How to 'recover' cigars

Redsoxfan

So I have a box of Cohibas I got as a present several years ago. They've started getting flaky - have only stored them in their wooden box at room temperature.

Is there any way to restore them? I've heard that wrapping them in damp newspaper and leaving them is a warm dry place might work? Like a hot press or a sun room perhaps?

Molloys Clondalkin

Keep away from the sunroom!!
I rescued a lot of punch's recently heres how I did it without getting a humidor.

I got a large container about 3 sozes bigger than the box.
then I got 3 smaller containers and filled them with water everything inside the big one and left indoors in the light of the sun.
What happens is the moisture in the air gets into the cigar and moistens it up nicely.

Now that was done with cigars that wernt that bad your box could be beyond repair.

OldGoat

A problem with the above method is that it's too quick. If the filler tobacco swells too quickly it will split the wrapper rendering the cigars usless.
Re-humidification has to be done slowly, over a period of weeks, raising the humidity day by day.
You could start off with the cigars in the plastic box with the water containers but keep them in a slightly opened ziplock bag.
Gradually expose them by opening the ziplock more over a period of weeks to higher humidity levels and hopefull they will get back to a smokeable (if still imperfect) state.

Redsoxfan

Thanks guys.

So let's see, I presume that you don't cover the containers with the water in them?

But cover the big container?

OldGoat

Yep. The idea to get moisture into the air and let the cigars absorb it from there.
If you really want to get exact you could buy a hydromomoter to measure and some glycol gel to humidify the inside of the large container but for a once off it's hardly worth it.

TomCo

I would say though, even if you can recover them to smokability they might not be worth smoking. I find rehumidified cigars to taste bland and stale.

OldGoat

Still better then chucking them on the compost heap.