Expert: James Yee - 10/24/2007

Question
I recently came across a box of Romeo y Julieta no.1 cuban cigars dated 2003. They are still in their tubes but on examination are extremely firm and dry to the touch. Can these cigars be rescued or should i throw then in the bin? Your advice on this would be of great help.

Answer
Hi Alan,

Dry cigars – no matter how old or dry they are - can definitely be saved.  What you should do is place them in your humidor and allow them to sit and absorb the humidity for as long as possible.  The longer they sit in your humidor undisturbed, the better.  Typically, dry cigars can be revived within 2-6 months if the humidor is properly maintained at 70% humidity.  If the dry cigars are extremely fragile, leave them in the cigar tubes for now but remove the cigar tube caps so that they are more exposed to the humidity.  If the cigars are firm enough to be handled by hand right now, remove them from the tubes and allow them to sit in the humidor undisturbed for 4 weeks.  After 1 month of sitting in your humidor at 70% humidity, the cigars can be returned to the tubes for the remainder of the rejuvenation process if you prefer.

For extremely delicate and brittle cigars (the kind that breaks and cracks upon human contact), the ideal humidity should be 60% for the first 3-4 weeks.  After 4 weeks, increase the humidity to 70% and allow the cigars to sit for an additional 3-5 months.  Subjecting extremely brittle cigars to 70% humidity immediately can actually cause the cigars to split and peel so its important to remember that the more dry a cigar is, the more delicate the rejuvenation process must be.

After 6 months, the cigars should be in excellent smoking condition.

Hopes this answers your question.  

Regards,
James