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Humidor and cigars dried, what should I do?

nate4641nate4641 Posts: 2
in Cigar 101
I recently moved from Germany to Africa due to military duties and it took a little more than 3 months for me to get my stuff from the time it was packed up to delivered. When I opened my 2 humidors one hygrometer was dead and the other read 45% RH and around 90 degrees. I packed them up with pretty strong humidity and full humidifiers in anticipation of it taking awhile I just didnt think it would take so long. The interiors of the humidors and the cigars are pretty dry so I'm trying to find out the best way to save both. If it helps the humidors are both the Southport Small humidors.

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    catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    You need to bring these back slowly my friend. For the humidors, you can read my seasoning thread. For the cigars, it will take a few months. You want to hit them with lower rh at first, preferably 40-50rh if you can, then 60 for a month, then 65 for a month and I'd say after 3 months they should be better, but really it will take some time. Ultimately, if they lost oils due to the dry climate, they will never be the same, but they can become smokable again. Are you stateside?
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    nate4641nate4641 Posts: 2
    Should I season the humidors and bring the cigars back separately or can I just do it together? Also what can I do to avoid this the next time I move? Would putting the cigars in a plastic bag while I am moving help at all?

    I'm not stateside, I'm stationed in Africa currently.
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    catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    Just don't have the cigars in there while you are seasoning. If you want to start the process, you can now. Personally, I would buy a case of Boveda packs for your situation. You can get a dozen for about $35ish, although I have no clue if you can get them there. Technically, to re hydrate a cigar, it need to be done at a low rh. There is not much of an exact science about it, although you can get boveda packs for guitars that rh around 45 which is perfect. However, it really depends how much these are worth to you. If you are not too concerned, just start the reseasoning process and put the cigars back in once the humi is seasoned. I would personally place a dish with a sponge of distilled water in there for at least a week or two and let that humi soak up the rh. For the cigars, toss them in, and the longer you wait the better.

    Yes you can store them in a ziploc with a boveda pack. In the future, I think sealing them in tupperware with boveda packs is your best bet for long term storage while you are away. Granted, they need to be burped, but at least you will have a tight seal and accurate rh for months.
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