Aging - Can you age too long?

[dwoodward]

I have wondered this, and given most views on these forums the answer would be no.

However, Cigar Aficionado says otherwise.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show?id=When-to-Stop-Aging_5507

It's an interesting short read. :tu

[elderboy02]

In my opinion, yes. I have had some cigars that just taste better fresh.

[Don Fernando]

most answers on the forum must be wrong then. The answer is yes.

Cigars are like wine, some are great for aging, others should be consumed within a reasonable period or they go bad (or bland in case of cigars). I had some 100+ year old cigars that were great, but I also smoked an 80's Cuban Davidoff that already passed its prime.

[massphatness]

Absolutely, yes -- it obviously varies from cigar to cigar, but I've smoked some old old stuff: White Owls, Van Dycks, etc. and I just don't see what the hype is all about on a cigar that has 40, 50 or 60+ years on it. To me, it tastes like air and sawdust. I have a few lying around as novelties, but they're nothing I ever see myself craving. Might be fun to throw one in a PPP, but again, it would be for the novelty of saying I smoked something older than Al or pnoon.

[wayner123]

I think this is the major quote:

That depends entirely on your taste and the cigars you're aging.



Just as an aside, if you watch the accompanying video, you will see a Stinky!! Sweet!

[poker]

Absolutely, yes -- it obviously varies from cigar to cigar....

I agree with this 100%. Most uber old cigars are way past their prime and are just plain flat.
A few others on the other hand are nothing less than nirvana.

[OLS]

You can definitely age a cigar too long. Especially under reasonable, but not perfect conditions.

[pnoon]

I agree with this 100%. Most uber old cigars are way past their prime and are just plain flat.
A few others on the other hand are nothing less than nirvana.

But doesn't that contradict the Rule of 3s? :rolleyes:

I agree with Kelly and the others. Sticks can and do age past their prime - prime being a relative and subjective point.

[mtnphoto]

What is the rule of 3's?

[pnoon]

What is the rule of 3's?
That was a sarcastic comment (:rolleyes:) regarding a recent post/thread about how cigars are fully aged at 3 years. My comment was tongue-in-cheek.

[mtnphoto]

Thanks for the insight.:tu

[Bunker]

I like Padron's comments in the Aficianado interview about how he wants to make cigars you can smoke now and not have to wait for, otherwise "it's like buying a BMW motorcycle and keeping it in the garage for a year before you ride it" or something like that.

[poker]

That was a sarcastic comment (:rolleyes:) regarding a recent post/thread about how cigars are fully aged at 3 years. My comment was tongue-in-cheek.

:r I dont buy into the "rule of 3" belief whatsoever. :tu

[pnoon]

I like Padron's comments in the Aficianado interview about how he wants to make cigars you can smoke now and not have to wait for, otherwise "it's like buying a BMW motorcycle and keeping it in the garage for a year before you ride it" or something like that.

I understand what Padron is trying to say but I think it is a bad analogy.
The bike is not consumable in that you ride it once and you're done. And I don't think letting the bike sit for a year will improve the ride.

[Mugen910]

But doesn't that contradict the Rule of 3s? :rolleyes:

I agree with Kelly and the others. Sticks can and do age past their prime - prime being a relative and subjective point.

:lr

[landhoney]

And I don't think letting the bike sit for a year will improve the ride.

You're right, and if it did people would be doing it. :tu

Curious to hear if people have smoked 40+ year old cigars that were 100% known to have been stored properly that entire time, say by one individual or store? And was it expired or not?

What I'm getting at is that usually cigars of that age have questionable history with regard to storage conditions.

[DavenportESQ]

I have to disagree...Maybe its my noob palatte, but I have never smoked a older cigar saying "man I wish I smoked this 5 years ago" If I find a cigar "flat" I usually attribute it to storage conditions, but like I said I haven't smoked a lot of vintage cigars

[Mugen910]

You're right, and if it did people would be doing it. :tu

Curious to hear if people have smoked 40+ year old cigars that were 100% known to have been stored properly that entire time, say by one individual or store? And was it expired or not?

What I'm getting at is that usually cigars of that age have questionable history with regard to storage conditions.

That would mean:
1) They stored the cigars themselves for 40+ years
2) It was stored for them properly and they are at least 60yrs old by now.


** Peter is the only one that old around here. :r

[landhoney]

That would mean:
1) They stored the cigars themselves for 40+ years
2) It was stored for them properly and they are at least 60yrs old by now.
** Peter is the only one that old around here. :r

First of all, exactly my point, probably rare but I'm sure it happens/happened.
Secondly, there are exceptions, buying ex-Dunhill stored cigars, someone you know (older) has been aging them for 20 years, then you stored for 20, etc (You don't have to be 60yrs old in either case). In these cases there is an established history that the cigars have been 100% stored properly.

[x man]

I ve been smokin 16 yrs. Ive had this debate many times with
friends of mine. My 2%, cc`s smoke much much better between
10 and 15 yrs old, depending on the tobacco. From 10 yrs old on,
you get a inkling into the world of properly aged stuff. As a rule,
after i smoke one cigar from a box of cc`s i dont try another one for 3 yrs,
then 5, and so on, this tells me how many yrs till full maturity.
At 10 yrs, 22 or 23 cigars are ready to smoke.

[sikk50]

Just don't age past 3 years and you'll be fine

[markem]

Just don't age past 3 years and you'll be fine

:lr I'm such a nickerson


Most, if not all, cigars will eventually fade. When that occurs depends not only on the cigar itself, but the storage conditions as well.

I have some Rob't Burns from the mid-50s that are spot on. I have some very good CCs from the 70s that are like smoking rolled newsprint. Your cigar and aging may vary.

[Mr Edmundo]

No wonder so many cigar smokers are FOGs..:r

[ninjavanish]

I think I'm only going to echo what most have already said but here goes anyway.

The short answer is yes you can age too long. However...

Aging is an art.

If you are looking to enhance the flavor of certain cigars a lot depends on how long they sit and in what conditions.

For me personally I like the complexities that emerge from taking a full bodied cigar and allowing to age for months or even years. Aging almost always affects the body of a cigar the most. Take a LFD Ligero 250 Cabinet. Right out of the factory is a powerhouse of spiciness, body and flavor. Take that same cigar and let it sit in a cedar drawer in a humidor for a year or two and it drops to a medium bodied cigar or less, the factory peppery spice is dulled and it inherits the flavor of the cedar. This appeals to my taste. Some people may prefer the boldness of that cigar right out of the box.

On the other hand... I have taken say... Ashton VSG's for instance... and allowed them to age for a few years and found the flavor that was once present has all but vanished along with what used to be a medium to full body. The cigar then becomes almost a shell of its former self leaving MUCH to be desired in my opinion.

And not to make it even more complicated... but take the same VSG... allow it to age 3 months and it's noticeably more mellow and refined, yet retaining it's body.

AND 1 more thing... take a PSD4. At least this used to be the case... Smoke it right out of the box... awesome cigar... let it age 3 months and I wouldn't use it to wipe bubble gum off the bottom of my shoe. Let it continue to age for an additional 6 months (up to a Year total) and you've got yourself a great cigar that has matured and refined in flavor back to an AWESOME smoke.

All in all it really just comes down to finding an age on each cigar that appeals to your taste... and each year, and each new batch will behave differently. So many variables that can influence it you just can't account for all of them.

[Starscream]

I think this was mentioned in the "other" thread, and it's definitely a generalized statement, but I find it holds true in most cases. You can most definitely over-age an NC cigar, but it's a whole lot less likely to happen with a CC.

[Matt-N-Ga]

I've smoked a few vintage cigars, and have found both statements to be true...Some really can be aged for extremely long periods of time and will be finer with the age...while others have been lackluster with no flavor and a muted body...

My golden rule: if I like, I smoke it, if I do not, I don't.

[bobarian]

Aging cigars is much like aging wine. First of all you cant turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. If you are going to age you have to start off with premium product. Just look at the crap the Rothman is trying to pawn off as "vintage" in his recent catalogs. Bad crap from the 90's is still bad crap today, just 10 years older. But even when you start with good product, noone knows for sure if will age into something sublime or something just above average. You can make an educated guess as to which wines or cigars will be great in 20+ years, but its not foolproof. I think that's part of the wonderment of this hobby. Everyone is looking for the next 98 LFDC Corona or Fonseca Invicto's.

Smoke em fresh or smoke em aged, just enjoy whatever you smoke.

[poker]

Aging cigars is much like aging wine. First of all you cant turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. If you are going to age you have to start off with premium product. Just look at the crap the Rothman is trying to pawn off as "vintage" in his recent catalogs. Bad crap from the 90's is still bad crap today, just 10 years older. But even when you start with good product, noone knows for sure if will age into something sublime or something just above average. You can make an educated guess as to which wines or cigars will be great in 20+ years, but its not foolproof. I think that's part of the wonderment of this hobby. Everyone is looking for the next 98 LFDC Corona or Fonseca Invicto's.

Smoke em fresh or smoke em aged, just enjoy whatever you smoke.

So true. A current Guantanamera Cristales in 10-20 years will still be like a pigs ear :D

[Ashcan Bill]

A current Guantanamera Cristales in 10-20 years will still be like a pigs ear :D

That would be a vast improvement in taste. :xxx

[markem]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKkipFxKNyOqWtFabJihjAVqZJ0AXQN zBkgL0wkcjm_J8ETo8&t=1&usg=__ZBLeC79aKNMICpdJlQ-ydM0gPZQ=

I think that the answer is 'yes'

[ninjavanish]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKkipFxKNyOqWtFabJihjAVqZJ0AXQN zBkgL0wkcjm_J8ETo8&t=1&usg=__ZBLeC79aKNMICpdJlQ-ydM0gPZQ=

I think that the answer is 'yes'

I just had this vision of that guy running into a mosquito at 60 mph.

Sorry to thread jack.... ahem... let me say something about aging cigars:

Get a bigger humidor! You can use the space. Trust me.

[dwoodward]

I just had this vision of that guy running into a mosquito at 60 mph.

Sorry to thread jack.... ahem... let me say something about aging cigars:

Get a bigger humidor! You can use the space. Trust me.

Give me yours. :r

[smelvis]

I say yes, I have some myself that is close to to long in the old cab, I sent a lot already in bombs and to the troops that were getting to mellow.

Many many years ago I bought way to many mellow cigars lol live and learn!