Aging Experiment

[alfredo_buscatti]

Allowing for the different tastes of different vitolas, I had smoked a box of the Don Pepin JJ Maduro Belicoso and thought I knew what to expect when I traded for 10 or so Sublimes that were 1-2 years old; but the age did give me pause; I'd never smoked any cigars that old.

Was I in for a great surprise! These cigars tasted nothing like the Belicosos! They were infinitely more rich and complex.

Does age, on the whole, do this? I have two X-Large humidors and one medium. I'm thinking of making the medium my aging humidor and taking five each of the fifteen cigars that I have and putting them down for a couple of years.

Opinions?

[HollywoodQue]

Aging does make a different, but It really depends on the brand. Some NC are better if smoked right out of the box, while others may need to sit in your humidor for several weeks or months. Some may increase in pure flavor while others may lose their flavor all together.

On the other hand, the CC's I have tried were great with some age on them, but there are a few that taste really good right out of the box. CC's are more forgiving if aged several years, or may not even reach their full potential until they are aged several years.

Your title is absolutely correct, you must experiment with various brands for aging until they meet YOUR taste. Try getting a few samples, smoke one and see how it taste to you. Then throw the rest in your humidor and try another one after a few months, then decide if its better or worst.

DATE YOUR SMOKES SO YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU PUT THEM IN YOUR HUMIDOR.

Document the difference in taste.......there you have it.

Just my :2:2 Hope this helps....good luck!

[Patrick B]

Great post, Howard. Pretty much hit the nail on the head. I like NC's fresh and strong, while CC's taste best around 2-3 years (in my limited CC experience).

[HollywoodQue]

It appears Yahoo has removed the article from the cache. I have made the article available as a PDF here. (http://members.cox.net/nathanking/Aromas.pdf)

I just found this link in another thread by Nathan King, hope this helps.

[HollywoodQue]

Great post, Howard. Pretty much hit the nail on the head. I like NC's fresh and strong, while CC's taste best around 2-3 years (in my limited CC experience).

Thanks Patrick....so far, the only NC that kicked me in the head for smoking it right out of a 5fer was the Tat Barclay Rex. I think they came out in Oct 2010....I tried one with a friend and it bit me hard. I just tried another one with mostly the same effect. I will definately let the remaining 2 sit for at least a year or two before trying it again.

[alfredo_buscatti]

A belated thanks to HollywoodQue for great advice!

[Ogre]

Aging does make a different, but It really depends on the brand. Some NC are better if smoked right out of the box, while others may need to sit in your humidor for several weeks or months. Some may increase in pure flavor while others may lose their flavor all together.

On the other hand, the CC's I have tried were great with some age on them, but there are a few that taste really good right out of the box. CC's are more forgiving if aged several years, or may not even reach their full potential until they are aged several years.

Your title is absolutely correct, you must experiment with various brands for aging until they meet YOUR taste. Try getting a few samples, smoke one and see how it taste to you. Then throw the rest in your humidor and try another one after a few months, then decide if its better or worst.

DATE YOUR SMOKES SO YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU PUT THEM IN YOUR HUMIDOR.

Document the difference in taste.......there you have it.

Just my :2:2 Hope this helps....good luck!

:tpd: Its all personal taste. But I have been having fun experimenting and learning this.

[Ranger_B]

Yeah depending on the cigar normally the tobacco in the NC cigars are aged for a few years before being rolled. Once rolled they are then aged additionally a few months or more depending on the brand. No matter what the cigar aging will change the flavors of the smoke just depends on whats in the cigar on how it will age.

Correct me if I am wrong but my opinion for the CC market they have really not moved to long term aging of tobacco prior to rolling. For most of the standard lines they ferment and roll, box and ship. Some of the LEs and the new bohike they are aging a bit. That is why you will sometimes read about a sick period when talking habanos. I normally take a 5er out of ever box for smoking now and then put the rest away for about a year and revisit. Its nice to track the progress and see how it goes.

[NCRadioMan]

Correct me if I am wrong but my opinion for the CC market they have really not moved to long term aging of tobacco prior to rolling. For most of the standard lines they ferment and roll, box and ship. Some of the LEs and the new bohike they are aging a bit. That is why you will sometimes read about a sick period when talking habanos.

Not so much anymore. The 'sick period' isn't as common as it was 6+ years ago as they have gotten smart and started to stockpile tobacco like never before and aging at least a year before being used. The EL's and Behike baccy is aged several years. That's why cigars in 08, 09 and 10 have been surprisingly really good right away.

Aging cigars is part of the fun of this hobby.

[alfredo_buscatti]

I have some Padilla 8½ Miami's and had thought to age them. But right now, at 6 mos., although not complex, they are very rich, perfectly balanced, simply delicious!!!

Is there any point in aging them? One of the contributors to this thread said that when you are aging, you stop at the point where you are happy with the results.

Have I already reached that point?

[RevSmoke]

Well, a couple things could have made for the different flavors. 1) Different marca of the cigar might taste different. 2) Cigars from different years may have slightly different blends in them, hence the different tastes. 3) It may just be the difference of the age.

Yes, cigars do age and the flavors change. Usually they get a bit more mellow and muted as the flavors of the constituent tobaccos meld and lose their distinctiveness. some people like the way that happens and the flavors that develop. There are some that do not find that trait desirable with certain NCs, as those distinctive flavors are what attracted them to those cigars in the first place.

TO really see how a cigar ages, get a box and keep at tasting log as you try them throuhg the years (or months). I have done some of that, but I really don't care. As long as I like them, I am not truly interested too much in what the different nuances of flavors might be, just as long as they are good.

Peace of the Lord be with you.