A friend of mine came over the other day and we started talking about cigars. Well, once I get started on cigars, I get the urge to have a smoke! I broke out two Macanudo Cafe Royale cigars, one for me and one for my buddy. As we chatted and smoked, he asked me what to do about an expensive Opus X he had that hadn’t been properly stored for a couple months.
He’s not a big time cigar smoker, but when someone gifts him a cigar, he keeps it for a rainy day. He had received the Opus X as a gift, but didn’t store it properly (yikes). He asked if it was okay to smoke after it had been sitting out. I told him lots of people don’t know how to properly store a cigar, especially if they aren’t cigar smokers, but hey, it’s okay! I told him about a method he can try to restore the cigar, since it has dried out and needs moisture.
Get a large plastic zip baggie and place the cigar inside.
Put a humidifier pack in with your cigar. Start with a Lotus Humidification Pouch for now. This pack keeps the humidity level at 69% in the environment you place it in.
Seal the bag and let the cigar rest for 3-4 weeks somewhere at room temperature.
Every few days you can check the humidifier pack to make sure it’s still providing moisture. If you touch it and it’s hard, it means you need to replace it with a fresh one.
After a couple months, your cigar should be restored back to health and ready to smoke. If it doesn’t feel dry and you don’t hear leaves crackling when you roll the cigar with your fingers, then you are all set.
Although time consuming, it can save your cigar’s life. Now we aren’t promoting this behavior of leaving your cigars out to dry, but if you are desperate to save a cigar, this method can work if done properly and carefully.
