Microwave drying with excellent results

[Wasz]

This is very interesting stuff.

 

[webmost]

Unfortunately, this

This is very interesting stuff.

Unfortunately, this very interesting stuff shares the same fatal flaw as every good idea: it doesn't work if you don't do it. Last night woulda been a perfect time to try it out. Raining, relatively damp test stick, idea in mind ... but soon as I hit the porch to fetch my wine cup from its hook, heard the rain and crickets, I said Eff it, no more projects, I'm smokin this bad boy. So much for good ideas.

"Thought is easy. Action is difficult. To act in accordance with our thoughts is the most difficult thing we have to do."
..... Goethe

 

[Spenny]

Okay, time to see what this is all about.

 

[Marc L]

Do not draw in on that coming out of the microwave. it will burn you bad.

 

[Gdaddy]

Okay, time to see what this is all about.

This probably won't work. The reasoning is the wave length of the microwave is approximately 2 1/2 inches. This creates hot spots and cold spots. (This is why they put rotating platters in microwaves.) So there's a good chance you'll be heating part of the cigar and other parts will be missed. Standing up like you have it may not hit the frequency wave at all.

The cigar is a very small item especially when standing on end like you have it. You'd have a better chance laying it down flat.

To see exactly how this works watch this short video. The cheese test starting around 2:30 clearly shows the hot spots and how parts of the item may get heated and other parts may not. I use a spinning platter that heats all parts equally. You may want to do small bursts and moving the cigar from left to right across the width.

 

[Gdaddy]

Do not draw in on that coming out of the microwave. it will burn you bad.

Correct. As stated earlier you need to blow out the steam never suck it in. This is one reason I like using a vacuum pump.

 

[Spenny]

That was just a posed shot to be a bit goofy, however I did roll and rotate between the bursts and it definitely made an improvement over the fresh(non-microwaved) control sample.

Thank you for the tip and all the information though!

 

[Cigary43]

Is there a training course to take for this project....my brain melted after the first paragraph and even though I am a Doubting Thomas the work you did tells me there is something here that merits me to try this after drinking heavily one day and see for myself if this works. Maybe a 5 step "How To" would be appropriate for those of us who tend to wipe our ass first and then take a deuce?

 

[redneck_toy]

Lol. I've been using the microwave to dry pipe tobacco since I started piping a year ago. One bowls worth- 10 to 12 seconds. Let it cool, break it up, and load it. Works great. Can't tell any I'll effects.

 

[Gdaddy]

Is there a training course to take for this project....my brain melted after the first paragraph and even though I am a Doubting Thomas the work you did tells me there is something here that merits me to try this after drinking heavily one day and see for myself if this works. Maybe a 5 step "How To" would be appropriate for those of us who tend to wipe our ass first and then take a deuce?

How about three simple steps...

It's really very simple. First and foremost, you need a reason to do it. A cigar that is on the damp or overly moist side (bitter) and needs to be dried out. (Properly dry cigars will NOT benefit in any way from microwaving.)

Step #1 (put the cigar in the microwave)
If your microwave has a rotating platter just lay the cigar down on a paper towel. You're good to go. If no platter you need to move the cigar from left to right. Just laying still in one spot will render uneven heating.

Step #2 (set for 10 seconds and hit 'start')
You want to heat the cigar just to the point of where the moisture held in the leaf of the cigar begins to evaporate into steam. This happens quickly in a household microwave. I find a 10 second burst is all that's needed.

Step #3 (blow out the moisture)
After 10 seconds there will be steam inside the cigar that needs to be removed. You need to immediately blow (never suck) into the end of the cigar to remove the steam from the inside. If you don't do anything the moisture will just re-absorb back into the cigar and will accomplish nothing. (You should see steam blowing out the end.)

Depending on the size of the cigar and how moist it is, I've found you need to repeat the procedure twice maybe three times for a total of 20 to 30 seconds. It's really important to understand that if you give it 20 or 30 seconds all at one time it will create a super heated steam and literally cook the inside of the cigar. A 10 second blast and then blow out the heat to cool it down is important.

I use a vacuum pump (see photo) that does a much more thorough job of evacuating the steam from deep within the cigar.

 

[Gdaddy]

Lol. I've been using the microwave to dry pipe tobacco since I started piping a year ago. One bowls worth- 10 to 12 seconds. Let it cool, break it up, and load it. Works great. Can't tell any I'll effects.

Congrats, you got it!!

There should be no ill effects when done properly. After all, there is only water vapor being removed.

 

[Cigary43]

How about three simple steps...

It's really very simple. First and foremost, you need a reason to do it. A cigar that is on the damp or overly moist side (bitter) and needs to be dried out. (Properly dry cigars will NOT benefit in any way from microwaving.)

Step #1 (put the cigar in the microwave)
If your microwave has a rotating platter just lay the cigar down on a paper towel. You're good to go. If no platter you need to move the cigar from left to right. Just laying still in one spot will render uneven heating.

Step #2 (set for 10 seconds and hit 'start')
You want to heat the cigar just to the point of where the moisture held in the leaf of the cigar begins to evaporate into steam. This happens quickly in a household microwave. I find a 10 second burst is all that's needed.

Step #3 (blow out the moisture)
After 10 seconds there will be steam inside the cigar that needs to be removed. You need to immediately blow (never suck) into the end of the cigar to remove the steam from the inside. If you don't do anything the moisture will just re-absorb back into the cigar and will accomplish nothing. (You should see steam blowing out the end.)

Depending on the size of the cigar and how moist it is, I've found you need to repeat the procedure twice maybe three times for a total of 20 to 30 seconds. It's really important to understand that if you give it 20 or 30 seconds all at one time it will create a super heated steam and literally cook the inside of the cigar. A 10 second blast and then blow out the heat to cool it down is important.

I use a vacuum pump (see photo) that does a much more thorough job of evacuating the steam from deep within the cigar.

Vacuum pump, eh? I was excited until I got to the vacuum pump cuz I don't have one and if I buy one more gadget the threats on my life may come to fruition. Can a Wet/Dry be a suitable replacement...just thinking inside/outside the box here.

 

[Gdaddy]

Vacuum pump, eh? I was excited until I got to the vacuum pump cuz I don't have one and if I buy one more gadget the threats on my life may come to fruition. Can a Wet/Dry be a suitable replacement...just thinking inside/outside the box here.

The vacuum pump is not a necessity. Just blow out the steam.

 

[greenmonster714]

I have been microwaving cigars with excellent results for some time now. So good are the results that I'll try to explain the procedure and why it renders such a good cigar.

We've all heard that the best thing is to let your cigar 'rest' after rolling. Absolutely true and the reason for this is to let the cigar shed some of the moisture in the leaf to reach a point of proper dryness for smoking. If you have the time of 3 or 4 months this certainly works PROVIDED the environment they are stored has a RH low enough. (Lower RH does the job faster.)

First, let look at what a microwave does and doesn't do...
Not to get too technical but it's important to understand what's happening.The microwave works by vibrating the water molecule using a radio frequency. That's it, nothing more. A myth that many people grasp onto is that it works using radioactivity or that it alters the molecular structure in some way. False. It simply causes a vibration between the molecules. There is NO "nuking" happening. The microwave has an a technical advantage in that it heats the entire cigar at the same time. It doesn't just heat the outside, it heats the center also and that's a good thing. It's important to understand that this procedure works ONLY if your cigars can benefit from being overly moist or on the higher side of normal.

Remember, your tobacco is probably already fermented and is several years old. Once rolled, any further aging will probably do very little to improve the smoke. The main reason you put them away to 'rest' is to get the moisture level lower all the way to the middle of the cigar and uniformly so.

If you could do a time lapse of the normal 'age drying process' you'd see the cigar drying from the outside in to the middle over a few months. The center core would be the last to dry and this does take some time to get a uniform moisture level throughout the cigar. So the uniformity of the microwave is a big plus in speeding up the process.

So... if your put a new cigar in a microwave and mic'd it for a SHORT period of time you could turn the internal moisture to steam. The problem is and why many have failed with this experiment, once it's moisture is turned to steam, the steam must be removed or the cigar will just re-absorb the moisture. Nothing gained and you end up with a molested cigar. Not good. Another fail is to give the cigar too much time and it will super heat the steam and ruin the cigar. Literally cooking the cigar.

My first success was to punch or cut the end of the cigar and them mic it for only 10 seconds. (standard household microwave heats one cigar very quickly) then remove the cigar and blow in the end to remove the steam from inside the cigar. You can actually see the steam blowing out the end if you do it under a light. (I blow it into the vent fan under the microwave and can clearly see the steam blowing out).

Then, another 10 seconds and blow it out again. By the third time the steam had diminished to little to none coming out. Stop, it's done. Let it cool for half an hour and it's ready to smoke. Like it's rested for 4 months. Yes, it really is that easy.

I had cigars that were bitter and un-smokable turn into very good tasting cigars in less than a minutes time. NO, it doesn't turn every crap cigar into a Padron. It simply brings the moisture level down. This however, can make a HUGE difference in how it smokes. It not only tastes better but it will burn better also. (If your cigars are aged well there will be NOTHINg GAINED by doing this procedure. This process is for any cigar that may be overly moist. If the cigar has a bitter taste this may be the answer to correct it. I promise, the results have been astonishing.

Taken one step further...

Doing one cigar at a time is fine but what if you have a bunch of cigars to do? I have a vacuum pump that I rigged up where I can put 15 cigars (or more) at a time. I microwave the entire bunch and then immediately put on the lid and pull a vacuum. This sucks out all the steam and air from the very inside of the cigar.

After vacuuming, upon opening the valve, fresh 54% rh air from the room goes rushing back into the cigars. This does a very thorough vacuum of the internal of the cigar all the way to it's core and replenished with low humidity. The cigars are remarkably dry and ready to smoke.

Note: After rolling fresh cigars I wait a day or two for the outside wrapper to dry before microwaving.

My set-up...

View attachment 84443

That is amazing and it make perfect sense. I gotta try this in a single sometime. Thanks for sharing this.

Sent from my SM-J100VPP using Tapatalk

 

[Endaxi]

I have been microwaving cigars with excellent results for some time now. So good are the results that I'll try to explain the procedure and why it renders such a good cigar.

We've all heard that the best thing is to let your cigar 'rest' after rolling. Absolutely true and the reason for this is to let the cigar shed some of the moisture in the leaf to reach a point of proper dryness for smoking. If you have the time of 3 or 4 months this certainly works PROVIDED the environment they are stored has a RH low enough. (Lower RH does the job faster.)

First, let look at what a microwave does and doesn't do...
Not to get too technical but it's important to understand what's happening.The microwave works by vibrating the water molecule using a radio frequency. That's it, nothing more. A myth that many people grasp onto is that it works using radioactivity or that it alters the molecular structure in some way. False. It simply causes a vibration between the molecules. There is NO "nuking" happening. The microwave has an a technical advantage in that it heats the entire cigar at the same time. It doesn't just heat the outside, it heats the center also and that's a good thing. It's important to understand that this procedure works ONLY if your cigars can benefit from being overly moist or on the higher side of normal.

Remember, your tobacco is probably already fermented and is several years old. Once rolled, any further aging will probably do very little to improve the smoke. The main reason you put them away to 'rest' is to get the moisture level lower all the way to the middle of the cigar and uniformly so.

If you could do a time lapse of the normal 'age drying process' you'd see the cigar drying from the outside in to the middle over a few months. The center core would be the last to dry and this does take some time to get a uniform moisture level throughout the cigar. So the uniformity of the microwave is a big plus in speeding up the process.

So... if your put a new cigar in a microwave and mic'd it for a SHORT period of time you could turn the internal moisture to steam. The problem is and why many have failed with this experiment, once it's moisture is turned to steam, the steam must be removed or the cigar will just re-absorb the moisture. Nothing gained and you end up with a molested cigar. Not good. Another fail is to give the cigar too much time and it will super heat the steam and ruin the cigar. Literally cooking the cigar.

My first success was to punch or cut the end of the cigar and them mic it for only 10 seconds. (standard household microwave heats one cigar very quickly) then remove the cigar and blow in the end to remove the steam from inside the cigar. You can actually see the steam blowing out the end if you do it under a light. (I blow it into the vent fan under the microwave and can clearly see the steam blowing out).

Then, another 10 seconds and blow it out again. By the third time the steam had diminished to little to none coming out. Stop, it's done. Let it cool for half an hour and it's ready to smoke. Like it's rested for 4 months. Yes, it really is that easy.

I had cigars that were bitter and un-smokable turn into very good tasting cigars in less than a minutes time. NO, it doesn't turn every crap cigar into a Padron. It simply brings the moisture level down. This however, can make a HUGE difference in how it smokes. It not only tastes better but it will burn better also. (If your cigars are aged well there will be NOTHINg GAINED by doing this procedure. This process is for any cigar that may be overly moist. If the cigar has a bitter taste this may be the answer to correct it. I promise, the results have been astonishing.

Taken one step further...

Doing one cigar at a time is fine but what if you have a bunch of cigars to do? I have a vacuum pump that I rigged up where I can put 15 cigars (or more) at a time. I microwave the entire bunch and then immediately put on the lid and pull a vacuum. This sucks out all the steam and air from the very inside of the cigar.

After vacuuming, upon opening the valve, fresh 54% rh air from the room goes rushing back into the cigars. This does a very thorough vacuum of the internal of the cigar all the way to it's core and replenished with low humidity. The cigars are remarkably dry and ready to smoke.

Note: After rolling fresh cigars I wait a day or two for the outside wrapper to dry before microwaving.

My set-up...

View attachment 84443

I have been microwaving cigars with excellent results for some time now. So good are the results that I'll try to explain the procedure and why it renders such a good cigar.

We've all heard that the best thing is to let your cigar 'rest' after rolling. Absolutely true and the reason for this is to let the cigar shed some of the moisture in the leaf to reach a point of proper dryness for smoking. If you have the time of 3 or 4 months this certainly works PROVIDED the environment they are stored has a RH low enough. (Lower RH does the job faster.)

First, let look at what a microwave does and doesn't do...
Not to get too technical but it's important to understand what's happening.The microwave works by vibrating the water molecule using a radio frequency. That's it, nothing more. A myth that many people grasp onto is that it works using radioactivity or that it alters the molecular structure in some way. False. It simply causes a vibration between the molecules. There is NO "nuking" happening. The microwave has an a technical advantage in that it heats the entire cigar at the same time. It doesn't just heat the outside, it heats the center also and that's a good thing. It's important to understand that this procedure works ONLY if your cigars can benefit from being overly moist or on the higher side of normal.

Remember, your tobacco is probably already fermented and is several years old. Once rolled, any further aging will probably do very little to improve the smoke. The main reason you put them away to 'rest' is to get the moisture level lower all the way to the middle of the cigar and uniformly so.

If you could do a time lapse of the normal 'age drying process' you'd see the cigar drying from the outside in to the middle over a few months. The center core would be the last to dry and this does take some time to get a uniform moisture level throughout the cigar. So the uniformity of the microwave is a big plus in speeding up the process.

So... if your put a new cigar in a microwave and mic'd it for a SHORT period of time you could turn the internal moisture to steam. The problem is and why many have failed with this experiment, once it's moisture is turned to steam, the steam must be removed or the cigar will just re-absorb the moisture. Nothing gained and you end up with a molested cigar. Not good. Another fail is to give the cigar too much time and it will super heat the steam and ruin the cigar. Literally cooking the cigar.

My first success was to punch or cut the end of the cigar and them mic it for only 10 seconds. (standard household microwave heats one cigar very quickly) then remove the cigar and blow in the end to remove the steam from inside the cigar. You can actually see the steam blowing out the end if you do it under a light. (I blow it into the vent fan under the microwave and can clearly see the steam blowing out).

Then, another 10 seconds and blow it out again. By the third time the steam had diminished to little to none coming out. Stop, it's done. Let it cool for half an hour and it's ready to smoke. Like it's rested for 4 months. Yes, it really is that easy.

I had cigars that were bitter and un-smokable turn into very good tasting cigars in less than a minutes time. NO, it doesn't turn every crap cigar into a Padron. It simply brings the moisture level down. This however, can make a HUGE difference in how it smokes. It not only tastes better but it will burn better also. (If your cigars are aged well there will be NOTHINg GAINED by doing this procedure. This process is for any cigar that may be overly moist. If the cigar has a bitter taste this may be the answer to correct it. I promise, the results have been astonishing.

Taken one step further...

Doing one cigar at a time is fine but what if you have a bunch of cigars to do? I have a vacuum pump that I rigged up where I can put 15 cigars (or more) at a time. I microwave the entire bunch and then immediately put on the lid and pull a vacuum. This sucks out all the steam and air from the very inside of the cigar.

After vacuuming, upon opening the valve, fresh 54% rh air from the room goes rushing back into the cigars. This does a very thorough vacuum of the internal of the cigar all the way to it's core and replenished with low humidity. The cigars are remarkably dry and ready to smoke.

Note: After rolling fresh cigars I wait a day or two for the outside wrapper to dry before microwaving.

My set-up...

View attachment 84443

 

[Endaxi]

I have been microwaving cigars with excellent results for some time now. So good are the results that I'll try to explain the procedure and why it renders such a good cigar.

We've all heard that the best thing is to let your cigar 'rest' after rolling. Absolutely true and the reason for this is to let the cigar shed some of the moisture in the leaf to reach a point of proper dryness for smoking. If you have the time of 3 or 4 months this certainly works PROVIDED the environment they are stored has a RH low enough. (Lower RH does the job faster.)

First, let look at what a microwave does and doesn't do...
Not to get too technical but it's important to understand what's happening.The microwave works by vibrating the water molecule using a radio frequency. That's it, nothing more. A myth that many people grasp onto is that it works using radioactivity or that it alters the molecular structure in some way. False. It simply causes a vibration between the molecules. There is NO "nuking" happening. The microwave has an a technical advantage in that it heats the entire cigar at the same time. It doesn't just heat the outside, it heats the center also and that's a good thing. It's important to understand that this procedure works ONLY if your cigars can benefit from being overly moist or on the higher side of normal.

Remember, your tobacco is probably already fermented and is several years old. Once rolled, any further aging will probably do very little to improve the smoke. The main reason you put them away to 'rest' is to get the moisture level lower all the way to the middle of the cigar and uniformly so.

If you could do a time lapse of the normal 'age drying process' you'd see the cigar drying from the outside in to the middle over a few months. The center core would be the last to dry and this does take some time to get a uniform moisture level throughout the cigar. So the uniformity of the microwave is a big plus in speeding up the process.

So... if your put a new cigar in a microwave and mic'd it for a SHORT period of time you could turn the internal moisture to steam. The problem is and why many have failed with this experiment, once it's moisture is turned to steam, the steam must be removed or the cigar will just re-absorb the moisture. Nothing gained and you end up with a molested cigar. Not good. Another fail is to give the cigar too much time and it will super heat the steam and ruin the cigar. Literally cooking the cigar.

My first success was to punch or cut the end of the cigar and them mic it for only 10 seconds. (standard household microwave heats one cigar very quickly) then remove the cigar and blow in the end to remove the steam from inside the cigar. You can actually see the steam blowing out the end if you do it under a light. (I blow it into the vent fan under the microwave and can clearly see the steam blowing out).

Then, another 10 seconds and blow it out again. By the third time the steam had diminished to little to none coming out. Stop, it's done. Let it cool for half an hour and it's ready to smoke. Like it's rested for 4 months. Yes, it really is that easy.

I had cigars that were bitter and un-smokable turn into very good tasting cigars in less than a minutes time. NO, it doesn't turn every crap cigar into a Padron. It simply brings the moisture level down. This however, can make a HUGE difference in how it smokes. It not only tastes better but it will burn better also. (If your cigars are aged well there will be NOTHINg GAINED by doing this procedure. This process is for any cigar that may be overly moist. If the cigar has a bitter taste this may be the answer to correct it. I promise, the results have been astonishing.

Taken one step further...

Doing one cigar at a time is fine but what if you have a bunch of cigars to do? I have a vacuum pump that I rigged up where I can put 15 cigars (or more) at a time. I microwave the entire bunch and then immediately put on the lid and pull a vacuum. This sucks out all the steam and air from the very inside of the cigar.

After vacuuming, upon opening the valve, fresh 54% rh air from the room goes rushing back into the cigars. This does a very thorough vacuum of the internal of the cigar all the way to it's core and replenished with low humidity. The cigars are remarkably dry and ready to smoke.

Note: After rolling fresh cigars I wait a day or two for the outside wrapper to dry before microwaving.

My set-up...

View attachment 84443

 

[Endaxi]

This is interesting. I came up with the same idea independently and tried it a couple of weeks ago. MY reasoning was exactly the same, which was that the microwave would allow one to dry/heat the cigar from the inside out. I was initially fearful of cooking the cigar, so I adjusted the power setting on the microwave down to one or two, down from the default "10" power setting and "slow" cooked it for about a minute. I noticed definitely that moisture had been released but that the cigar was not too hot. I haven't tried it again because, I also anticipated the problem of "what to do with the moisture once it's been released" — but I had not yet come up with a solution. I love the vacuum set up but I may have to settle for more low tech methods. Anyway, thanks. I am re-inspired to try again.

 

[Gdaddy]

This is interesting. I came up with the same idea independently and tried it a couple of weeks ago. MY reasoning was exactly the same, which was that the microwave would allow one to dry/heat the cigar from the inside out. I was initially fearful of cooking the cigar, so I adjusted the power setting on the microwave down to one or two, down from the default "10" power setting and "slow" cooked it for about a minute. I noticed definitely that moisture had been released but that the cigar was not too hot. I haven't tried it again because, I also anticipated the problem of "what to do with the moisture once it's been released" — but I had not yet come up with a solution. I love the vacuum set up but I may have to settle for more low tech methods. Anyway, thanks. I am re-inspired to try again.

Once the microwave turns the moisture to steam just blow the steam (moisture) out the end of the cigar. If not, it will re-absorb the moisture. You need to eliminate the moisture by blowing it out.

 

[Dominican56]

Agreed.

I only use this method for daily "just before smoking". No need to bother if you can squirrel away a bunch for dry boxing.

Last night I took a 2 week old cigar that had been laying in 54% rh air conditioned room and when I mic'd it I was surprised to see the amount of moisture blew out of it. It felt completely dry in the hand but inside it still had moisture.

Quick story...Years ago when microwaves first came out a buddy of mine said..." have you tried reviving stale bread in the microwave?" No, I had not. "when you put the bread in for a few seconds it will come out soft and warm BUT you need to eat it fast because it will turn hard pretty quickly". He was right.

Be aware, the cigar will do a similar firming. Let the cigar sit for 15 minutes to a half an hour after mic'ing and it will firm up nicely. I particularly like this because, as you know, on these humid evenings by the time you near the end the cigar is mush and probably goes out. The extra firmness definitely helps and you can take it to the nub still burning nicely.

That's been my trick for a long time too.
I used the Mic-dehydrator with commercial sticks before learning to roll my own. Like you, I now only use it with fresh rolled sticks I want to sample straight away

After nuking it for 2-4 6-second blasts and blowing steam out after each microwave blast (it's an experience thing knowing when to stop) I plop it into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes so it doesn't suck moist air back into it as it cools. That colder air in the fridge is much lower RH than the warmer air.
It takes a little experience to get it right so you don't have a dry crunchy mess that was once a nice cigar. (I've done that.)

All of this reminds me of a hypothesis I have about cigar moisture and storing.
I'm surmising that storing a cigar with fairly high initial humidity will help round out the flavor profile more than a lower RH stick will.
As the stick having high moisture rests while slowly drying to lower RH all sorts of interesting things are going on inside the thing. As it dries to the proper RH (65% or so) all of those magical things are turning the ugly stick into a thing of gastronomical beauty until it reaches a certain RH and stops or slows down the internal action.
Anyway, it's reasonable supposition to me.

 

[Gdaddy]

That's been my trick for a long time too.
I used the Mic-dehydrator with commercial sticks before learning to roll my own. Like you, I now only use it with fresh rolled sticks I want to sample straight away

After nuking it for 2-4 6-second blasts and blowing steam out after each microwave blast (it's an experience thing knowing when to stop) I plop it into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes so it doesn't suck moist air back into it as it cools. That colder air in the fridge is much lower RH than the warmer air.
It takes a little experience to get it right so you don't have a dry crunchy mess that was once a nice cigar. (I've done that.)

All of this reminds me of a hypothesis I have about cigar moisture and storing.
I'm surmising that storing a cigar with fairly high initial humidity will help round out the flavor profile more than a lower RH stick will.
As the stick having high moisture rests while slowly drying to lower RH all sorts of interesting things are going on inside the thing. As it dries to the proper RH (65% or so) all of those magical things are turning the ugly stick into a thing of gastronomical beauty until it reaches a certain RH and stops or slows down the internal action.
Anyway, it's reasonable supposition to me.

Another quick dry method of putting the cigar with binder only (no wrapper) in a dehydrator. Once dried then put on the wrapper. It was easy to over dry the cigar to the point of being crunchy. The microwave worked faster and all the way to the core with more control.