Cigar Weekly

Ringo · 03-06-2010, 03:58 PM

I've always wondered at what point a low humidity becomes dangerously close to ruining the cigars. I hate to see mine below 60, but I've read of plenty of people who go lower than that. So I'm wondering how low the humidity can go inside a humidor (assume that the temp is fine) before the sticks will start losing oils etc.

Smoker06 · 03-07-2010, 09:18 AM

Hmmm, I'm with you. I think 60 would be dangerously low. But I'm basing this on gut feeling not any scientific evidnece of experieince.

xrundog · 03-07-2010, 09:42 AM

It's got to be a sustained low too.

Ringo · 03-07-2010, 03:51 PM

Yes I think that it does need to be a sustained low, probably something like under 40% for a few weeks at the very least before the cigars started to be affected to the point where they couldn't be revived.

With that said, I've smoked cigars as old as 80 years that were dry as rocks when I got them. I put them into a regular humidor and with no special care they became pliant and smokeable. They weren't very good but I've actually had worse (White Owls etc. etc.).

xrundog · 03-08-2010, 06:16 AM

Yeah, I bought a vintage humidor on eBay once that had cigars in it when I received it. It looked like it had been dry a looooong time. There were some Monte As that I decided to try and save. Man, they turned out to be great!

Ringo · 03-08-2010, 02:09 PM

I think that the hysteria about ruining the cigars is somewhat overblown. Some of the cigars that I rehumidified were 80 years old and probably never very good to begin with (they were domestic 5 cent cigars) and just by putting them into a humidor for a week they became smokeable and while they didn't taste that great they did burn properly and produced tons of smoke. And that was with 80 year old cheap domestics. If they had been somewhat recent Monte A's then I'd imagine they would have been pretty good or great as you found.

03-06-2010, 03:58 PM	#1
Ringo Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,895	At what point is the humidity too low? I've always wondered at what point a low humidity becomes dangerously close to ruining the cigars. I hate to see mine below 60, but I've read of plenty of people who go lower than that. So I'm wondering how low the humidity can go inside a humidor (assume that the temp is fine) before the sticks will start losing oils etc. __________________ Kark: "Oddvar, maybe you want to go next." Oddvar: "I'm thinking, what's the worst thing that can happen to me if I don't do the attestup? I mean, what's worse than being crushed?"

03-07-2010, 09:18 AM	#2
Smoker06 Herf God Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 11,099	Hmmm, I'm with you. I think 60 would be dangerously low. But I'm basing this on gut feeling not any scientific evidnece of experieince. __________________ When in doubt.... ATTACK!

03-07-2010, 03:51 PM	#4
Ringo Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,895	Yes I think that it does need to be a sustained low, probably something like under 40% for a few weeks at the very least before the cigars started to be affected to the point where they couldn't be revived. With that said, I've smoked cigars as old as 80 years that were dry as rocks when I got them. I put them into a regular humidor and with no special care they became pliant and smokeable. They weren't very good but I've actually had worse (White Owls etc. etc.). __________________ Kark: "Oddvar, maybe you want to go next." Oddvar: "I'm thinking, what's the worst thing that can happen to me if I don't do the attestup? I mean, what's worse than being crushed?"

03-08-2010, 02:09 PM	#6
Ringo Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,895	I think that the hysteria about ruining the cigars is somewhat overblown. Some of the cigars that I rehumidified were 80 years old and probably never very good to begin with (they were domestic 5 cent cigars) and just by putting them into a humidor for a week they became smokeable and while they didn't taste that great they did burn properly and produced tons of smoke. And that was with 80 year old cheap domestics. If they had been somewhat recent Monte A's then I'd imagine they would have been pretty good or great as you found. __________________ Kark: "Oddvar, maybe you want to go next." Oddvar: "I'm thinking, what's the worst thing that can happen to me if I don't do the attestup? I mean, what's worse than being crushed?"

03-07-2010, 09:42 AM	#3
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	It's got to be a sustained low too.

03-08-2010, 06:16 AM	#5
xrundog Contributing Editor Herf Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central, Iowa Posts: 9,806	Yeah, I bought a vintage humidor on eBay once that had cigars in it when I received it. It looked like it had been dry a looooong time. There were some Monte As that I decided to try and save. Man, they turned out to be great!