restoring dry cigars questions.......

[Blackz32tt]

So im not sure if this is in the right forum section but ill et the mods move this if it is.

So my friends recently bought a 25ct cab. of Siglo VI from a friend who had come back from cuba on a trip. Upon opening the box he realized the cigars were in bad shape, they were dried up to a crisp and rock hard. Im guessing atleast a few months unhumidified. I am in process of helping him restore the cigars and upon further inspection i noticed a few holes in the cigars and can only assume they had beetles as well. The damage isnt bad just 4 cigars with one hole each. So i went through the whole process of freezing and now im onto adding some moisture to them. i have them stored in a travel humi. and a cigar box with a damp sponge My questions are:

will the flavour of these cigars be permanently altered or they even worth salvaging ne more?
how long should i slowly add moisture before i can safely add them to the humidor thats at 65%?
is there ne thing else i need to know?

any help or advice would be appreciated as ive never done this before
thnxs in advance guys and gals

 

[oldglory]

If the oils are gone........well ya might be better off smoking a roly.. I wouldn't even waste my time.....ya said they are rock hard and have beetle activity.....just pitch em.

 

[IndyPaintballSmoker]

If the oils are gone........well ya might be better off smoking a roly.. I wouldn't even wast my time.....ya said they are rock hard and have beetle activity.....just pitch em.

My cousin actually likes roly cigars...

 

[ctaylor]

The flavor will definitley be changed, as the oils have dried up. I do think it is worth trying to restore them, you have nothing else to lose. I have read before it is a 3 months slowly working the humidity up until putting in humi at 65 (or whatever it is set at) for another 3 months.

 

[oldglory]

My cousin actually likes roly cigars...

lol sorry I tried to think of a cigar I did not like.........Im sure I smoke some stix that others think are dog rockets

 

[Danilo]

you do not want to put it in with a damp sponge... it will cause them to crack...

you need to put them in a zip top bag, and seal across the bag, minus the last inch... and leave that in your humidor.
After a few weeks, open the bag, and still leave them there (by open, I just mean, Unzip the top, and let the bag sit... does not mean wide open)... with time, they will pick up humidity slowly...

If you expose them to 60%+ RH right away, they will likely crack from the filler picking up humidity, and the wrapper being very dry.

 

[dpricenator]

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!!!

You damp sponge will cause the filler to swell quickly and will crack the wrappers. They may still smoke OK, but they will never be as they once were. I would not pitch them, but also are you sure your home freezer is cold enough to kill all the eggs? my guess is no.

 

[Blackz32tt]

thnxs guys i was sure they wouldnt be the same ne more. Sad to see im not gonna pitch them as they arent mine jus helping a buddy out. I work in a kitchen as we have freezers that stay constant at -12 celsius. Is that cold enough?

well atleast its also a confirmation that Cuba is not freezing cigars to prevent beetles as the box date is OCO Jun 09.

 

[Danilo]

jun 09... those can't be that bad.

 

[smokemifugotem]

I know I am late to party...but just keep them at steady humi for awhile! I had similiar experience from a guy who got some as a gift and had them no humi for over a month before he realized he was still not a cigar smoker He gave them to me rather than pitch...sat in my humi for a loooooonnnnngggg time. This winter I tried one and it was not that bad. Missed out on some flavor...but crisp was gone and smoked fine. Do like you said...keep them and see what happens. Worst case scenario...toss them in a year. You lost nothing but space.

And yes...that is cold enough...it will kill all ur beetles!

 

[Mitch]

I know common belief is that once the oils dry out, the cigar is flavorless, but I'm not sure that I believe that. First, from the stand point that the oils will leave solids when they dry, so it's not like it evaporated and is gone. Second, is I've smoked at least a hundred cigars that are at least fifty years old, I know could not have been stored correctly the whole time, many I had to bring back from dry rocks and most had good flavor. It's worth the time to slowly bring them back IMO.

 

[hdroadglide]

what mitch said. i don't think any of the 40-50 yr old sticks i've smoked could ever be considered "oily" lol. yet they have their own distinct flavor.

 

[smokemifugotem]

what mitch said. i don't think any of the 40-50 yr old sticks i've smoked could ever be considered "oily" lol. yet they have their own distinct flavor.

:thumbsup: exactly! And it would not shock me to find out some of those sat out of a humi for a month or two!

 

[oldglory]

I know common belief is that once the oils dry out, the cigar is flavorless, but I'm not sure that I believe that. First, from the stand point that the oils will leave solids when they dry, so it's not like it evaporated and is gone.

perhaps you misunderstood me .....I didn't mean they would be flavorless......and I agree tobacco oils will always be present.......I just think the bigger issue here is the beetles .... but looks like he got that licked.

 

[Mitch]

perhaps you misunderstood me .....I didn't mean they would be flavorless......and I agree tobacco oils will always be present.......I just think the bigger issue here is the beetles .... but looks like he got that licked.

Sorry, it was only a little pointed at what you said, mostly just things I keep hear being repeated. Your right.

 

[Blackz32tt]

allrighty guys thnxs for the input and great advice ill make sure to keep it nice and low and slow. ive got a few of my own VI that i can use for comparison.

much respect to all opinions

 

[Mixmaster15]

allrighty guys thnxs for the input and great advice ill make sure to keep it nice and low and slow. ive got a few of my own VI that i can use for comparison.

much respect to all opinions

I would love to hear your feedback/review in say, 6, 12 or 18 months.

:tiphat:

 

[Blackz32tt]

I would love to hear your feedback/review in say, 6, 12 or 18 months.

:tiphat:

for sure ill keep everyone updated on how it smokes. Hopefully they're still good and tasty. if not they still hopefully can be good for yard gars lol

mmm Siglo VI yard guys if only.......