How to re-humidify

[Zmilin]

A family friend sent me a couple boxes of cigars he has had for a while. He lives in Southern Cal (San Pedro) and has kept the boxes in his closet. He always keeps his house at a comfortable temp (lets say high 60s). Both boxes are (were) sealed.
Boxes are La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 and Royal Jamaica Double Coronas.

I think the La Glorias are gone. 24 count wooden box, bare cigars, lots of cracks in the cigars (most not all) and when smokes they are very smokey, dry and tasteless.
I just opened the Royal Jamiacas. 10 count, box was wrapped in factory plastic. Cigars are individually wrapped in cellophane, no physical damage to the sticks, cell wrappers are yellowed. Ipulled one out and the cigars are firm and visually drier than they should be. They still have some aroma but its minimal. The La Glorias have more aroma.

So what are your opinions? Gone or salvageable? If salvageable what would be the best way to dehumidify them.

Here are some pics:

This was on the bottom of the Royla Jamaica box

This was on the bottom of the La Gloria box

 

[CWS]

Once they dry out, they lose their oils and taste. Sad but true. You can try to slowly re-humidify but as for me, this has never worked to the point that the cigar was smokable. Sorry.

 

[SFerrojr]

Damn, that's a shame. I used to love the Jamaican made RJ's. Wish they were still around... Pesky hurricane.

 

[Cigary43]

Yep....once they lose their essential oils they are pretty much a bunch of rolled up dried out tobacco with pretty bands on them. It's just a shame but you can't raise the dead...or a cigar.

 

[Zmilin]

I know the La Gloria's are gone but I'm not so sure those Royal Jamaicas are gone. I've got the box in a large zip lock bag with a small humidipack, right now it reads at 44% humidity. I'm gonna let it sit like that for a couple days then add another pack and see what happens.

If anyone has suggestions on how to go about rehumidifying I'd love to hear them.

 

[Cigary43]

It's a slowwwww process if you want to try...bring them back with no more than a couple of degrees of RH per week until you get it back to around 67%. If you bring it back too fast they will explode on you....so slow is the operative process. Don't expect to get them back to normal...at best you can probably hope for around 50% of what they were. When RH is sucked out of the tobacco and the oils are not present....you have to be a realist as to your expectations so with that in mind..let the experiment begin.

 

[rob.marcroft]

Sad too. Pre-Gilbert RJ'S are pretty good.