Why Are My Cigars Soft?

OPERATOR: Hello, Cigar Hotline. How may I help you?

CALLER: I recently bought some cigars and put them in a container while I seasoned my new humidor. When they were in the container maybe I had too big a humidifier in the there or something, because they are really squishy. When you have over humidified cigars they get soft, right? If so, is there a way to get the extra moisture out and save them?

OPERATOR: Yes, you have over humidified cigars, but there is a way to get them back to normal. Was the container a plastic one, like you would put leftovers in?

CALLER: Yes.

OPERATOR: The problem with that kind of container is, they’re so airtight that the humidity builds up much faster. This will also happen if you use a mason jar type humidor for your cigars. Whether you keep your cigars in a humidor or a sealed container you have to allow for some air flow. With sealed containers, if you find the cigars are getting too soft, pop one of the corners. If it’s a mason jar, keep the hook unlocked. If the cigars were fresh when you put them in the container, you probably didn’t need a humidifier at all. The moisture already in the cigars would have kept them fresh long enough to season your humidor. Are they in the humidor now?

CALLER: Yes.

OPERATOR: The first thing you should do is sniff them and see if they’re getting moldy. If they’re not, you’re halfway there. Leave the humidor open, too.

CALLER: And if they are moldy?

OPERATOR: Then you may have to use them for mulch. But let’s assume you caught them in time and they’re not moldy. The next thing you want to do is remove the humidifier. Let the RH settle down to at least 65% and try to keep it there. If you smoke the cigars in the condition they’re in now, the wrappers will crack open on you and they may not even stay lit. For now, keep the lid open and let them get some fresh air for a couple of days, then close it again. Check on them every two days by taking a reading from your hygrometer until it reads 65%. Don’t smoke them until they’ve become a bit harder; not too soft, just supple enough to move a little when you gently pinch them.

CALLER: When can I put the humidifier back in?

OPERATOR: When the hygrometer dips down to about 63%. By then your humidifier may have dried out a little, too. It’s much easier to bring cigars back from being too moist than if they’re too dry. When they get too dry, once they’ve been re-humidified, they may have lost some of their flavor and bouquet.

CALLER: Thanks. I’ll give it a try.

OPERATOR: There is another thing you can do, which is similar to what I described. You can dry box them. Take a factory cigar box, preferably made of Spanish cedar, and put all the moist cigars in there for a few days. Put a hygrometer in there, too. The cedar will absorb the moisture from the cigars, and they should be fine. Just keep an eye on them until they feel right. Then you can move them into your humidor.