About once every six months I get the urge to smoke a cigar. I’m not otherwise much of a smoker.
So last Saturday we were out and about, and we passed by a cigar store. I went in and bought four, of which three were put into a Ziploc bag. The fourth I wanted to smoke immediately, so I had the salesman cut the mouth end; he gave me a light, and off we went. I noticed immediately that the cigar was a bit dry, and that should have stopped me right there. Unfortunately, it didn’t, and I continued smoking, and, as a result of the dryness, I must have swallowed a tiny shred of it.
Anyone who has had much contact with cigars knows what happens when you ingest a tiny piece of one: you become violently ill, and that’s what happened to me.
So before I risk touching any of the other three cigars, is there any way to restore them to the proper consistency? I should point out that these cigars, while not top of the line, are considered a very decent everyday type of cigar.
But could you tell me, I’ve always wondered why you cut the tip off a cigar. I’ve only ever smoked minutures, and I dont understand this cutting it before you smoke it thing.
Go to your tobacconist and request a humidifier tablet. This will be a small piece of chalk enclosed in a metal mesh container. Soak the humidifier in water and then leave it out out dry on a paper towel for several minutes. (This will prevent any large drops of water from shedding onto your cigars.)
Place the humidifier in the sealed bag for a day or two. You should notice the wrapper become more pliable and the aroma of the cigars increasing after two or three days. You may wish to remove the humidifier at that point and double bag the cigars. Single bagging does not prevent moisture loss anywhere near as well as double bagging. Since you are sensitive to ingestion of tobacco, you may wish to try using an awl to create a smoking vent instead of clipping the cigar. This will better prevent the escape of any offending leaf.
Tobacco readily soaks up humidity. You might get away with just putting them in a sealed tupperware type thing with a glass of water sitting in it. The evaporation from the glass should go into the cigars. (don’t knock it over!)
(It would basically be doing what Zenster suggested, just cheaper )
A lot of good suggestions here, but the simplest (assuming you don’t have a humidor, and you only have three cigars left) is to get something called a “Humi-Pouch” from your tobacconist. One of the size you need would probably be less than $5.
This is like a ziplock bag with a built-in humidity source. They work pretty well; not as well as a proper humidor perhaps, but I’ve used them in the past with good results. Watch the time with them though; Humi-Pouches are only good for about three months, tops.
I’d also advise being patient. It may take a more than a few days, depending on how dry they are. Keep checking them from time to time, and if they’re not quite right yet, keep on waiting.
Just out of interest, what kind of cigars were they? If you found bits of tobacco falling out, ask your tobacconist for a “long-filler” cigar. I’ve found that the “short-filler” ones, since they’re made with shredded tobacco instead of whole leaves, do tend to “leak” tobacco bits more than the long-filler ones.
One thing I used to do when I was into cigars to revive them, and sometimes just for extra yummy flavor, was to get a cheap cigar in one of those aluminum or plastic tubes, pour a small amount of bourbon or brandy into it, then put the dry cigar in the tube, mouth end down, seal the cap, and set it upright for a day or two, until it felt right.
A tall glass and some plastic wrap works in a pinch too.
Thanks for the responses. It sounds like the humidifier pouch is the way to go.
The Griffin, regular (i.e. not miniature) cigars usually come closed off at the mouth end, so that end has to be snipped off so you can draw the smoke at all. There are special cigar cutters especially designed for this purpose. The cutting operation needs to be done very cleanly; otherwise you get a roughly cut end which can lead to a bit of tobacco detaching itself and being swallowed…which is what happened to me.
I was unpleasantly surprised that this happened to me with a cigar from the shop where I bought it. The proprietor seemed to know his business and was very helpful as I was trying to remember the brand I wanted (FTR, Arturo Fuente). Besides, he was English and wearing a very sharp suit…you notice that sort of thing on a summer Saturday afternoon in Santa Monica, two blocks from the beach!
Ah, SoP, nice choices. The Griffin especially; it is usually beautifully-made. And it is long-filler as well.
If I can add a little more advice for future reference, see if the tobacconist can use a double-bladed guillotine cutter. A quick snip with one of these usually leaves a nice, smooth cut with minimal tobacco bits. I’ve found that single-bladed cutters (including V-cutters) don’t do nearly as clean a job, and even bullet cutters can leave bits behind.
And here’s a tip on cutting that may help keep the tobacco bits to a minimum. It’s great for those who don’t often smoke cigars (and therefore, who don’t often use cutters), and it will work even with a single-blade: Put the cutter flat on the counter with the blades open. Place the cigar in the open hole of the cutter, such that the open end of the cigar is pointing at the ceiling and the closed end (that is, the end to be cut) is through the cutter’s hole, sitting on the countertop. The cigar should be perpendicular to the countertop.
With one hand continuing to hold the cigar straight up, use the fingers of the other to quickly snap the cutter shut. If you’ve done everything correctly, the result is one smooth cut, at the correct place to cut a cigar.
I’ll take a small Tupperware container and pour just a bit of Wild Turkey in and coat the bottom and sides, pouring any excess out. Then setting the cigar(s) inside, I let it absorb the moisture and aroma for a day or two. When I then pull them out they’re perfect and have a wonderful flavor.
The key is not to let them come in contact with the fluid but to simply absorb the airborne moisture. I’ve brought years old Cubans back in this manner to a very acceptable state.
If they’re already dried out I’ll also offer a vote for the re-humidifying via spirits. Once the cigar is dried it will never be quite the same anyway, and you may just find you like the added flavor spirits provide (I prefer good brandy or congac if you have it).
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