Cigars/Did I ruin my cigars?
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Question
Hello,
The other day I bought 4 very nice cigars:
Padron - Family Reserve - No. 45 - Maduro
Padron - 1926 - # 9 - Natural
Padron - 1926 - 80 Years - Maduro
Padron - 1926 - 40th Anniversary - Natural
I stored them in my humidor and after 24 hours went to check the humidity which was a bit high (around 74%). To remedy this I decided to leave the humidor open for a short time in order to bring the humidity level down. Then I made a very stupid mistake. Getting ready for bed I forgot about the open humidor and left it open over night (8 hours). By this time the RH had dropped down to 36%.
My question is by accidentally leaving my humidor open over night and subjecting these beautiful cigars to 36% humidity have I ruined them? I am concerned that I may have dried them out. Is this enough time to do irreversible damage to them?
Thank you
Hi Richard,
Don't worry, your cigars are not ruined. Even though your cigars were subjected to 36% for several hours, the exposure was very short term and won't leave any permanent damage to your cigars. Just regulate your humidor's humidity level back to an ideal level (70%) and let your cigars sit in the humidor for at least a week so that they can re-adjust to the normal humidity level again.
I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.
Regards,
James
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | He put my mind at ease regarding the question I had about potential damage to some newly acquired high end cigars. His answers were very clear and overall the advice was very helpful. | ||
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James Yee
Expertise
My main area of expertise is Cuban cigars but I can also assist you with cigar etiquette, humidor maintenance and troubleshooting. Unsure of a certain cigar brand? Wondering what a certain cigar tastes like? Have any questions about Cuban cigars? Just let me know! I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. (NOTE: My main focus is on premium, hand-rolled cigars and not cheap, machine made, convenience store cigars.) IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE CIGAR OR CIGAR-RELATED APPRAISALS. If you have a vintage cigar item and you want to know if it's worth something, please contact an antique dealer that specializes in "TOBACCIANA".
Experience
I currently have 19 dedicated years of cigar smoking and counting. I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. For 5 years, I studied with Cuban torcedores (rollers), catadores (taste testers) and revisadores (inspectors) on every aspect involving the production of the Cuban cigar and I am currently writing a book that will help beginners understand everything they need to know about cigars and cigar smoking.
Publications
Maple Leaf Gardens: Memories & Dreams 1931-1999 (1999; ISBN: 0920445616)
50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do (2006; ISBN: 0452286654)
The [London] Times (October 8, 2009)
Education/Credentials
B.A. University of Toronto
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