Expert: James Yee - 4/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi James,

I'm going crazy trying to get my cigars right.  I bought a digital hygrometer and found out one of my humidors was at 81%.  Well you can imagine how mushy they were!. What's the fix?  I also purchased quite a few Hoyo's that came in a sealed box of 3 cigars.  I opened one after a couple weeks and it seemed very dry.  My question, Do they need to be removed from their boxes?  Suffice it to say,  I have read plenty on re-hydrating but need a plan to save some rather expensive smokes from death!  Thanks you.

ANSWER: Hi Kyle,

The first thing you must do is visually inspect your cigars for any signs of mold.  At prolonged exposure to 75% humidity and higher, mold can form on your cigars.  If not treated early, mold will ruin all your cigars.  If mold on your cigars is spotted early, your cigars can indeed be saved.  If you have mold on your cigars, continue to the next paragraph for directions on treating mold on cigars and your humidor. If you don't have mold, you can skip the fifth paragraph.

To treat mold on your cigars, first take a paper towel (dampened with distilled water) and delicately wipe the mold off the cigar.  Remove as much of the mold as possible but be gentle so you don't damage the cigar(s).  Next, take another paper towel and slightly moisten it with isopropyl alcohol.  Wipe the cigar with alcohol.  (Don't use too much. A tiny bit of alcohol to lightly "moisten" the cigars is enough.)  The alcohol will kill off any remaining mold particles.  After the cigar(s) have been wiped with alcohol, delicately re-wipe the cigars with another paper towel dampened with distilled water to dilute the alcohol.  Your cigars are now clean.  IMPORTANT: If mold has reached the foot of your cigars, it's too late to save them.  Once mold has spread to the open foot of a cigar, it's impossible to fully purge the mold from the multiple layers of filler tobacco.  At this point, it's best to throw the moldy cigar(s) away.

After your cigars have been cleaned, place them in either a Ziploc bag or tupperware container and store it in your refrigerator and monitor them closely for 1 week.  Refrigeration will slow down the mold growth (if still present) but still allow it to show itself.  If mold does re-appear on your cigars, repeat the cleaning process.  If mold doesn't appear after 7 days, your cigars are now clean.  During this time, your cigars should also lose their mushy-ness.  If not, just give them some more time to lose their humidity content.

Next, thoroughly inspect your humidor for any signs of mold presence.  If you do find mold in your humidor, thoroughly vacuum the humidor interior using a soft-bristle vacuum attachment (so you don't damage the interior wood.)  Once you've vacuumed all of the visible mold, take a paper towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol and wipe the humidor interior.  You don't need to use too much alcohol.  Just use enough to lightly moisten the wood.  After the humidor interior has been wiped with alcohol, re-wipe with distilled water and re-season your humidor if necessary.

81% humidity in your humidor is too high.  To regulate your humidity, you will need to add a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and Propylene Glycol (PG) to your humidification device.  A 50/50 mixture will automatically balance the humidity at exactly 70% and this is the ideal humidity level for cigars.  (The safe humidity range for cigars is 66-74% and 70% is considered perfect.)  After adding the 50/50 PG mixture, your humidor will need at least 1 week for the humidity to stabilize.  During this time, the humidity will dip and peak wildly so just be patient.

Propylene Glycol can last a long time in your humidor (on average, 2 years) so you only need to add this mixture just once.  Afterwards, simply add distilled water when needed.  If you are already using propylene glycol, it may either be A)no longer effective or B)not enough.  If you're already using PG and the mixture in your humidor is more than two years old, thoroughly rinse your humidifier element clean with distilled water and replace it with a fresh 50/50 dosage.  If you added PG recently and the humidity continues to be high, it may not be enough PG so fine-tune the mixture by adding a few more small drops to your humidification device.  If the humidity becomes too low while fine-tuning, add a bit more distilled water to dilute the PG.

Propylene Glycol is available at most cigar stores, tobacconists, pharmarcies, drug stores and chemical supply shops.  It can also be bought over the Internet from online retailers.

To further improve your humidor's performance, be sure to arrange your cigars so that they do not crowd your humidification device.  If your humidifier is crowded by cigars or humidor fixtures such as drawers, shelves or trays, the humidity can be obstructed not flow properly.  This can cause one area in your humidor to have more humidity than other areas which can cause mold to appear.  If you have a large humidor (100-count or greater), upgrade to an electronic humidifier that can circulate the humidity more properly.  Electronic humidifiers such as Cigar Oasis can also allow you to custom set the desired humidity level which will make things so much easier.  (You won't need PG mixtures if you use an electronic humidifer.)

As for your boxed cigars, it's perfectly fine to remove them from the box if they feel dry.  If you prefer to keep them in their boxes, simply remove the cellophane (if any) and leave the box lid/flap slightly open so humidity can circulate through it more effectively.  Again, an electronic humidifier with a circulating fan can help this.

Hopes this helps!  I know my reply is a bit long but when dealing with cigars, it's better to be safe than sorry!  As always, if you have anymore questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James


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

QUESTION: I do in fact have a Cigar Oasis "ultra" in the humidor that registered over 80%.  It was set at 70%.  I will contact the people at CO and see if they can help.  Thanks

Answer
Hi Kyle,

OK, as I mentioned, make sure your Cigar Oasis is not crowded by cigars or humidor fixtures as that will obstruct and localize the humidity; crating high, improper humidity flow.  (Also make sure your hygrometer is not situated too close to the Oasis.)  The unit may also be defective and the people at Cigar Oasis can help you with that.

Regards,
James