On This Page:
- Is the Cigar You’re Smoking Too Dry?
- Is There a Fast Way to Revive Dry Cigars?
- How to Tell if a Rehydrated Cigar is Ready to Smoke
Do cigars go bad? Yes. If by bad you mean dry, you can rehumidify cigars so you can still smoke them. Using Boveda in a humidor bag, airtight humidor or tupperdor is the safest, easiest way to rehydrate cigars, but it does take some time.
Unfortunately, a lot of cigar smokers learn the hard way why it’s important to preventively store cigars with humidity protection. Let’s say the damage is done and you think your cigars are toast. If the wrappers are intact, there’s a good chance you can rehydrate a dry cigar with Boveda. The dried out cigar pictured below is beyond repair.
If a Stick is Cracked and Beyond Repair, Here’s a Cigar Smoker’s Mea Culpa to Perform Once, Then Never Again
- Apologize for destroying a handmade artisanal work of art.
- Compost the body by giving it back to the earth.
- Promise never to mistreat any cigar ever again because you’re about to learn how to take care of cigars with a little brown cigar pack that costs less than $4 a pop.
How to Tell If a Cigar is Dry
- Oils and sugars from the filler, binder and wrapper never marry (sad)
- Flavor is stale
- Cigar burns too hot, too fast
In 3 Steps, Learn How to Rehydrate Cigars Using Boveda
- Put cigars in an airtight container, a humidity controlled container, tupperdor or humidor bag.
- Add Boveda 69% RH to rehydrate the cigars.
- In a month, remove a cigar and smoke it. If it’s great, congratulations. If it burns too hot, keep rehydrating the rest of the cigars with Boveda 2-way humidity packs for another two weeks.
Why Does Rehydrating Cigars with Boveda Take a Month?
Cigars lose moisture 4x as fast as they can safely gain moisture. Exposing dry cigars to a stable 69% RH with Boveda minimizes the chance that the wrapper will crack as the filler gains moisture and grows. Nothing good happens quickly with cigars, so be patient.
Why Start with 69% RH? Shouldn’t I Gradually Increase the RH of Dry Cigars?
You can, but you don’t have to mess with stairstepping RH to rehydrate cigars when you use Boveda 69% RH. We tested it.
Scientists in the Boveda Innovation Center confirmed that you can safely rehydrate cigars with 69% RH 2-way humidifier packs, which is the “sweet spot” for most sticks. The tobacco acts like it’s on cruise control naturally regulating the speed it absorbs the water vapor. That’s why reviving cigars with Boveda takes at least a month. Bonus: The Boveda acts like the brake, so the RH won’t climb above 69%. You won’t over-humidify a dry cigar with Boveda, plus it prevents the tobacco inside from bloating, which can crack the wrapper.
If your moisture-starved cigars have fragile wrappers, however, you might feel more comfortable gradually raising the RH. They’re your cigars, go for it. Here’s how to do steadily increase the moisture level of dry cigars using Boveda 65% RH and 69% RH packs.
How to Rehydrate Cigars By Gradually Increasing RH with Boveda
- Put cigars with Boveda 65% RH in an airtight container, like a tupperdor or humidor bag for four weeks.
- Remove the 65% RH packs and replace them with Boveda 69% RH for four weeks.
- Now remove a cigar and smoke it. Burn too fast? Continue rehydrating the rest of the cigars with Boveda 69% RH for another two weeks.
NOTE: Don’t mix RH levels within the same tupperdor or humidor bag.
How Many Boveda Do I Use to Revive Cigars?
For every 25 or fewer cigars you rehydrate, use one Boveda Size 60.
How to Tell if a Rehydrated Cigar is Ready to Smoke
Pick up CigarMedics HumidiMeter™, one of the best cigar gadgets to come out in years! Use it to check the moisture content of sticks, which means you can also assess the progress of reviving your cigars. Just remove a cigar from the Boveda Humidor Bag and insert the probes into the head or foot of the cigar. If you get a reading between 60 to 70% RH, your cigar is prime for smoking. Learn more the HumidiMeter here.
How Do You Revive Dry Cigars Fast?
You can’t rush cigar rehydration if your goal is to eventually salvage a smoke from the dry sticks.
You might have watched videos that show how to revive dry cigars with wet sponges, crystals and beads. (Or worse yet, by submerging cigars!) PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME—OR ANYWHERE ELSE.
Those risky ways shock cigars with too much moisture, too quickly. And, unlike Boveda, one-way cigar humidifiers don’t know when to stop the moisture, which is overkill for your original cigar problem. This “flashing” of your cigars with high humidity is dangerous any time, but especially when the wrappers are dry and hypersensitive to moisture. Could it work? Sure. But the odds are your wrappers will crack when you finally settle in for a smoke. Why further risk your cigar investment?
Prevent Cigars from Drying Out By Using Boveda in Tupperdors, Humidors and Travel Cases
Boveda for Cigars come in four different RHs, the one you choose depends on the cigars you’re storing, the container you’re using to store cigars and your climate. (And Boveda makes a high RH for seasoning a wood humidor, if you need to prep a new humidor or tune-up your tried-and-true cigar box.) Shop Boveda best sellers for cigars here.
Boveda For Reviving Dry Cigars & More
Bring dry cigars back to life in a Large Boveda Humidor Bag, which comes preloaded with Boveda 69% RH. Fits up to 80 loose sticks.
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Rehydrate up to 15 cigars in the Medium Boveda Humidor Bag, which comes with Boveda 69% RH. Makes a great a travel humidor, too.
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Online retailer send you dry sticks? Before you smoke them, revive dry cigars with Boveda 69% RH in a tupperdor. Wait a month, perfection.
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An unseasoned wood humidor robs cigars of moisture. Before adding cigars, season a new wood humidor the right way with the Boveda Humidor Starter Kit.
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