Outside of international brokers willing to test U.S. Customs, California Backwoods fans have taken cues from a bygone era of crate-digging DJs. Blunt-minded treasure hunters have been visiting tobacconist stockrooms across the country, where lucky seekers have turned up cases of decades-old Grape, Banana, and Vanilla-flavored Backwoods produced and distributed before the domestic discontinuation. Relics from when Backwoods were sold in packs of eight cigars instead of the current five, the rare 'Woods are easily distinguishable from their imported counterparts by the classically American "Surgeon General's Warning" label. And while those ancient domestic 'Woods still pull in the same price as imported flavors on the resale market, unlike aged Cuban cigars properly stored in a humidor, vintage Backwoods are often dry and cracked — not only rare in form, but in function, as well.
"I still have a pack of Grape 'Woods from 1995," Lawyer says. "They're so old that you can't just unwrap them out of the pack; you've gotta get them completely wet, roll them in a damp paper towel, soak them for like 10-15 minutes. Then you can unravel them, wait for them to dry, and then try to roll them up."