How long to wait

brianetz1

My wife got me a humidor gift package from cigars.com and left the sticks in the humidor for several weeks without the humidor being seasoned and without any humidification.

Any suggestions on how to tell if they are too dried out to smoke and if so how long should i wait to smoke them after they have been put in a seasoned humidor?

I know you should let them age a while regardless, but since i am new to this i am trying to get a feel for things like this.

bigharpoon

No need to figure out if they are too dry to smoke or not, I guarantee they are. Put them into a ziploc PRONTO and if she still has the humi pillow they shipped with put that in the ziploc with them. Season the humidor well and place the cigars in there to re-acclimate. I wouldn't smoke them for a couple months at least.

The bright side: you have a good chance your smokes will survive this and now you have an excuse to buy more (to smoke while you wait the two months)!

brianetz1

Thanks for the info

they were swapped to a tupperware container as soon as i saw it and put in the humipillow.

I think she got the order in early december......she said they were shipped in the humidor with the humipillow in the humidor with it.

does that make a difference?

...i really want to try one of the diesel's

Rhamlin

I doubt your cigars are in to bad of shape. Probably a couple weeks in the Tupperware dish with the humipillow and they'll probably be good to go but a month would be better if you can stand it.

catfishbluezz

FYI...if you need to season the humidor, I just posted a thread on this. You will need beads and a digital hygro to get started. Your cigars will be fine in tupperware with the humi pillow.

brianetz1

Rhamlin:

I doubt your cigars are in to bad of shape. Probably a couple weeks in the Tupperware dish with the humipillow and they'll probably be good to go but a month would be better if you can stand it.

thanks for the followup/alternate opinion.

catfishbluezz:

FYI...if you need to season the humidor, I just posted a thread on this. You will need beads and a digital hygro to get started. Your cigars will be fine in tupperware with the humi pillow.

REALLY new to this, and my humidor is REALLY small. No hydrometer. To be honest, no room for one.

I talked to a local shop owner and showed him the humidor, he said to do the wipe season, leave a shot of distilled water in there, and fill it up until it lasts over 24 hours with some water left. Then gave me a boveda pillow and he said that should do the trick. He said get a new boveda every couple of months and feel free to bring it by if i am worried about it and he would throw his digital in there while i smoke a stick in the lounge area.

If any of that sounds off let me know.....

EDIT: just read your thread and this sounds like the antithesis of everything you said in that thread.....lol

not sure what to do now

Rain

Keep in mind there are 20 ways to do this If you wipe, make sure you don't use too much water. If you don't wipe, and use kitty litter, that is another option. You should not need to take it to the B&M. I'd type more, but my man cave lacks heat and my hands arre numb haha.

catfishbluezz

My two cents... A xikar hygro is tiny... That's BS... A bead tube from heartfelt will be fine as well. I am not a fan of the wipedown personally. It's better to be safe then sorry. I started with a 50ct, seasoned it wrong twice and my smokes always blew up or burned funky. Do it right the first time, use beads, buy a digital hygro. You'll thank us later. You can check my thread for seasoning, or there are many other ways. Spending $30 on the right accessories will make more sense when you ruin $30 of cigars....

catfishbluezz

For bead tubes: google heartfelt humidity beads, go to their site, order one of the tubes. Alot of guys use them here, I did for a while.

robertgreen30

Rain:

Keep in mind there are 20 ways to do this If you wipe, make sure you don't use too much water. If you don't wipe, and use kitty litter, that is another option. You should not need to take it to the B&M. I'd type more, but my man cave lacks heat and my hands arre numb haha.

what's it 60 degrees out down there in Texas Randy. That's hot lol

brianetz1

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'll go get a digital hydrometer and a tube+crystals

He showed me the tube/crystals but said mine was so small it was overkill.

catfishbluezz

brianetz1:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'll go get a digital hydrometer and a tube+crystals He showed me the tube/crystals but said mine was so small it was overkill.

there is no such thing as overkill bro. I highly suggest beads versus gel, as do most guys here.

Rain

robertgreen30:

Rain:

Keep in mind there are 20 ways to do this If you wipe, make sure you don't use too much water. If you don't wipe, and use kitty litter, that is another option. You should not need to take it to the B&M. I'd type more, but my man cave lacks heat and my hands arre numb haha.

what's it 60 degrees out down there in Texas Randy. That's hot lol

Bro, it was 30 last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't care how much it sucks where you live, Masshole, I care about where I live. :)Love you.

bigharpoon

I recommend seasoning your humidor the way Catfish describes in his thread, it's a great way and is clearly outlined step by step. The thing about shop owner's, as you'll no doubt learn for yourself soon, is that some are a wealth of knowledge and some are not. Sometimes it's kinda scary what they say. This forum is where you want to be getting your info from, thousands of cigar nerds can't be wrong, lol.

Rhamlin

I'm not a fan of wiping down either. Yes it quickens the process but you want to make sure you do it lightly. A shallow dish of distilled water works just fine and usuall only takes a few days to a week, depending on the size and the climate. And don't be alarmed if it doesn't just suck up all the water. I've never seen anyone who had to refill their water to season a humi unless its real big one. It'll be ready when it holds around 70% for a day or two.

brianetz1

I'm semi starting over with catfish's method.....got crystals/tube and digihydrometer today

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Bigshizza

brianetz1:

I'm semi starting over with catfish's method.....got crystals/tube and digihydrometer today Thanks for all the suggestions.

Check your PM....

brianetz1

thanks for all the help with this. After the beads and a 72 boveda packet in there for several days it was holding steady at 70 for 3 days straight and i put the sticks in there today and it dropped to 65 right away, but is back up to 69 after 7 hours. now to wait for my sticks to revive for the next few weeks and pick up a couple here and there from the shop in the meantime