Microwave drying with excellent results

[jvd1230]

I had an idea, what if you did the microwaving step prior to capping the cigar, then capped it afterwards, so that you can have a normal unpunched/cut cigar for storage? Not sure it makes a difference, but just an idea.

 

[Gdaddy]

I had an idea, what if you did the microwaving step prior to capping the cigar, then capped it afterwards, so that you can have a normal unpunched/cut cigar for storage? Not sure it makes a difference, but just an idea.

If the cigar is being put in storage then there's no need for the microwave. Let the cigar sit in a low humidity room for six weeks and it's dry and good to go. (It takes about that long for the core moisture to evaporate.)

I use the microwave only for quick test of a blend so I don't have to wait 6 weeks. I don't think there's any other benefit of using a microwave, so why use one if you don't really need to.

 

[jvd1230]

Ah I see, thanks for the clarification

 

[smthbrothrj]

Quick question, I made my own vacuum chamber with a old large jar and a bicycle pump that i reversed the piston head on. The jar is sealed then a negative pressure is created. The jar is then unsealed. Will the vacuum pump method work with what I made?
Also a secondary question. Traditionally speaking after I roll my cigars, at what RH/Time would give me the best evaporation rate w/o loss in wrapper quality?

 

[Marc L]

Quick question, I made my own vacuum chamber with a old large jar and a bicycle pump that i reversed the piston head on. The jar is sealed then a negative pressure is created. The jar is then unsealed. Will the vacuum pump method work with what I made?
Also a secondary question. Traditionally speaking after I roll my cigars, at what RH/Time would give me the best evaporation rate w/o loss in wrapper quality?

@Gdaddy can get the first part but, if you set the RH right you can smoke it right away and traditionally it will depend on the RH when it is rolled. if it is let to set up in a to low RH it can damage the wrapper. I like to change the set up RH amounts through it.

 

[Gdaddy]

Quick question, I made my own vacuum chamber with a old large jar and a bicycle pump that i reversed the piston head on. The jar is sealed then a negative pressure is created. The jar is then unsealed. Will the vacuum pump method work with what I made?
Also a secondary question. Traditionally speaking after I roll my cigars, at what RH/Time would give me the best evaporation rate w/o loss in wrapper quality?

I don't know how deep of a negative pressure you can pull using a bicycle pump but it should certainly be able to flush some of the air out and replenish with new air. You should hear the rush of air going back in the jar when you break the seal.

The goal is to take a bunch of cigars that are all different, unknown humidity levels and get them all down to an equally dry level. Then, uniformly rehydrate them with your target rh level using the vacuum for both down and up.

As mentioned, this can be accomplished without a vacuum pump by simply air drying but it takes several months to get dry down to the center core of the cigar. With a vacuum pump it can be done in a week or two and no harm will come to the wrapper. (I never go much lower than 55rh during the drying stage) Then flush with 65/70rh to get them back up where they belong.

Always use a hygrometer to see where your levels are.

Hope this helps!

 

[Gdaddy]

@Gdaddy can get the first part but, if you set the RH right you can smoke it right away and traditionally it will depend on the RH when it is rolled. if it is let to set up in a to low RH it can damage the wrapper. I like to change the set up RH amounts through it.

This is a good point. If your filler is properly hydrated then you could smoke it right off the table. I do find that the thicker ligero in the center can sometimes hold moisture longer than the thinner seco.

 

[smthbrothrj]

Thanks guys!

 

[jkpea]

I was so disappointed that my collection was over-humidified despite close attention to the hygrometer. I stumbled upon this site and this suggestion to microwave. Works so well I could not be more grateful for the advice! Thank you very much!

 

[Bruce T.]

I was so disappointed that my collection was over-humidified despite close attention to the hygrometer. I stumbled upon this site and this suggestion to microwave. Works so well I could not be more grateful for the advice! Thank you very much!

I've been rolling off and on for several years. I always brought all my leaf up to case and my rolls were always too wet. This often resulted in very hard draws. Now I know to keep my filler leaf much dryer than the wrapper and binder. My cigars are much better now and can be smoked the next day (but I always put them in the humidor for a few weeks).

 

[Dominican56]

If I planned better my leaf would be in perfect condition. Sometimes I roll a few on a whim and the leaf is sometimes too dry. If it's filler and I can get away with it being a bit too dry I use the book method of bunching. But I usually end up spritzing a bit so I have to leave the stick to dry overnight. (when I roll only one or two smoking that day)
Or..... I microwave the damn thing! The downside, sometimes the wrapper want's to come unglued since the moisture is being released and it's a bit of guess work/experience to know how much to microwave it.

 

[Gdaddy]

If I planned better my leaf would be in perfect condition. Sometimes I roll a few on a whim and the leaf is sometimes too dry. If it's filler and I can get away with it being a bit too dry I use the book method of bunching. But I usually end up spritzing a bit so I have to leave the stick to dry overnight. (when I roll only one or two smoking that day)
Or..... I microwave the damn thing! The downside, sometimes the wrapper want's to come unglued since the moisture is being released and it's a bit of guess work/experience to know how much to microwave it.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Plan a few days ahead and have all your leaf properly cased prior to rolling. It's so easy to do, just spritz a small mist of water in the bag of leaf and let it sit for a couple of days.

If you must microwave, I'd do it in very small increments of time. For one cigar start at 8 seconds on high. Blowing out the visible steam each time. If you go for too long you can end up cooking the leaf inside the cigar.

 

[Dominican56]

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Plan a few days ahead and have all your leaf properly cased prior to rolling. It's so easy to do, just spritz a small mist of water in the bag of leaf and let it sit for a couple of days.

If you must microwave, I'd do it in very small increments of time. For one cigar start at 8 seconds on high. Blowing out the visible steam each time. If you go for too long you can end up cooking the leaf inside the cigar.

and in the summer time, put it in the refrigerator to cool. It's cool dry air. Don't want the stick to suck the humid air back into it. I've got it down to a science. LOL

 

[Burnaz16]

I have been microwaving cigars with excellent results for some time now. So good are the results that I'll try to explain the procedure and why it renders such a good cigar.

We've all heard that the best thing is to let your cigar 'rest' after rolling. Absolutely true and the reason for this is to let the cigar shed some of the moisture in the leaf to reach a point of proper dryness for smoking. If you have the time of 3 or 4 months this certainly works PROVIDED the environment they are stored has a RH low enough. (Lower RH does the job faster.)

First, let look at what a microwave does and doesn't do...
Not to get too technical but it's important to understand what's happening.The microwave works by vibrating the water molecule using a radio frequency. That's it, nothing more. A myth that many people grasp onto is that it works using radioactivity or that it alters the molecular structure in some way. False. It simply causes a vibration between the molecules. There is NO "nuking" happening. The microwave has an a technical advantage in that it heats the entire cigar at the same time. It doesn't just heat the outside, it heats the center also and that's a good thing. It's important to understand that this procedure works ONLY if your cigars can benefit from being overly moist or on the higher side of normal.

Remember, your tobacco is probably already fermented and is several years old. Once rolled, any further aging will probably do very little to improve the smoke. The main reason you put them away to 'rest' is to get the moisture level lower all the way to the middle of the cigar and uniformly so.

If you could do a time lapse of the normal 'age drying process' you'd see the cigar drying from the outside in to the middle over a few months. The center core would be the last to dry and this does take some time to get a uniform moisture level throughout the cigar. So the uniformity of the microwave is a big plus in speeding up the process.

So... if your put a new cigar in a microwave and mic'd it for a SHORT period of time you could turn the internal moisture to steam. The problem is and why many have failed with this experiment, once it's moisture is turned to steam, the steam must be removed or the cigar will just re-absorb the moisture. Nothing gained and you end up with a molested cigar. Not good. Another fail is to give the cigar too much time and it will super heat the steam and ruin the cigar. Literally cooking the cigar.

My first success was to punch or cut the end of the cigar and them mic it for only 10 seconds. (standard household microwave heats one cigar very quickly) then remove the cigar and blow in the end to remove the steam from inside the cigar. You can actually see the steam blowing out the end if you do it under a light. (I blow it into the vent fan under the microwave and can clearly see the steam blowing out).

Then, another 10 seconds and blow it out again. By the third time the steam had diminished to little to none coming out. Stop, it's done. Let it cool for half an hour and it's ready to smoke. Like it's rested for 4 months. Yes, it really is that easy.

I had cigars that were bitter and un-smokable turn into very good tasting cigars in less than a minutes time. NO, it doesn't turn every crap cigar into a Padron. It simply brings the moisture level down. This however, can make a HUGE difference in how it smokes. It not only tastes better but it will burn better also. (If your cigars are aged well there will be NOTHINg GAINED by doing this procedure. This process is for any cigar that may be overly moist. If the cigar has a bitter taste this may be the answer to correct it. I promise, the results have been astonishing.

Taken one step further...

Doing one cigar at a time is fine but what if you have a bunch of cigars to do? I have a vacuum pump that I rigged up where I can put 15 cigars (or more) at a time. I microwave the entire bunch and then immediately put on the lid and pull a vacuum. This sucks out all the steam and air from the very inside of the cigar.

After vacuuming, upon opening the valve, fresh 54% rh air from the room goes rushing back into the cigars. This does a very thorough vacuum of the internal of the cigar all the way to it's core and replenished with low humidity. The cigars are remarkably dry and ready to smoke.

Note: After rolling fresh cigars I wait a day or two for the outside wrapper to dry before microwaving.

My set-up...

View attachment 84443

Just a question on the process. Before you started poking holes in the end did you ever get a split wrapper because of the steam build up needing to escape and having nowhere to go? This sounds like a great quick fix though. That vacuum rig is tits too.

 

[Gdaddy]

Just a question on the process. Before you started poking holes in the end did you ever get a split wrapper because of the steam build up needing to escape and having nowhere to go? This sounds like a great quick fix though. That vacuum rig is tits too.

You shouldn't microwave the cigar without the end being cut open because you need to blow out the steam/moisture. It's really important or else the steam will just stay inside the cigar and reabsorb back into the leaf causing an expansion or swelling and certainly can split the wrapper open.

If your cigars are too moist and you want to smoke them now then this works quite well. One cigar start at 8/10 seconds and blow out immediately. Baby steps. If you over do it you will ruin the cigar. Believe me, I've done it. You can actually dry the cigar out too much if you over do it. Learn the method and you can use it for a lifetime.

 

[berz324]

holy crap @Gdaddy thank you for this. I know this is an old thread but I tried your microwave method last night on a fairly fresh rolled stick and holy crap what a difference! It firmed up the cigar nicely, making it feel more like a "premium" cigar, and the flavors were much much smoother. I'm sure mine will get better if I quit being so quick to smoke them, but man this helped a ton. Thank you!

 

[saymzy62]

amazing process that works

 

[Dooder]

I was skeptical, and I won't say it "works" but it does something for sure haaha.

So I was recommended the Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask to try out so I ordered some. When they delivered they were quite wet. I could feel the coolness when holding it and it was squishy, really tight band. When I took it out of the cello it was exuding windex haaha. Maybe thats the cherry sweetness people are saying they smell? i had already tried one and it was pretty not good.

So anyways I thought it would be the perfect specimen for this experiment. I zapped it for 10 seconds and was surprised and had no idea what was happening. The stiffness was around half mast haaha, it was squishy and I thought it was trashed. But I cut it and blew out the steam. This steam was stinging my eyes and nose, it was the ammonia! When it was clear I zapped it again and more steam came out. Hit it again and I notice the cigar firming up and less steam. 4th inning has very little steam. It also has shruken in ga quite a bit. Before treatment the band was tight. After round four the band was free spinning on the cigar I let it cool and breathe for a few hours and then lit er up. It was a completely different smoke. More flavors, expected flavors, and good burn characteristic. Did it make the cigar better? Yes for sure. Is it a good cigar?...well I'm not doing a review but I'll just say no. I have yet to taste an AJ cigar that is good to me.

Is it different than if it was naturally dried? I have a stick in the humidor and I'll revisit it 6 months to see if it got its act together.

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to experiment with some hand rolls and see what happens!

 

[Love]

Very cool! I tried at home good results. Have made any improvements to your rig?

 

[icehog3]