all of mine read a little different. I would follow the manufactures directions about getting the humidor ready. I always mist the walls of my boxes with distilled water after a box is complete. I do make my own from rough lumber and use a 3/8" liner of spanish cedar glued to a 1/2-3/4" solid wood exterior. My humidors are heavy bastards that you can sit on. I have never had one crack, split or break.

As to the issue of raised wood grain damaging wrappers I would say that cigars should never be thrown loose into a box! All of mine stay in the boxes or will go into a plastic bag. The boxes that the cigars are sold in also provide a buffer against rapid changes in humidity. Each box made of wood or paper holds miosture and acts as a reservior to buffer changes.