Expert: James Yee - 12/16/2008

Question
Dear James,

A colleague of mine has a Cuban friend who brought a 25 box of Cohibas Esplendidos from a holiday in October - that is 2 months ago. I was offered the box for 150€ (206 USD). As I have only recently started smoking cigars, I do not have a great deal of knowledge, but I am concerned that they might have become too dry as he apparently hasn't kept them in a humidor. Do you think it might still be wotrth it (they are NOT fake by the way...)? I read on the internet that it is sometimes possible to rehydrate dry cigars. I would be very grateful for your advice.

Thanks in advance, Tom

Answer
Hi Tom,

Don't worry, all dry cigars can still be rehydrated.  After two months without proper storage, those Esplendidos will definitely be dry but if they were properly kept in the cigar box and were not handled too much during their dry, brittle state, they can definitely be restored simply by storing them in a humidor or humi-pouch for a certain amount of time.  In a constantly maintained humidor with 70% humidity and a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, a box of dry cigars should be fully restored within 4-8 weeks; depending on the size of the cigars and how dry they are.  Obviously, if you're not in a rush to smoke the cigars, they should sit in a humidor for as long as possible but to answer your question, it is possible to restore dry cigars.

If you do not own a humidor, what you can do is store your cigars in a humi-pouch.  Humi-pouches are Ziploc-style bags with a humidified lining built into the bag's plastic membrane.  They're designed for short-term cigar storage and travel and can keep your cigars properly maintained at 70% humidity - with minimal supervision and maintenance - for up to 3 months.  After 90 days, you will need to replace the bag.  Humi-pouches are available in a variety of sizes and can fit everything from whole boxes to a few single cigars.  You can find these at any cigar store and depending on the size of the bag, they can cost anywhere between $5-$15 per bag.

Regarding the Cohiba Esplendidos, the price is very suspicious.  A box of genuine Cohiba Esplendidos usually sell for about $445 USD in Cuba so it's suspicious that your friend is selling these Esplendidos for only $206 USD.  If these cigars were definitely purchased in Cuba, they are most likely black market cigars which means that they are indeed Cuban cigars and do contain Cuban tobacco but the grade of the tobacco and construction quality of the cigars may not match genuine Cohibas.  If these were purchased somewhere other than Cuba, it's very likely that they are counterfeit Cuban cigars that does not contain any Cuban tobacco whatsoever.

In any case, it's always best to thoroughly inspect the cigars before you decide to buy.  You'll need to look at the box, bands, labels as well as the cigars themselves for anything suspicious.  If the box is crudely packaged, the colour of the bands are washed, crudely cut or inconsistent or anything looks poorly printed or photocopied, be suspicious.  Spotting a fake can be a detailed process so be sure to search my question archive for more detailed instructions on how to spot fake Cuban cigars.  There's also a variety of websites (message boards and tutorial sites) you can find through Google that explains how you can spot fake Cohiba cigars.  (Cohiba is the most counterfeited Cuban cigar brand in the world.)

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

P.S. - If the box has a clear glass/plexiglas lid, stay away.  Those are well-known fakes.  (They're infamously known as "glass top Cohibas".)