Dry cigars are every cigar collector’s nightmare. As we all know, cigars can be very fragile, not just when it comes to construction and texture, but also when it comes to the environment. Cigars have to be kept at a specific temperature and humidity to thrive.  If the environment changes too drastically, you can be left with cigars that are either too dry or too humid.

Now, the most common problem with cigars is drying out.  Naturally, people think that overdoing the humidity is fine, but actually, that’s worse.  If a cigar is too moist, mold and beetles can begin to spread, and then you’re done.  However, cigars that are too dry can be revived… so here’s how to revive a cigar.

I always like to start with a simple solution to see if that helps before trying anything drastic.  The area where you are keeping the cigars might not be the best in terms of temperature control or humidity. With that in mind, try moving your humidor somewhere to have a bit more control over the elements.

I try to keep them away from windows, where sunlight and an open window can cause the temperature and humidity to fluctuate.  Try someplace like a basement where there is a lot of natural humidity in the air.

The next step with a dry cigars fix would actually be altering the humidity in the humidor.  If your gauge is reading spot on, but your cigars are feeling stiff or dry, that’s a simple dry cigar fix.  Add in another Boveda pack or distilled water to get the humidor up to speed.  Sometimes the hydrometer can be off and give you a false reading, and in that case, it’s just a matter of dialing it in to get it just right.

Once you feel the humidity is where it should be, it just becomes a waiting game.  Check on the humidor once a day for a week or so, and you should start to feel life coming back into your cigars.  This option is best for cigars that are just starting to dry out.

This step is used for rehydrating cigars that are seriously dried out.  This issue could happen in a variety of ways.  More often than not, it’s just neglect.  If you go away for a few weeks or if you just forget to check up on a humidor, they can start to dry out.  The longer you wait, the worse it gets.  For severely dried-out cigars, you need to step it up a notch.

What I would do is get a few Chinese food containers.  Split your cigars among the containers; I like to put about 6-7 in each container.  Grab some Boveda packs (the 72% ones), and throw one in each container.  After a few days, you should start to see improvement.  After they are reinvigorated, you can put them back in the humidor and just be sure to practice regular maintenance.