Expert: James Yee - 5/25/2011

Question
I checked my cigars this morning.  I'm not sure what happened but the humidity was reading 79% and the bottom of my humidor was wet and the bottom layer of cigars were wet.  I haven't checked my cigars in over a week so I'm not sure how long it's been in this condition.  Can I salvage the wet cigars.  As for teh other cigars, they seem dry but how can I know if they're okay.

Answer
Hi David,

The first thing you must do is remove all your cigars from the humidor and with a dry paper towel, delicate wipe them all dry.  Examine the cigars for any signs of mold.  If you find mold, put the cigars aside for now (keep the moldy cigars separate from your uninfected cigars).  You can now let all your cigars air dry while you work on the humidor.  Now, let your humidor sit open and thoroughly wipe the interior dry with a paper towel.  Examine the humidor bottom closely for any signs mold/discoloration.  If you find mold, let the humidor thoroughly dry out, vacuum the mold up with a vacuum and soft bristle attachment and then wipe down your humidor interior with isopropyl alcohol.  Let the humidor sit for a minute and then re-wipe with distilled water (to dilute the alcohol) and then re-season.

To treat moldy cigars, let them air-dry so that they're not so soft or mushy.  Delicately wipe them down with a bit if isopropyl alcohol, let the cigars sit for a minute, and then re-wipe with distilled water.  You should then put your treated cigars in a Ziploc bag (or tupperware container) and let them sit in your refrigerator for at least 1 week.  Monitor them closely everyday.  Refrigeration will slow down mold growth but still allow them to form if present.  If mold re-appears, repeat the cleaning process.  If mold does not appear, your cigars are safe to return to your humidor.

Excess moisture buildup in a humidor is usually caused by an obstruction of the humidifier.  This prevents humidity from properly circulating and in most cases, the humidity remains concentrated in a certain area of your humidor and continues to build up.  If the bottom of your humidor is wet, this means that humidity has not been able to flow to the top of your humidor so if your humidor has a tray/shelf, it may be overloaded with cigars.  Organize your cigars so that there are visible gaps for humidity flow.  Try not to stack or store your cigars tightly together.  It's also important that you do not stack too many cigars near the humidifier as this will also restrict humidity flow.

If you are using a passive humidification system (foam, beads, crystals, etc.), you may want to consider upgrading to an electronic humidifier that uses a motorized fan to circulate the humidity in your humidor more effectively.

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