Monday, November 29 1999
Q. I am finding that the
wrapper of my cigars have been unwrapping after purchase and sitting in my
humidor for a few weeks. Any ideas why? I was wondering if the 5-7 shipping was maybe the problem. My humidor is around 62% on an average.
- Jerome B. in Pomona, CA
A. I think the problem may lie more with your humidor than with the delivery truck. Even under the most extreme conditions, which could include an overheated or bone-chilling truck, the cigars are still pretty much insulated. Assuming your hygrometer is accurate, even within a few %, 62% is much too low to keep your cigars fresh. IOW, they're drying out and that could be what's causing your cigars to unwrap. And since you said it takes a few weeks, that's further evidence that the humidor is not doing its job. Get the humidity up to about 70%, and try to keep it at an average of around 68%. (I found that works best for me.). 65% is about as low a as you'd want to go.
The best way to bring back the cigars is by bumping up the humidity slowly. Add some distilled water to your humidifier, but don't completely saturate it. Within 24 hours the RH should rise a couple of points. Keep adding a little water every other day, or until the RH is at about 70%. If the RH does not appear to rise after a few days, then 1) your hygrometer is off; 2) the humidifier is not big enough to handle the capacity, or 3) the humidor has a leak.
