Monday, November 29 1999
Q. I bought a couple of
cigars back in February of 2008, then somehow forgot about them until I found them in the back of a drawer. They've been at roughly room temperature in the dark, and are still wrapped in their cellophane. Should they still be okay to smoke? If so, is there anything I should do to prepare them?
- Colin. C.
A. At this point, I doubt it. The best advice I could give you is simply to pinch them. If they are very hard, like sticks which is most likely, they're cooked and ready for the kindling pile.
On the other hand, if there is even a little give to them when you pinch them, there may still be some moisture in there and they might possibly be salvageable. If so, remove the cellos and place the cigars in your humidor in a section not too close to the humidifier. The idea is to SLOWLY re-humidify them. Check them in about a week. If they seem to feel more supple, move them a little closer to the humidifier. If they improve again the following week, just let them sit and give them at least a month. By then, you'll know if you've saved them or not by lighting one up.
