Small tupperdor over-humidify

[KLF]

So, being a totally noob in the cigars field , I did my best : Bought 4 cigars, put them in a tupperware, together with a gel with water and a very cheap hygrometer and thought everything is set.

Well, the hygrometer read 92% but I thought the blasted thing is off anyway, cost me 5$ on ebay. Anyway been more than a week and the cigars are very soft, mushy I should say. Smoked one yesterday but it was hard to lit and it gone off couple of times. Cigars that I smoke right after buying them from a BM store where firmer, being kept in a proper humidor.
I took the gel out now, the hygrometer read 84 now. I live in Israel so the humidity in the air is pretty high here anyway.

My question is, how can I undone the damage made to the cigars, can I dry them back a little bit ? They are in a zippo bag inside the tupperware.
I bought online a Boveda 62 pack but it will be awhile until it'll arrive. I read something about cat litter, should I try that until the Boveda arrives ?

 

[Smoqman]

I would start with a very small package (you can use a nylon stocking) of dry clay or crystal cat litter. It must be unscented - It must be unscented (repeated twice for emphasis)

Insert the dry cat litter into your tupperdore and monitor the humidity over the next hour or so.... and even longer. The cat litter me absorb some of the moisture and lower the relative humidity. It will be extremely important that you monitor this...

 

[KLF]

How about rice, I know that helps with Iphones ☺?

 

[Smoqman]

That's a good idea, as long as the rice isn't perfumed.... And I wouldn't let the rice make physical contact with your smokes, keep it in another compartment perhaps in a very small dish

 

[D Quintero]

dehumidifying with a bone dry medium will just dry out the wrapper to a crisp. that's bad ...

the key here would be to ease down the rh - its gonna take some time for this though.

 

[KLF]

dehumidifying with a bone dry medium will just dry out the wrapper to a crisp. that's bad ...

the key here would be to ease down the rh - its gonna take some time for this though.

What is a bone dry medium? If not rice or cat litter, what do you suggest?

 

[atbat82]

Maybe an obvious question, but did you calibrate your hydrometer? You could leave the cover Open on the Tupperware for a little while. Might help. Boveda will do the trick once they arrive.

 

[D Quintero]

Leave the tupperware partially open abit soas to allow for some air exchange .an idea is perhaps you can store them in the fridge allowing the cigars to shed the excess rh ?
monitoring daily oughtta suffice

 

[KLF]

The hygrometer cannot be calibrated, never thought to check before I bought it.
I can put the tupperdor in the fridge, but I'm not sure if the cigars will not catch some food scent? For how long can I put them in the fridge?

 

[ZaneG]

Just leave the lid off a bit. Not sure where you live but this time of hear my house is so dry it will pull some out slowly. Just watch it

 

[KLF]

Just leave the lid off a bit. Not sure where you live but this time of hear my house is so dry it will pull some out slowly. Just watch it

I live in Israel, Middle East ☺, lots of humidity any time of the year...

 

[D Quintero]

your call Bro ... if theres fish and gourmet cheeses in the fridge then yeah , don't even put the smokes in there

considering its relatively only 4 smokes, and cool temps aren't necessarily an absolute need to restore the smoke , you can leave them ground level in a closed cooler shaded cellar or closet type environment .

Good Luck

 

[KLF]

your call Bro ... if theres fish and gourmet cheeses in the fridge then yeah , don't even put the smokes in there

considering its relatively only 4 smokes, and cool temps aren't necessarily an absolute need to restore the smoke , you can leave them ground level in a closed cooler shaded cellar or closet type environment .

Good Luck

I'll try that, maybe I'll put them in the fridge overnight

 

[Cigary43]

Tupperware works best with KL as the RH media...if you use other medias they tend to enhance RH to a higher degree of which you've already learned. Tupperware works great as long as you know how to use it....it is not like a wood humidor that breathes...tupperware "seals" and that is why your RH is high. I don't advocate using a fridge for any reason as it will suck out whatever humidity you have with your cigars and that's going to spell disaster when you want to smoke it. You will end up taking your cigars from one extreme to the other and that will ruin a cigar. Once you've tested your tupperware with whatever media you want to us...ensure it is at the % you want and then put in your cigars....not the other way around.

 

[ZaneG]

Just leave the lid off a bit. Not sure where you live but this time of hear my house is so dry it will pull some out slowly. Just watch it

I live in Israel, Middle East ☺, lots of humidity any time of the year...

Oh. Well Shalom!

 

[atbat82]

The hygrometer cannot be calibrated, never thought to check before I bought it.
I can put the tupperdor in the fridge, but I'm not sure if the cigars will not catch some food scent? For how long can I put them in the fridge?

You could at least check your hydrometer (salt test works pretty well). Even if you can't calibrate it, you can at least find out how far off it is.

Either way, Boveda will fix it!

 

[KLF]

Great idea, I'll try a salt test and see where I stand.

 

[KLF]

Well turns out that my hygrometer is dead on spot. The salt test came out at 75, no calibration or compensation needed.
I put the sticks in a closed zip bag and the bag inside the tupperware.

update: after half day I have 74 humidity and 77 temperature in the ziplock. I'll have tomorrow kitty crystals and maybe I'll improve it a little bit.

 

[ZaneG]

Well turns out that my hygrometer is dead on spot. The salt test came out at 75, no calibration or compensation needed.
I put the sticks in a closed zip bag and the bag inside the tupperware.

update: after half day I have 74 humidity and 77 temperature in the ziplock. I'll have tomorrow kitty crystals and maybe I'll improve it a little bit.

Make sure they are unscented!