Random questions frequently asked by novice smokers and aspiring cigar connoisseurs
For sentimental reasons, I saved a cigar nub in a plastic Ziploc bag and placed it in my humidor. Now my humidor has a smoky odor that I can't get rid of, and it's been several months now - what to do?
First and foremost, remove the culprit - sorry! If the nub is of true sentimental value, then you will need to keep it in another container or just throw it out. If you still have the band, then keep that as a commemorative momento or keepsake. If you do have some other cigars in the humidor, rest assured, those have likely taken on some of the pungency from the smoked nub. Once you remove the smoked nub, just be diligent to air out the humidor multiple times a day (keep it open for intervals of 10 minutes throughout the day, every day). Don't worry about the good cigars drying out from the repeated opening/closing of the humidor. The odor should dissipate - may take a bit of time since the nub was left in for several months, but just exercise some patience.
Other options include:
Removing the cigars from the humidor and lightly sanding the cedar walls with very fine sandpaper. I WOULD NOT recommend this unless you truly know what you are doing! The sanding will provide a fresh layer of Spanish cedar and restore its original aroma. Should you choose this route (again, not recommended), you will need to vacuum the cedar dust and season the humidor prior to putting the cigars back in.
Add a few Spanish cedar strips or sheets to the humidor to replace the pungent aroma of the burnt cigar nub over time.
But for future reference (and for the love of everything holy) -- DO NOT PUT A PARTIALLY SMOKED CIGAR BACK IN THE HUMIDOR!
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