Frequently Asked Questions for Humidors

Q10: A friend who knows nothing about cigars gave me a very special smoke that had been sitting in a drawer for a year, making it bone dry. How do I bring this baby back to life?


A: When resuscitating a handmade smoke, patience is critical. Too much humidity too soon will shock the cigar, causing the wrapper to burst or split.

The best rehumidification method is to place the dried cigar in your humidor as far from the humidification device as possible. If your humidor holds fewer then 50 cigars, it's a good idea to put the cigar in a Ziplock bag inside the humidor for a few days. After this, remove the cigars from the Ziplock bag and, over the next three to four weeks, gradually move the cigar closer to the humidifier. This will protect the wrapper from damage and eventually restore the cigar to smoking condition. Again, be patient. The process can take months.  

This is a reprint of the article in the "Tip of the Week" section of the website
of Cigar Aficionado ( www.cigaraficionado.com ) in the week of August 02, 1999.