Did I just ruin my cigars by keeping them out for a month?

[donblount123]

Recently I got 50 fine Montecristo cigars, right from the shop where it was kept in a humidor. I was planning to give as gift to my friends. I have never smoked cigars and had no idea how to handle them. Then a friend mentioned about humidors and said cigars would get ruined if they are not kept in them. So did I just ruin mine?

1. The cigars were purchased from a shop 4 weeks ago (mid july)
2. They are Montecristo No. 2. Still in the box. I have not taken them out (I am hoping this is keeping some of the humidity around)
3. I live in London, England where the humidity situation is not too bad


After hearing about the humidor thing I am now shopping for them online and would get one in a few days.

Now the cigars are in a tight Ziplock bag with a small piece of damp tissue at the end. (not touching the cigar box)

[Simon Bolivar]

Hi Don, You might just have got away with it as the humidity has been realy high lately, infact my problem has been trying to keep it down. Give them a week or two & then you could start handing them out to your lucky friends.
PS Not only will I be your friend but as someone who has smoked a fair few Monte No2's, I am willing to give you my opinion on your cigars, should you wish to send me one to try.

[sbthang]

Hi Don,

As Simon suggested, humidity levels have been relatively high of late - I have also been suffering from higher than normal levels in one of my Humi's (resorted to wedging open the lid yesterday to try and bring RH down - next'll be to try taking out the Humidifier for a day...)

I would also be glad to be your friend, however, unlike Simon, I have not smoked a Monte #2 thus far - I'm a big fan of their smaller smokes (PE, #5) already - but as this would be in the name of research (and companionship), I would be willing to assist in a group smoke-off and bring a 'newcomers' perspectives to the forum (to balance the old 'been there, done it' brigade's opinions).

As Simon hints at; this would be from a purely technical point of view...



Steve

[Zigatoh]

Just my 2 cents but I think 4 weeks, in the closed box, they Should be fine anyway, and even if they have dried out a Bit they will definitely be recoverable, but better safe than sorry, get them a new home asap

[donblount123]

>> definitely be recoverable

As in the cigars can get back the lost humidity ?

[Zigatoh]

Yeh, 4 weeks isn't so bad, some people try and recover them after a lot longer than that, honestly I think they'll be fine as long as they go in a humidor soon... After longer periods when the cigars get really dried out it can be necessary to slowly bring them back up to the right humidity, otherwise if you bung really dried old sticks in at 70% the filler tobacco can expand quickly before the wrapper gets a chance to catch up and that can crack the things right open... as I say though, 4 weeks really isn't that long unless you'd left them open and in direct sunlight

I say relax and just get them into a humidor as soon as you can and should be nps

[rokkitsci]

Sorry db, old chip, but your stogies are spoilt beyond recovery. Your best course of action is to send them to me where I will dispose of them in my special incendiary fashion.

hth


---
- ISent from my iPhone by iGeorge

[patrickspark]

this place is starting to sound like mooch central !

[Zigatoh]

I would say gimme gimme gmime, but no space in the humi anyway

[sbthang]

this place is starting to sound like mooch central !

Mooch, you say...I'd venture say that in fact there was a tremendous out-pouring of assistance on display (entirely altruistic, I can assure you), my dear boy...

[monkey66]

Be careful with the 'wet paper and a zip lock bag' situation as mould can come quickly. I would remove the wet paper after a few days and leave in the ziplock.

In any event you have spent ?500+ on cigars, probably good to spend ?50 on a basic humi to protect that investment.

What made you buy Monte 2's and did the shop not discuss storage with you?

Ignore all these moochers, they are just egging you on.

[donblount123]

Thanks for all the sound advice. I have placed an online order for a humidor.

My original post might have sounded like I just popped down to the shop and bought 50 Montecristo No.2's for my friends. That's not quite how it happned. I was in Cuba and bought the cigars at the cigar factory in Havana. So the whole thing costed around ?200.

As I am no cigar aficionado, and was just a noob tourist, I did not know anything about humidors.

[Stevieboy]

Ignore all these moochers, they are just egging you on.

*Groan*