I recently came across a half dozen cigars that I somehow forgot to place lovingly in a humidor. They are quite crispy now, is there any hope for these unfortunate orphans. Is there any Frankenstein like procedure I need to follow to resurect them? or should I just toss them into a humidore and forget about them again for a few months?

From what I understand, once the oils are dried up, there ain't much can be done. What where they, and how long were they unprotected?

thepapa throw them in the humidor and foret about hem for a year. stir them around so all the humidity doesen't settle at the bottom. they may improve. if not at least you will have a year of stirring. seriously, i have read of a technique done by pros, where they place the cigars in a controlled enviornment at a lower humidity and increase the humidity gradually over an extended period of time. they claim that cigars 50 years old have been brought back from the dead. claim is the optimum word.

I agree...don't toss them. I bought a handful from a premium cigar closeout at the local Kroger that thought you could sell $12 next to generic cigarettes. It took them a couple of years to discover otherwise. By that time even at $2 a piece I was taking a chance on them. After several months in the humidor they smoked great. However, I bought a nice brand at a smiliar closeout at the local beer stop and it was terrible...it came from a glass case that got winter afternoon sun... Luckily the girl behind the counter already knew they were ruined and gave me my money back. But the one I keep for an emergency under the loose arm rest in the truck is another story.

OK...I have been successful in bringing back some dried out 'gars once. I was gifted some smokes from a friend who knew nothing about proper storage as he is not a smoker. The cigars had obviously been sitting around in the box for quite some time as they were very dry. I read thet slowly bringing them to proper humidity might work... so I figured what the heck. I transfered them to an old cedar cigar box and un-cello'd them. I placed them in a home made tupperware style humidor w/ some extra cedar pieces and a small home made humidification device. Over a few weeks I started the humidity low at around 60-62% and tried to keep them that way for about a month (remember when using airtight humidors to open once a week for proper air exchange). After a month I raised the humidity to around 65% by adding a larger piece of foam (this process was difficult as I had to try and fail a number of times before I got the proper size to hold the humidity I wanted-- sometimes I'd have to take the humidity device out entirely for a few days). I left the cigars this way for months...... checking weekly on the temp and humidity. After about 6 months I figured they'd be OK to add to my main humidor which I have set for 68% humidity. I'll be honest some wrapper damage/ cracking did occur in a few mainly around the foot, but it wasn't all bad. I have smoked a few and they seem OK if not a bit bland almost flat--like the "oomph" was gone. I considered this a good experiment for myself. They were "free" so all I was wasting was some time and effort to try to bring them back to smokeability. The point I'm trying to make is that I think it can be done.... it worked for me and I am pleased with the outcome.

Good luck!

mhollowa: Do you by any chance buy your underwear at McDonald's ?

BigTony: Must have really irked you something fierce after you went through all of that and then have your wife just throw them out becuase she needed her salad bowls back .....

funny you should mention that jimmy.......I once used a small tupperware container w/ lid to make a humidifier for one of my old coolerdors. At the time we had several in a kitchen drawer so I didn't think anything of it. Oh was I wrong.... my girl gave me the "what for" for "ruining" her good tupperware "sandwich container". Jeez.... women get real touchy when you invade their kitchen space!

Big Tony have you ever tried utilizing electricity in your experiments I seem to remember it working for a doctor named Frankenstein, lol.

...little tiny bolts on the cigars... Its alive....ALIVE!!!!!

Thanks for the suggestions, (except for the one about the one about buying underwear at Mc D's). Igor (pronounced I-gor) and I will try the sealed tupperware method. If that doesn't work, I do have some itty bitty bolts to screw into their itty bitty necks.

No, Jimmy. I get my underwear out of my Christmas stocking. I buy cigars wherever I find them.

Fraubruker!!!! Winnnneeeeeee!!!!

Wasn't Teri Garr "HOT" in that movie Young Frankenstein.

Amen to that!

Correction, Ed. Frau Blucher! Wheeeee!!!! "Frau" is Mrs. in German. Ask Jack, he has access to all languagues.

"Abby somebody..."

its..FRAUKENSTEEN!!!!

"what hump?"