How long do cigars last in an untended humidor?

[mitch]

Hello

I know very little about cigars so would be grateful for some guidance from the experts. I have come into a quite large quantity of cigars that will have been kept properly in good quality humidors. However I suspect that there may have been a period of time before they came into my possession - perhaps a couple of months or more - when the humidors were left untended and unopened. So my question is, are the cigars likely to be okay or will they have dried out in that time and be spoiled ? I am not a cigar smoker so am unable to tell the difference myself.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[cptspaulding]

Good indication if they are still in good condition is to squeeze one gently between your thumb and finger down where the band is. If its is still firm but springy then you can be pretty confident they are not dry.

[HabanoSy]

Hi Mitch

Congrats on your bounty (must be nice to come into a large quantity if cigars...!?!)

IMO, no matter what the quality of humidor you have if the humidifying device has been left to dry out then this will almost certainly have lead to the cigars drying out (to a point) too.

Post some pics up of your haul (if you can) and we can have a closer look at the severity of drying out and maybe we can go from there...!!!

No doubt others will be along in a while to offer up some more advice/opinions...

Cheers, HabanoSy

[Simon-JG-hr]

Let me apologize immediatley mitch, the slightly stiff delivery of your post reminded me of a recent email from a Nigerian lawyer. Understandable if you are a little unsure of the subject (much like my Nigerian guardian angel...)

As cptspaulding has suggested, the good old squeeze method is the best test of exactly what condition they are in. If they have a little bit of a firm, springy give then you're whistling. If they're spongy (unlikely...) then it's not good. Likewise if they are quite hard it is not great - this is probably the most likely situation if the sticks haven't been stored properly.

It might be worth doing as HabanoSy has suggested, and putting up a couple of pics. The advantages of this are two-fold:

One... as Sy says, we will be able to have a look at what sort of condition they are in (at a certain point you can see a little bit, as well as feel).

And two... we like our cigar porn pictures! (Don't worry, I have "come into a large quantity of cigars" too... Oooh matron!)

If the conclusion is that the cigars are dried out, then please refer to this thread, which details the best way of bringing them back to a good state.

[cj121]

Hello

I know very little about cigars so would be grateful for some guidance from the experts. I have come into a quite large quantity of cigars that will have been kept properly in good quality humidors. However I suspect that there may have been a period of time before they came into my possession - perhaps a couple of months or more - when the humidors were left untended and unopened. So my question is, are the cigars likely to be okay or will they have dried out in that time and be spoiled ? I am not a cigar smoker so am unable to tell the difference myself.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Hi Mitch,
Your post is contradictory in parts as you say the cigars have been stored and looked after properly and then there is the distinct chance that they have been unattended and dried out.

The ultimate test is to smoke one or two but as you are not a smoker, that will be difficult. Did you part with cash or kind for these Mitch? Someone needs to smoke one or two and I suggest you find a cigar smoking friend to put some of these sticks to the test as even sticks that have been 'rehumidified' (for want of a better expression) can end up duff in the taste department.

Pics would be nice and keep us all informed

[mitch]

Many thanks for all the helpful replies. I shall investigate this evening and will post some pics. They were my late father?s cigars and, while he would have cared for them properly, after he died there was a time when his humidors were in left in storage. I don?t know if it would make any difference but the room where the humidors were stored was very prone to condensation and so there would have been a fair bit of moisture in the surrounding air. It was also not centrally heated. Anyway, I shall have a closer inspection and will report back.

Some of the cigars (Quintero Pantellas, I think) are individually wrapped in celophane so presumably they?d be less prone to drying out?

[Deano]

The celophane won't make much difference, but I suspect if the humidor was already set up properly, it would have probably of kept the cigars ok for a few months without needing much attention.

[G-man]

Mitch
As U mentioned the room was very prone to condensation . This in itself is a good thing.
The heat doesn't really matter as much as humity. As mentioned before smoke 1 or 2 and that will tell the story. Also pinch the foot of the cigar ever so gently and if it seems to have give to it its fine. If it cracks its in need of moisture. Please post results

[cj121]

Sorry to hear abour the loss of your father Mitch. Whereabouts in the world do you live?

Re condensation in the room that like GSS says, may be potentially a positive thing in keeping some of the moisture in the environment as I'm sure you're aware.

You need a willing guinea pig, Mitch, to taste and test. Shouldn't be hard to find. Have you got any names on the sticks (cigars)

[Stogiedog]

CJ, boy you will smoke anyones stogies dude LOL.

[cj121]

Been down that road: dried up sticks in search of stogie Nirvana P

Mind you, you whip it out, I'll smoke it (well have sniff first)