Can a humidor revive dry cigars?

The ideal relative humidity level for storing cigars is 68 to 75%. To look at it another way, this means that the cigars themselves should hold an absolute humidity level of 12 to 14%, though when they were rolled they would have have had at least 20%.

If the moisture within the cigars is a measure of their condition, should they dry out, the flavour will change. This also has a negative effect on the behaviour of the cigar, in terms of rate of burn and draw.

Through a slow supply of moisture and with a little patience, one can bring the cigars in a humidor back to the desired humidity level. Depending on the degree and duration of the dehydration of the cigar, however, its essential oils and characteristic aromas may have been irretrievably lost. A cigar which is too dry, or a cigar that is too damp for that matter, is more likely to incur damage to the wrapper. This cannot be fixed by a rehydration, of course, and too much moisture too quickly during that process may even have been the cause.