How to rehydrate your Cuban cigar

All cigars dry up after a certain period of time if not cared for. Same law applies to Cuban cigars. Lets say you got a box of Cuban cigars, placed it in your house and went for a business trip. Once you come back, you realize that you forgot about your little beauties and when you run back to that secret place your find out that your Cuban cigars are literally dying.

Even though they were in the humidor at the time, without recharging it, it may not have kept the relative humidity that was necessary to keep them moist. What you end up with is a box of dry, unusable cigars. But are they actually unusable?

However, don't worry at all because their are several ways of bringing that Cuban cigar to life. Some methods are better than others but the rule of thumb should be never try to do it with lots of water. Lots of water is bad for your cigar as extra moisture can expand the tobacco and your cigar. The idea is to slowly hydrate it and in a very slow manner. Most likely you'll be able to bring your cigars to life but if its too late than its really too late. Take it as a lesson learned and never ever forget about your Cuban cigars. Experts suggest smoking them as soon as you get it while you have the chance because each cigar should be experienced to the fullest. I love smoking Cohiba Robustos on my patio with some wine.

A quick and easy way to rehydrate a cigar if it has become slightly dry is to put it in a plastic bag with some cedar linings out of a cigar box. Seal the bag for several days and then check to see how hydrated the cigars have become. This is not a cure for cigars that have been left on the shelf for several years. This is simply a way to add a little bit of hydration and to some cigars that have been left to dry out just a little bit.

If you're wondering how to rehydrate cigar because of them totally drying out, the process is a lot different. You need to take a container of some sort that is able to be totally sealed. One of the most popular that is used is a Tupperware container but you need to pick one that is flat on the bottom and has plenty of surface space. Go to your local cigar store and pick up some cedar liners, which they will probably give you for free.

Place these and a fully charged humidor into the container and seal it almost completely. Just leave a very slight opening in case the humidity levels get a little bit too high. Although it may take four weeks or more in order to totally rehydrate the cigars, many times they are salvageable even if they have been left for far too long.

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Discover everything about cuban cigars with Trevor W.