I got a dress box of Belicosos Fino back in February box code TEB JUL07 from a reputable Puros dealer.I smoked one that night and it was very rich and tasty but a bit wet, but it was a really great cigar. They have been sitting in my converted wine cooler at 67 degrees and 65% ever since. I tryed 2 differan ones tonight and they were Nasty. Both refused to burn well. I could not get any smoke out of them and, did I mention they were Nasty.They both seemed to be perfectly humidified and weighed 12.5 grams, which is normal.So my question is has anyone experienced such a drastic turnaround during the so called sick period,and can anyone relay your experiences with the sick period.

No. You better send them to me for further examination and analysis.

You had me scared there, Powderfinger! I have a box of the same boxcode and vintage that I'd laid aside to try to get 12 months on them before cracking open the box. But just burned one tonight and have to say it was pretty much the usual great burn and nice taste, though I find the latter can vary quite a bit depending on my palate of the evening. In this case, I had eaten lightly and had a short cigar a bit earlier, so conditions weren't ideal. But all in all, I'd have to report standard issue BFs on my end.

July 07 is not necessarily the production date. It is the date when the box left the factory/warehouse. Well, knowing how popular BBFs are, they shouldn't have stayed long in the warehouse and it still must be pretty close to the rolling date. It is thus very likely that the one you smoked in February was still in the so called "sick period" (somewhere between 3rd and 12th month), but you say it was rich and tasty. It tells me with high degree of probability that sick period shouldn't be the reason for your yesterday's unpleasant experience and something else must've been wrong.

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They have been sitting in my converted wine cooler at 67 degrees and 65% ever since.

Are you sure the hydrometer is reading properly?

Actually I had that backwards it is 65 degrees 67% humidity. It is a calibratable digital that was calibrated with a Bodiva calibration pack.

Maybe my tastebuds were totaly off yesterday.I guess that can happen.

Where the cigars very wet when you got them?
I have friends that live in the states and buy over the internet and have sometimes had similar issues with cigars that where shipped over wet.Even though they are at the right R/H now.
I never understood why online vendors do that.Yet another reason why i don't purchase online.

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Originally posted by SHEEPSHEAD BAY:
Where the cigars very wet when you got them?
I have friends that live in the states and buy over the internet and have sometimes had similar issues with cigars that where shipped over wet.Even though they are at the right R/H now.
I never understood why online vendors do that.Yet another reason why i don't purchase online.

they do this because if a box has to travel from europe to north America, it still take a few days and suffer through some drastic temp & RH changes..

they tend to overhumidify the cigars, in order for you to receive a box that isn't complety dry..

and this is why it'S CRUCIAL to let cigars rest for a while after transit.. and by a while, I don't mean a week or 2, I mean 2 or 3 onths at least... I personally, try and aim for 6 months. (although I do admit that sometimes I just can't control myself, and crack after a couple of months)

I've gotten some boxes in the past (Tightly wrapped in black plastic, with printing that says something to the effect of "product of somewhere other than Cuba") and the inside of the plastic was coated with moisture! I guess they wipe the plastic down with a wet rag before applying it to the boxes. So yes, if you order by mail, you must wait for them to stabilize... oh, the agony!

Yes they were pretty wet when I got them. I can't seem to find any that are a couple of years old, they are either 3 months, or from 00 or 01 and they just scare me.