Expert: James Yee - 11/30/2008

Question
QUESTION: James, my wife recently showed me a box of Cohiba Esplendidos from Haban Cuba that was given to her about 10 years ago. There are 11 cigars left in the original box containing 25 cigars. The box has a glass top with a block of wood on the inside left with a bubble level inside. ( what is this? )The cigars seem to be dry, but otherwise are in perfect physical condition. Can they be revived? And how?

ANSWER: Hi Jerry,

Yes, your dry cigars can definitely be restored.  To re-hydrate your cigars, you will need to let them sit in a properly maintained humidor with a humidity level of 70% and a temperature level of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Because the cigars have been dry for the past 10 years, these cigars will need sit in a humidor for AT LEAST 4-6 months.  In fact, the longer you rehydrate the cigars, the better they are so if you're in no rush to smoke them, just let them sit and age in a humidor for as long as possible.  During this time, you will need to rotate the cigars periodically (once a month is fine) and ensure that your humidor is functioning properly at 70% humidity.  

If you do not own a humidor, then what you can do is store your cigars in a "Humi-pouch".  Humi-pouches are Ziploc-style plastic bags with a humidified lining built into the bag's plastic membrane.  They're designed for short-term cigar storage/travel and can keep your cigars properly maintain at 70% humidity for up to 3 months.  After 3 months, you will need to replace the bag.  These bags are available in a variety of sizes and depending on the size, retails for anywhere between $5 to $15 per bag.  They're available at most tobacconists and cigar stores.

In regards to the bubble level, I'm not sure why it was included in this box.  Glass-top Cuban Cohibas are well-known counterfeit cigars.  In fact, they're the most well-known Cuban counterfeit cigar in the cigar industry because genuine Cuban Cohiba has never manufactured a glass-top box for any of their cigars.  It's unknown why some glass top Cohiba box variations contain bubble levels.  

Hopes this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: So, are you saying that these cigars are counterfiet? and if so , should i bother restoring them?
Thanks again
Jerry

Answer
Hi Jerry,

Unfortunately, they are indeed counterfeit.  Genuine Cuban Cohiba has never made glass-top boxed cigars and any Cuban Cohibas sold in glass or plexi-top boxes are definitely fake.  As I mentioned previously, glass-top Cuban Cohibas and extremely well known in the Cuban cigar industry and some cigar smokers even collect these glass top Cohibas purely for the sake of just owning a glass-top box.

However, even though these cigars are not authentic, they may still be from Cuba and use Cuban tobacco.  The only difference is that tobacco used in genuine Cohibas are higher-quality than the tobacco used in counterfeit cigars produced in Cuba.

I say you should still restore them and enjoy them.

Regards,
James