Expert: James Yee - 10/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: hi my dad used to smoke cigars like 5years ago, 10 years tops, and i just found some of them and they were in a thick zipper bag and they were all still in there packageing and i was wondering if there still good to smoke?

ANSWER: Hi Ben,

The first thing you need to do is inspect the cigars for any signs of mold or tobacco beetle holes.  If any of the cigars have traces of mold or tobacco beetle holes, you will have to throw them away.

Old cigars can indeed still be smoked if you re-humidify them properly.  What you need to do is store these cigars in a properly maintained humidor at 70% humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the cigars sit in the humidor for at least 2 months because they need to re-absorb the humidity and be "fresh" again.  If you smoke the cigars now, they will taste stale and burn too quickly.  They may also be extremely brittle from being dried out for such a long period of time so they could split and crack from the slightest touch.

If you do not own a humidor, your next best alternative is to store them in a humi-pouch.  These are Ziploc-style bags that you can buy at most cigar stores and they basically have a humidified lining built into the plastic.  They're designed for short-term cigar storage and travel and can automatically humidify cigars at around 70% humidity for 3 consecutive months.  After 3 months, you will need to replace the bags or move the cigars to a humidor.  Depending on the size of the humi-pouch, they can cost between $5-$15 per bag but they are completely reusable for 3 months once you break the seal on the bag.

Hopes this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok, Im gonna bother again, what if i smoke a cigar that may have beetle holes, but i dont know it, what can happen to me?

ANSWER: Hi Ben,

Tobacco beetles leave behind a fine, dark powdery substance which is the remains of chewed up tobacco (left behind by the beetles) and their fecal matter.  If inhaled, this substance can become a respiratory irritant and even make you sick.  Symptons may include coughing (mild and severe), nausea, vomiting and even a throat and/or lung infection.  The same can happen if you smoked a moldy cigar and inhaled the mold spores.

Everybody reacts differently to inhaling bacterial mold and fine particulates.  They may make you cough mildly or they may make you extremely sick so I can't guarantee what might happen.  It most definitely won't kill you unless you're hyper-sensitive to bacteria/mold and have a poor immune system.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok, now i was lookin in the basement, and i found his humidor, it has a circle thing with this hard green sponge in it, and a hygometer, but how do i use this?,, and how long do i put the cigars in there?

Answer
Hi Ben,

The first thing you need to do is clean the interior of the humidor.  Use a vacuum cleaner with a soft-bristle attachment and vacuum the humidor.  If you see mold or a fuzzy white substance inside the humidor, vacuum it up and gently wipe the humidor down with some rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) to kill the residual mold spores.  Don't use too much rubbing alcohol, just use enough to lightly moisten the wood.  

Next, you should season the humidor.  This process isn't necessary but it will help the humidor absorb and regulate humidity more effectively.  If you don't season the humidor, your humidor may require more frequent refills and the humidity performance may be erratic.  Instructions for seasoning a humidor can be somewhat long so I'll leave this step out for now.  If you want to season the humidor, search this website for humidor seasoning instructions and you should find my detailed step-by-step instructions (or just ask me and I'll gladly repost the instructions for you.)

I'm not sure how long the humidor has not been used so you should season it.  It will take about 2-3 days to fully season a humidor.

To use your humidifier, unscrew the black circular housing and pour distilled water onto the green sponge.  (If the housing does not unscrew open, just carefully pour distilled water through the grill.)  Fully saturate the sponge with distilled water but not to the point where water will drip if the unit is upside down.  Screw the black housing back together and then place it in your humidor.  

You now need to salt test the hygrometer to make sure it's accurate.  Take a ziploc bag and place the hygrometer inside it.  Next, take a spoonful of regular salt and put it in a small dish.  Add a small amount of water to make the salt "crumbly" and place it inside the bag (don't let it touch the hygrometer.)  Seal the bag and let the hygrometer sit for at least 6 hours.  After 6 hours, it should display a reading of 75% humidity.  If it does, your hygrometer is accurate and you can put it inside the humidor now.  If the hygrometer does not display 75%, there should be a calibration knob, pin or screw on the back or side of the hygrometer that allows you to adjust the needle.  Adjust it so that it now reads 75%.  (NOTE: As an alternative, you should consider upgrading to a digital hygrometer which is more accurate and does not require any calibration.  You can buy one at any cigar store/tobacconist.  You can also upgrade your humidification device to an electronic unit that automatically maintains a proper humidity level without too much maintenance.)

Your humidification is now fully charged and your hygrometer is accurate.  You can now use the humidor and fill it with cigars.  Your humidor should produce approximately 70% humidity.  The safe humidity range for cigars is between 67-74% and 70% is considered ideal.  Whenever the humidity level begins to drop or your humidifier sponge feels a bit dry, add more distilled water.  If after a few days, the humidor's humidity level is still too low, you will need to re-season the humidor or add either a store-bought humidor "50/50" mixture or mix your own mixture with distilled water and propylene glycol.  

I'm not sure how dry your dad's cigars are but you should let them sit in the humidor for at least 4-8 weeks before smoking.  The cigars require this amount of time because they need to fully rejuvenate with humidity.  It's possible to smoke dry cigars but they will taste stale, burn too quickly/irregularly and possible crack or split from being too brittle.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you need seasoning instructions or have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James