Learn how to tell if a cigar is dry and you've mastered one of the most important skills in storing and smoking premium cigars.
Tobacco might seem like a completely dry product, but that's not the case. Smoking a dry cigar can be a harsh and unpleasant experience. That's why it's a good idea to buy a cigar humidor and keep your collection at the right relative humidity.
In this guide, we'll look at how long it takes a cigar to dry out, how this affects the flavor and the burn of the stick, and how to fix a dry cigar quickly using a cigar humidifier. Never again will you need to face the harsh taste of an over-dry cigar between your lips.
How cigar dryness affects the flavor and smoking experience
Aficionados agree that cigar dryness is a catastrophe waiting to happen, but ensuring the proper relative humidity can save you from it.
Relative humidity, or RH, affects how quickly the tobacco leaves burn. Too dry, and they burn too fast. That shaves valuable minutes off your enjoyment of a top-notch hand-rolled smoke, but it can also do terrible things to the taste.
How does cigar dryness affect taste?
Dry cigars often lose the complexity from their flavor profile, partly because the essential oils that add to that complexity have dried out. By gently restoring the humidity into the filler, you can revive a cigar from the brink of being too dry to smoke.
It's not an instant process, but when done right, you can bring the cigar back to its best so you don't have to deal with the unpleasant harshness of burning dry tobacco.
How to check the humidity level
A factory-calibrated hygrometer is the best method of how to tell if a cigar is dry. Humidors will typically include an analog hygrometer, but investing in a digital hygrometer like the Lotus Digital Round Hygrometer can give you even more precise measurements of the RH in your cigar storage.
If you're new to smoking and storing premium cigars, remember the 70/70 rule: at an air temperature of 70F, your cigars should be at RH of around 70%.
As you become more confident about storing your collection, you can experiment with adjusting the humidity between about 65% and 72%. The perfect RH can depend on the type of tobacco used in the stick, and many seasoned smokers swear by a lower humidity for their premium cigars, around the 65% mark.
Cigar humidity and local climate
Your local climate also affects your humidor and its RH. If you live in a very humid area, you might want to dial down the humidity of your humidor. If your weather is mostly dry, you might want to use the humidor to keep your smokes a little more moist.
There's a lot of trial and error in this process, so be prepared to experiment. You may find you prefer your cigars at a slightly different humidity than other people recommend. As long as you avoid the extremes, you can avoid adding harshness to a dry smoke or put an overly moist stogie at risk of mold.
Tell-tale signs of a dry cigar
Identifying a dry cigar is half the battle. Here are some tips to help you spot a desiccated stogie before you make the mistake of setting it alight.
Checking cigar dryness before lighting up
It’s easy to spot a dry cigar once you know what you're looking for. Think about how a sponge swells as it soaks up water. Tobacco leaves do the same, so as they dry out, the chopped filler leaves in a dry cigar will shrink.
This can make the stick feel loose instead of being packed firm. The wrapper may feel crinkly (you might even hear it crinkle if you roll the cigar gently between your fingertips). Within just your first year or two of smoking, you'll start to notice this naturally.
How long does it take a cigar to dry out?
This can vary. In very dry conditions, the tobacco in any cigar will dry out faster. Out in the open, unwrapped, it can be as fast as an hour. Even stored in the delivery box, it can take less than a day. That's why a good-quality humidor with controlled RH is such a valuable investment.
Sometimes you might want to dry out a cigar that's become too humid. In this case, do so gradually. Whether you're bringing the RH of the stick down or trying to restore a dry cigar, small and gradual adjustments are less likely to damage the stick.
Are cigars delivered at the right humidity?
Cigars are often shipped at lower humidity, with desiccant packs placed in the shipping container. This is deliberate, as it means there's less chance of mold if the cigars pass through a damp climate on their way to your door.
It's worth keeping it in mind, though, as protecting the cigars during delivery may mean you need to raise their RH slightly before you smoke them for the best smoking experience.
Restoring dry cigars
Changing the humidity of any cigar too quickly is almost as bad as smoking a dry cigar. You can permanently impair the flavor profile and the burn quality. Take it slow, make minor adjustments, and let the cigar tell you when it's ready to be smoked.
Equipment for restoring dry cigars
A good-quality humidor is a great starting point, as this will allow you to slowly rehydrate your cigars by raising the RH a percent at a time.
Boveda packs are another fantastic innovation, especially for beginners. You just place the pack in your humidor for three months of two-way humidity control. With packs in a variety of humidities from 65% to 72% and above, you have the choice over the final RH of your smokes.
Whichever method you choose, give it a go next time you notice a cigar that's more crinkly and loosely packed than it should be. With practice and patience, dry cigars in your collection will be a thing of the past.