Ex-cigar smoker sends me his stash.

K

kansashat

What would Skeeter do?
I know this guy in Wichita, Ks. that quit smoking cigars a few years ago or so. He quit taking care of his humidor & let it dry out. Earlier this year, he told me he would have to get me his collection & warned me that they were terribly dried out.

My doorbell rang today.

Inside a flat rate priority mail box was a large ziploc baggie with somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 sticks. A short note was enclosed......

Alan,

I hope you can find something in here I haven't ruined. Enjoy them in good health.

Merry Christmas!

Justin

The bag contained about 70% AF natties in various sizes. An LGC, a couple unbanded sticks, a Bering Imperial tubo, a couple Cuban RyJ coronas (they have triple caps & mottled bands), a Primo Del Rey, etc. Included are a couple cigars I have never seen.
They are tubos & about a petite corona size. The tubes are black w/red caps. In gold lettering it says "J&B" close to the cap. Beneath that are the letters J.E.T. Close to the foot it says "Handmade Cigar by H. Upmann." The tube contains a DR Upmann pc.
I assume this is some kind of promotional cigar commissioned by the importers of J&B scotch.
Does anyone remember these?

Back to the issue of their condition......well, it's pretty dismal. They are about as dry as straw. I have them in a desktop that is running about 60% rh. I'll try to keep em at around this level til spring & then slowly start bringing them back to life. I am optimistic that, as long as I can bring them back without causing any structural damage, there will be enough character left in the tobacco to assure that they are at least smokeable. Otherwise, I'll be in for a slightly harsh experience.

I will call Justin & thank him. Perhaps he can tell me about the age of the RyJ's & solve the mystery of the promo cigars.
 
Good luck , you'll never know unless you give it a shot . But from what I've read here is that once the oils dry up so does the flavor . I'd give it a whirl but I think somewhere on this site , someone recommends starting at about 40% RH . There's only one way to find out , experiment and keep a log for future reference and to share your new knowledge . Have a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukha ! :D
 
The cigars are approximately 10 years old. The AF's are from a time when you had to get on a waiting list for a box of Double Chateau Fuentes.

The RyJ's are from around 95-96.

The promo cigars are just what I thought they were. They came in packs of 5-6 from J&B scotch.
 
You might be able to stall any structural damage to the wrappers. However, the cigars have lost precious oils that cannot be regained.
 
Bubba -NJ said:
Good luck , you'll never know unless you give it a shot . But from what I've read here is that once the oils dry up so does the flavor .
Click to expand...

Yah, I know, but like you say, I gotta give it a shot.

That dang humi was runnin' a little dry anyways. :)
 
I think you will be able to bring them back to the smokeable level. Good thoughts...lets be positive. :D
 
A mate gave me a couple of cigars sometime ago, Bolivar Tubos, which had been sitting on the tash of his car through an Aussie summer plus some.... now that's dry. Anyway I stuck em in my humi and gave them sometime, they smoked OK, not what you would normally expect but they were certainly smokeable.

Good luck Alan, let us know how it turns out.
 
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