Do Cigarettes Expire? How to Tell How Old Cigarettes Are and If They’re Stale

Have an old pack of cigarettes laying around and wondered if they're okay to smoke? Cigarette packs don’t have expiration dates, but we've got you covered. In this article, we’ll tell you how to determine your cigarettes’ age and answer your questions about whether cigarettes have a shelf life, how to tell if they’ve gone bad, and what you should do with your old pack. If you need help to quit smoking, read How to Quit Smoking or visit the CDC website.

Things You Should Know

Read your pack’s production code to tell how old your cigarettes are.
Cigarettes don't expire, but they do go stale.
Check your cigarettes for a dull smell or bitter taste to see if they’re stale.
Place stale cigarettes in a plastic bag with a piece of bread to rehydrate them.

Section 1 of 4:

Determining Your Cigarettes’ Age

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Check your pack’s production code. Most cigarettes have a Julian Date Code printed on the bottom of the pack that details when the pack was manufactured. The code is usually 6 to 7 digits long, where the first 3 numbers indicate the day of the year the pack was produced and the 2 numbers after indicate the year.^{[1]XResearch source}
- For example, the first 5 digits of the production code may read ‘14422.’ The ‘144’ indicates the day of the year the pack was manufactured on, starting from 001, or January 1st. The 144th day of the year is May 24th. The ‘22’ refers to the last 2 digits of a year in the 2000s, so this means the pack was produced in 2022.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Unopened cigarette packs will typically stay fresh for up to 2 years.^{[3]XResearch source}

Section 2 of 4:

Do cigarettes expire?

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While most consumable products have a “best used by” date, cigarettes are banned from having one. According to the World Health Organization, an expiration date may make consumers think that it’s safe to smoke the cigarettes before the printed date, while smoking cigarettes at any time can cause health problems.^{[4]XTrustworthy SourceWorld Health OrganizationHealth information and news provided by the World Health OrganizationGo to source}
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Instead of expiring, cigarettes go stale. Cigarettes are filled with tobacco, which is an organic material that has a shelf life like any other product. When a cigarette pack is opened, the tobacco is exposed to air and begins to lose its moisture. The loss of moisture and the passage of time causes cigarettes to drop in quality and grow stale.^{[5]XResearch source}
- After opening a pack, cigarettes can start to lose their flavor and go stale after 2 days.^{[6]XResearch source}

Section 3 of 4:

Determining If Your Cigarettes Are Stale

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Place a cigarette under your nose and inhale. Fresh cigarettes should have a sweet, earthy scent, or a fresh, minty smell if they are menthol. If your cigarette smells plain, it’s stale.^{[7]XResearch source}
You don't have to light and smoke the cigarette to check its taste, just simply place the end in your mouth. A stale cigarette loses its normal tobacco flavor and becomes bitter and unpleasant tasting.^{[8]XResearch source}
Cigarettes go stale when the tobacco loses its moisture and dries out. Hold the cigarette between your fingers and lightly press down. A fresh cigarette should have a slight bounce when you pinch it. If the cigarette feels brittle, hard, or any tobacco comes out the end, it’s gone stale.^{[9]XResearch source}
When cigarettes are exposed to air, the tobacco inside begins to lose its moisture. Brown and yellow spots may appear as the oils and other chemicals in the tobacco leak through the cigarette paper, showing you that the cigarette has gone stale.^{[10]XResearch source}

Section 4 of 4:

What to Do With Stale Cigarettes

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Rehydrate stale cigarettes to return them to freshness. Bring back moisture to your stale cigarettes by placing them in a plastic bag with a slice of bread. After a few hours, check on the cigarettes to see if they are moist. They should no longer be hard and instead, have a slight bounce when you pinch them.^{[11]XResearch source}
- Avoid keeping your cigarettes in the bag for too long. The cigarettes can become too moist and develop an unpleasant flavor.^{[12]XResearch source}
There is no real difference between smoking a fresh or stale cigarette. Mainly, stale cigarettes are just unpleasant to smoke.^{[13]XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Cancer SocietyNonprofit devoted to promoting cancer research, education, and supportGo to source}

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Tips

Store your opened cigarette pack in a cool, dark area like a drawer to keep your cigarettes fresh. You can even keep your cigarettes in your refrigerator or freezer to preserve their freshness.
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Warnings

Smoke outdoors and away from non-smokers to stay courteous and safe. Always put out your cigarettes. Stay away from flammable materials like gasoline and never smoke in bed.
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