Cigar Question

[dinosaur]

I have an unopened box of Macanudo H.R.H. Prince Philip CAFEs. I've had it way over a year, maybe 2 now. I used to buy 2 boxes at a time (saves on shipping, I'm a cheap batsrad) but they're really not good for me. I figure I'll save them for a "special occasion" but will they still be good or go stale?

 

[Bloofington]

There is no such thing as a "stale" cigar. What those cigars are is dry perhaps and need a real humidor, but if so, they can be brought back to life in a couple of months at most, albeit with some loss of flavor if they have dried out. If the box is sealed, they may actually have retained the humidity level they were packed at, and could be good to smoke right now, but once you open that box, they definitely need to be put in a humidor.

One word about proper cigar storage. Cigars that are properly stored, i.e., in a humidor made for the care and storage of cigars, do not go bad, . . .

EVER!!! :shock: Yup, you can put a cigar away for 50 years and take it out and smoke it. Of course, it will have considerably less strength and flavor than originally, but that too is dependent on level of humidity during storage, and the tobacco used in the manufacture of the cigar. Strong cigars, such as many Cubans, can actually take decades of storage and still come up smoking to a great level of satisfaction.

 

[Tiny Tim]

I'm going through the same type thing right now. A friend of mine was at a benefit auction and spotted some Punch After Dinner Selection cigars. She thought that I might like them, so, she bid on them and won! The problem is, she didn't get them to me for about 3 months! :shock: Now, they were in the original sealed box and she stored them in a drawer. She "kept forgetting to give them to me". But one day, she remembered them and brought them by my house. I immediately inspected them and found the obvious; they were dry! But, they looked spectacular! So, for the past 3 months, I've been going through a process of re-humidifying them. My target date to try one is Labor Day! Cross your fingers, I hope this works!

 

[bigsmokecigar]

If it works Tim,

They should be some really fine smokes!!

 

[Cigar Man]

Depends a great deal on where you live as well. Here in the desert Southwest stogies turn into well rolled coyote turds if left out too long in this arid enviro.

I find that in the summer INSIDE the house, the swamp cooler keeps the interior humidity so high that I can leave a box on a dresser top and they will be fine (yet I don't really do this :shock: ). In the winter here the oils move out of the sticks faster than a gay Nazi at a NRA meeting. I work diligently in the winter to keep the humi at 70% humidity.