How to Tell If a Cigar is Dry or Too Moist
The moisture level of a cigar directly affects its “freshness”. The whole flavour profile of new cigars is not present in dry, stale cigars.
It can be uncomfortable to smoke and not taste as good when a cigar is too dry or too wet. Before smoking, give your cigars a sniff, a pinch and a hygrometer check.
Consider using a seasoned, high-humidity humidor to revive stale cigars. Everyone enjoys the delicious feeling of smoking an expertly kept cigar. Cigars, however, have a limited shelf life regardless of how properly they are preserved because they are natural items.
Since nobody enjoys stale smoke, how can you determine whether your cigars are fresh?
Here are some pointers, ideas, and advice to ensure that your cigars fresh in this article I have discussed.
So let’s dive into the article.
Testing Your Cigars
To keep your cigars at the right temperature and relative humidity, it’s critical to store them in a humidor that is kept in good condition.
Try re-humidifying your cigars with a humidification device or by keeping them in a sufficiently humid atmosphere if they are too dry or too wet. Remember that cigars’ ideal storage temperature range is 64–70% relative humidity. The cigars should regain their ideal state with time and careful preservation.
It’s not always simple to distinguish a fresh cigar from a stale one at face value unless you’re an expert smoker. To ensure you’re receiving a smoke you’ll like the most, you can test your cigars in additional ways. Here are some techniques.
a. Humidor Test
First things first: think about your humidor. Humidity levels in a well-seasoned humidor are kept between 65% and 72%. This is perfect for most cigars: it’s not too wet to encourage the growth of germs and mould, nor is it too dry to cause the tobacco to dry out and lose its entire flavour character.
A semi-regular humidor seasoning is necessary if your personal humidifier is not a walk-in model with a complete humidification system. This procedure restores the moisture saturation of the wood, improving its ability to adapt to new cigars, repeated openings, and temperature changes.
Your humidor probably needs some humidity if you haven’t reseasoned it in more than a year. If not, it will probably dry out and put your cigars at danger. Using a hygrometer to keep an eye on the humidity levels in the humidor is the simplest method of maintaining them.
Certain humidors, like as those in our Klaro range, come with an integrated, easily readable digital hygrometer. For others, all you have to do is insert a hygrometer along with your cigars to obtain a precise measurement each time you open it.
It’s likely that your cigars aren’t flourishing inside if your hygrometer reads less than 65% for an extended period of time. It’s simple to maintain your humidor; in fact, each woodronic humidor includes enough supplies to keep it seasoned for a full year.
b. Scent Examination
Almost single cigar available has a distinct aroma, which is what makes it so exceptional. Furthermore, as scent and flavour are closely related, a good cigar’s aroma can significantly influence how it tastes when smoked.
Strong earthy scents should be detected when you sniff a fresh cigar the incredibly distinct scent of burnt tobacco. Tobacco, of course, leather, wood, and spices are among popular scents; some people even associate the scent with dusty library books. These all indicate that your cigar is still fresh and are all desired.
Conversely, the aroma of a stale cigar is typically detectable as well. Dust, mustiness, and old cardboard are all typical.
c. Taste Test
You can frequently determine whether a cigar is dry or bad by its flavour, though not always by smoking it. You should taste earthy, flowery, or even fruity aromas when you place the end of a good cigar in your mouth. On the other hand, a stale cigar will taste metallic, harsh, and bitter, or it will feel like you’ve placed dirt in your mouth.
d. Pinch Test
The pinch test is perhaps the best way to determine whether your cigar has gone bad. It’s one of the easiest ways to tell how fresh your stogie is, and it’s also extremely straightforward.
To carry out the pinch test, Put your thumb and forefinger together and pinch the foot of your cigar. Be kind. Pinch the cigar gradually as you move your fingers towards its head.
Primarily, you are searching for two things. Initially, the cigar should have a hard feel with considerable bounce. A cigar that feels excessively stiff, dry, or cracked when pinched is probably stale. Second, a continuous texture throughout the cigar is what you want. If your cigar is consistently dry throughout, it can likely be revived even if it tends towards the dry side.
To test your cigar for pinching, follow these steps:
- Place your thumb and finger over the cigar.
- Give it a tiny pinch. This shouldn’t require much work on your part.
- The cigar is dry if it cracks, breaks, feels brittle or dry, or exhibits any peeling.
e. How to determine if it’s too wet or too dry by appearance
The following are indications that a cigar might be too wet or dry. Here are Indications of an overly dry cigar:
- Look: When touched, the wrapper may break or shatter and appear brittle, discoloured, or dull.
- Feel: The cigar could not have its typical springiness and instead feel rigid or papery.
- Burn: The cigar could burn unevenly, giving off a harsh, scorching smoke.
- Draw: The cigar could be hard to draw, or it might draw loose and airy.
f. Signs that a cigar is too moist
- Look: The wrapper could have an uneven appearance and seem shiny or oily.
- Feel: The cigar might not feel as hard as usual and instead feel spongy or squishy.
- Burn: The cigar may produce a thick, wet smoke and canoe like burn along one side or tunnel like burn a hole in the middle.
- Draw: The cigar could be challenging to draw or have a narrow, constricted draw.
g. Cigar’s Colour
The colour of a cigar can reveal a lot about its quality. A cigar that has been properly aged and humidified should have a rich, dark colour. One of the best ways to determine the quality of a cigar is to look at its colour before smoking it.
h. Tobacco Leaves
Examining the tobacco leaves of a cigar is another technique to determine its dryness. The leaves will be fragile and possibly shatter when bent if they are dry. Furthermore, dried tobacco leaves may also become lighter than they should be due to colour changes.
i. Attempt to light the cigar
Try lighting the cigar if you’re still not sure if it’s dry. It is frequently difficult to light and may burn unevenly when a cigar is dry. It is a good idea to attempt rehydrating the cigar before smoking it if you notice any of these issues.
Wrapping up
To sum up, there are several methods for determining if a cigar is dry. If you notice that the cigar is dryer than it should be, make sure to apply these techniques and make an effort to rehydrate before smoking.
I believe that this will enable you to maintain the freshest possible cigars.
FAQ
Can an Old Cigar Be Restored?
It’s unfortunate to see perfectly fine cigars thrown away. Luckily, stale, dry cigarettes can be revitalized at least in some situations. A lot of it relies on how far the cigar has faded. The upside is that you can still smoke a cigar that is dry. One that is mouldy, or overly humidified, doesn’t have much of a chance.
