Dried out sticks..........what to do.....

[Nacho Daddy]

This may be worth trying if you have recently received a missing box.If you toss them in a fully humid humidor you will wreck them.please read this.....

I have rejuvenated hundreds of cigars,and learned the hard way what does not work.

This works,you will need patience.

Put the sticks in a large ziplock bag with the feet away from the opening.If you want to,you can tape an old band around the foot,this will help prevent swelling.Use one with a straight edge if possible.

Get a piece of paper towel 4 inches square,fold it twice to the size of a postage stamp.

Add 5 or 6 DROPS of distilled water to the towel.no more,please

Put this in the ziplock near the opening and away from the feet of the cigars.Obviously,close the bag.

check the towel daily,you can do this by squeezing the towel through the bag.

when it is dry ,add 5 to 6 DROPS again.this could be needed daily or not,depends on the size and quantity of cigars.

in 6 to 8 weeks your sticks will be less fragile and ready to move.Put a digital hygrometer in the bag ,remove the towel,close bag for 6 hours or so,and get a reading.when they reach 65% they can be moved, unless you keep your stock at a lower point.

I would enjoy hearing from you around late January if you try this.Also I would like to try one of your rescued sticks......

 

[Trent0341]

Unfortunately I put mine in my humidor a couple of days ago or I would give this a try. I would also be interested in hearing from those who give this a try. On a side note I have several other shipments that may end up showing up after a year or two. If I do I will try this method.

 

[Cigary43]

I agree 100% with you on this recipe to which I posted this on a Cigar Forum about 6 years ago and pretty much got tar'd and feather'd for it. It's funny to note how close our recipes are from the first day to the end. Patience is very key here and so is the time as to how dried out the sticks are. If they have been out of a humidor environment for longer than 2 months then understand you'll never get them back to when they were at their best...you'll probably lose at least 40% but if they are really good cigars with a high pedigree...I'd still try to bring them back even at 40% loss.

 

[Nacho Daddy]

"you'll probably lose at least 40% but if they are really good cigars with a high pedigree...I'd still try to bring them back even at 40% loss."

Have found that you can count on better than that.I have some 2001 sticks that have come back to a point where I think they are excellent,so good that I could not imagine them being any better.Nothing I have revived has been noticeably weak or diminished,apart from some Davidoff that lived in a desk drawer for a few years.Even they are good,but have lost a lot of character........

 

[CWS]

Never had this work out, but doesn't mean it is not worth trying.

 

[Cigary43]

"you'll probably lose at least 40% but if they are really good cigars with a high pedigree...I'd still try to bring them back even at 40% loss."

Have found that you can count on better than that.I have some 2001 sticks that have come back to a point where I think they are excellent,so good that I could not imagine them being any better.Nothing I have revived has been noticeably weak or diminished,apart from some Davidoff that lived in a desk drawer for a few years.Even they are good,but have lost a lot of character........

I've done this with a few sticks that got "lost" and had a few months of too much air time with no RH at all. I knew it would be a task to try and get them into some kind of decent smoking profile but I've never had them come back to where I thought mine were excellent...at best it was at the 40% mark. Cigars can be a little different when you consider RG, how much RH they had before they went dry but as you pointed out...they lose a certain "character, profile, sweetness, etc." but as long as they still have a decent enough taste it's worth the time invested to bring them back.

 

[UtahRootBeer]

in my very very limited experience and not with a cuban, they did seem a little less flavorful. i guessed that it was becuase the oils dried up so i didn't have that same richness anymore.

 

[Deadman's Point]

Never had this work out, but doesn't mean it is not worth trying.

+1... My hopes have been dashed after trying all sorts of remedies.

 

[Nacho Daddy]

Has anyone tried this,and if so is it working?????????

 

[halel]

I just dip mine in water 0.o

 

[Smoqman]

Tom, I may dry out a couple just to try this. If i do , I'll send you one

 

[shoe_game_proper]

Great info bro. A lot of shops out here in Europe don't maintain their humidor RH at all. I'll give this a shot next time.

 

[TheFoosh]

This is something I've been wandering out being new to the lifestyle. Thanks for the info.

 

[Nacho Daddy]

Good friend Mike in Cali sent word a few months back that he was trying to rejuvenate some CCs that went missing for a long time.He sent a pic of the ziplock he used and had a couple of questions about a concern,nothing major.

A while later I asked if he thought things were working out,and he was happy to report all was well,progress was being made.

He was kind enough to send me a 5er of the sticks he was rejuvenating,some Upmann Mag 48 ELs from'09.

They arrived solid,well humidified,aromatic,looking like they had been perfectly kept and were thriving.

Had one and I must say,not only did he do a fantastic job,but it was one of the best sticks I have EVER had.Very smooth,lots of flavor,excellent balance,stellar aromas,just a wonderful stick all around.

It was not my first Mag 48,I seem to remember at least 3 prior to this one,and none of them did much for me,so I never invested in them.

If the rest are as good as the first one I will be stocking up on these............

Hope to hear from anyone else who tried this,and how it is going for you...........

 

[DirtyHarrie]

This may be worth trying if you have recently received a missing box.If you toss them in a fully humid humidor you will wreck them.please read this.....

I have rejuvenated hundreds of cigars,and learned the hard way what does not work.

This works,you will need patience.

Put the sticks in a large ziplock bag with the feet away from the opening.If you want to,you can tape an old band around the foot,this will help prevent swelling.Use one with a straight edge if possible.

Get a piece of paper towel 4 inches square,fold it twice to the size of a postage stamp.

Add 5 or 6 DROPS of distilled water to the towel.no more,please

Put this in the ziplock near the opening and away from the feet of the cigars.Obviously,close the bag.

check the towel daily,you can do this by squeezing the towel through the bag.

when it is dry ,add 5 to 6 DROPS again.this could be needed daily or not,depends on the size and quantity of cigars.

in 6 to 8 weeks your sticks will be less fragile and ready to move.Put a digital hygrometer in the bag ,remove the towel,close bag for 6 hours or so,and get a reading.when they reach 65% they can be moved, unless you keep your stock at a lower point.

I would enjoy hearing from you around late January if you try this.Also I would like to try one of your rescued sticks......

Wow this is the perfect advice for me. I have a little more then half a box of Monte No.4's that are dried out. No harm in trying!
When having them in the ziplock does it need to be in a dark place? Cause if its hidden away I feel like I'll forget to check the towel.

 

[DirtyHarrie]

Little bump to try and get an answer. I'd like to try and bring the montes back to life ASAP

 

[jmartins]

My best opinion for you and a real slow building process. I am assuming that your RH in your apartment should be roughly 30-35. So I would go about it this way. Put them in an air tight box with some KL. The KL should be at roughly 50-55 RH. Leave a hygrometer in with them. You'll notice the RH lower once it balances out spray the KL twice with DW. This will take weeks once you get up to 63 and it sticks they should be good to go. Try one see how they taste and then let them rest or smoke them entirely up to you.

 

[DirtyHarrie]

Thanks man! I definitely will be taking it slow to revive them, but at the moment cash is tight and i dont have any gear like a hydrometer so I'm gonna go with the ziplock and paper towel. In a few weeks when the RH needs to be checked Im hoping the cash flow will be a little looser and i can get one. I'm just wondering if being in the light is a problem or not with the zip lock?

 

[jmartins]

Should not be direct light it is hard on the RH so maybe you should dry a cooler darker place.

 

[DirtyHarrie]

Perfect! Thank you again :thumbup: