Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 10/31/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Bill..How long will a flavored cigar last in the original shrinkwrapped sealed box of 24 , in a walk in humidor ? I am having a problem with new cigar shop in the area..I purchased a sealed box of Drew Estate "Acid" cigars last week and just opened them a couple days ago..They have NO flavor and NO aroma like the Acid line usually has and are stale..The tobacco they use to pack them in is also extremely dry and crumbles into powder at the touch..When i questioned the owner about them , he just said " what do you want me to do about it ? " He said that they had been in his walk in humidor for about 3 months or so and were still sealed from the manufacturer so there shouldn't be a problem with them..He suggested I contact Drew Estates regarding them and he would not give a refund or exchange..Obviously , he has lost my business with my first purchase and I have tried to contact Drew Estates....Ang help would be greatly appreciated.....thanks

ANSWER: Jay,
I don't blame you for giving up on this store. Nearly any good retailer would have quickly exchanged the cigars or offered you a refund.

Cigars won't stay fresh long just because the are sealed in shrink wrap. If you look closely at the wrapping, you'll see that is has lots of small holes in it. These holes allow the air to escape when the plastic is heated and shrunk to make a tight fit around the box. It makes a good looking package but a poor moisture barrier. If the retailer didn't have them properly humidified or bought them from a distributor who didn't store them correctly, they could have easily dried out.

I'll check with my Drew Estates rep and see if there is anything he can do. We stock Acid and will exchange them for you if he is willing to take them back. I'll get back to you when I hear from him.

Bill

Jay,
What Acid cigars are these?
Bill

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Bill...they were the NASTY Acids...Actually , after e-mailing Johnathon Drew , his wife Marielos and a couple others , i got the address for the Director of sales and he has a box of replacements on the way...Thank you very much for tring to help me with this mess, it is VERY Much appreciated...Do you have a web address for your store ? I would like to send you some business for being so helpful !....thanks again.....Jay

Answer
Jay,
Glad to hear that you got it resolved. My rep sounded like he was going to do what he could - they. like any good manufacturer, want to make sure that they have satisfied customers...

Our mail order company is Finck Cigar Company. We've been making cigars since 1893 (115 years) and have been selling cigars by mail since the 1980's. You can visit our site at finckcigarcompany.com or you can request our 64 page print catalog.

Thanks,
Bill