Is getting some old Havanas back in condition possible

[laficion]

Well , that's the question. I have recieved some very old Habanos from the early 70's,

and I was wondering If any of you out there have any opinion on the matter.

Do you think that It's possible to bring back to life cigars that have not seen a humidor

in the last 35 years ?? I have had only one experience and this was years ago when I

got my hands on a few old Henry Clay Havanas from the early 50's . these cigars were so

dry that I thought that I would never get them back in condition, I called GERARD Pére et Fils,

in Geneva and I asked Vahé Gérard ,what can I do to bring them back to life, and he told me,

"put them under a glass dome with a writing under the glass saying, Grandfather's cigars and that's

about all you can do, they're finished". well, I thought that he was wrong so I begain to put my

cigars in my Humidor but all the way at the f

[laficion]

Sorry I ran out of time, so I'll start again

Well , that's the question. I have recieved some very old Habanos from the early 70's,

and I was wondering If any of you out there have any opinion on the matter.

Do you think that It's possible to bring back to life cigars that have not seen a humidor

in the last 35 years ?? I have had only one experience and this was years ago when I

got my hands on a few old Henry Clay Havanas from the early 50's . these cigars were so

dry that I thought that I would never get them back in condition, I called GERARD Pére et Fils,

in Geneva and I asked Vahé Gérard ,what can I do to bring them back to life, and he told me,

"put them under a glass dome with a writing under the glass saying, Grandfather's cigars and that's

about all you can do, they're finished". well, I thought that he was wrong so I begain to put my

cigars in my Humidor but all the way at the bottom of the humidor and after a few months, they

came back to life? I would like to know what your opinion on this matter would be, can I make them

come back to life or not? The cigars are, 1 full box of Montecristo No. 1 and a 10 count box of Sancho

Panza, Sanchos . Here are a few pics. of the very dry cigars.

[Colt45]

Guy, they can certainly be re-humidified, but the real question is whether or not they will taste the way they were meant to. My guess is that they

would not. My thought is that once the essential oils "evaporate", there is no way to restore them. I hope you will try it and give us a report.

Good luck!

[gyosa]

guy,

how did the henry clays turn out ?

i would expect similar results with the montes and sancho's ......

[Shelby07]

Where were they "stored." Was it somewhere with 50% or better ambient humidity or was it in a dry desert climate?

I certainly would give it a try... what have you got to lose? Honestly, they don't look that bad to me.

[El Presidente]

I must say Guy that I have been surprised in the past at how cigars I thought would be well and truly extinguished have come back to be very pleasant with a few months in humidification. They certainlly can still have a smoothness but they do lack complexity and character. The cigars I am talking about however were out of a humidor for many years at the back of a fishing trailer.

[mkz]

Fascinating reading Guy!

I dont know anything about bringing cigars "back to life" but it most be worth a try.

Be shure to let us know how they turned out...

[greenpimp]

Guy---

I received a few extremely old and very dry Cohiba Lanceros 8 years ago. (They smelled and looked like they had spent a decade or more in a garage.) I put them in a low-humidity small humidor (around 50 percent RH) for like 6 months and then in another "normal" small humidor (around 65 RH) for another year. I frankly forgot about them then fired one up one afternoon, nearly 2 years later. It was a wonderful, extremely flavorful cigar I still remember. Quite excellent.

I think the key is to revive them very very slowly so they don't swell or crack, and then give them a lot of time after that to lose any off flavors in a spare humidor. Well, it worked for me anyway. And honestly, those cigars don't look all that bad, so you may be in luck in a year or so.

I would be happy to serve as a guinea pig. Nice find, hopefully. Let us know.

[Taino]

Like Pimp said. The key is to re-humidified them slowly, give the leaves time to recover their elasticity otherwise they'll crack or broke.

Nobody can say a-priori how they are going to come out. Good luck!

[Fatcigar]

I received a few extremely old and very dry Cohiba Lanceros 8 years ago. (They smelled and looked like they had spent a decade or more in a garage.) I put them in a low-humidity small humidor (around 50 percent RH) for like 6 months and then in another "normal" small humidor (around 65 RH) for another year. I frankly forgot about them then fired one up one afternoon, nearly 2 years later. It was a wonderful, extremely flavorful cigar I still remember. Quite excellent.

I think the key is to revive them very very slowly so they don't swell or crack, and then give them a lot of time after that to lose any off flavors in a spare humidor. Well, it worked for me anyway. And honestly, those cigars don't look all that bad, so you may be in luck in a year or so.

Agree 100%...treat them like long lost loved ones, give them a lot of love & care together with patience. However, those cigars with wrinked wrapper (left 1-2 Monte No.1 & top 1-3 Sanchos) meant they have gone through both excessive humid and dry environment, those are beyond repair. Unfortunately, flavours are lost forever. The rest appear fine.

[Jimmy2]

Hi Guy re-humidify them and try them out you have nothing to lose i would say about a one year. Also once the oils have dried they will never taste the same as when new .I must say Guy those cigars look in great shape they must have been stored in a moist area? Most cigars that i have seen this old and not in a humidor the wrappers were always in bad shape . Enjoy

[hansa]

Hey Laficion,

These are wasted... Just send them to me !

H

[thechenman]

This is a fascinating post, and while I don't have the experience to add any value added commentary, I would love to hear how these vintage cigars turn out for you. Good luck with this. I hope the cigars come out great.

[Padrino]

Guy, how dry are the cigars ? are they hard and brittle to the touch ? The Monte box looks to be in great shape except for the first two cigars to the left, they appear to be quite dry and shrivelled. Some of the Sanchos appear to be a bit distressed, how do they feel to the touch ? Were both boxes sealed all these years ?

[laficion]

Hi Padrino,

These cigars were VERY dry and becaue of that ,very light in the hand, the two Monty's

that you spoke about are in good shape, the first one is only a bit stained. Like you said,

the Sancho's are a bit worse with two cigars that have the head just cracked. the boxes

were not sealed and as I said above, I'm sure that they have never seen a Humidor in

their 35 years in the box, but since I've put them in my Humidor they are SLOWLY coming

back. How smokable will they be at the end is a question that I can't answer at the

moment, as you can Imagine. only time will tell, but I have good faith in old Havanas

cheers, Amigo

[semery74]

They may have never seen a humidor for 30+ years, but they look like they are in fantastic condition. The condition of the wrapper provides obvious clues as to the variation in storage climate. It would be way more detrimental to the wrapper if the storage climate fluctuated rapidly or had wide swings during the course of the years. But these almost look like they were in someone's basement for all that time. If they were sitting in a cabinet, on the main floor, of an unconditioned home for that long they would be crumbling dust.

[laficion]

Just a quick up date on how my Montecristos No 1 from the 70's

are doing.

Well I took them out of the box,( very carefully ) and put a white

band around each cigar with a No. that tells me at what place they were in the box.

I must admit that I'm quit surprised on how they are coming along, pretty well

we'll see how they will progress with time

Here are a few shots of them in bed Humid porn.

[mkz]

Look at them babies sleeping...