Best years for Habanos?

[The_Yagermeister]

Please forgive me if this has been asked before... I'm new :innocent:. I see lots of talk about "Such-and-such year was great!" or "You're crazy for buying [insert year here]!" So, as a newcomer to CCs (3 boxes on the way, can't wait!), which years are regarded as the best for Habanos? Or is it just a matter of aging appropriately?

 

[icehog3]

It's subjective. For cigars I have aged myself, 2005, 2006, 2008 have been stellar, and some of the recent production ('10. '12) have been some of the best fresh I have ever had.

For smokes I have bought with age (within reason), 1998, 1997, 2003 have been standout years.

Ask 10 BOTLs, and you are likely to get 10 different lists.

 

[KcJason1]

Its all subjective.. it really depends on the vitola and blend. But general consensus says 10' is a very good year for a majority of the marcas.
Be ware of late 90's cigar boom sticks.. I've heard of a lot of construction issues.

 

[Tyler]

It really is all subjective but in my experience, and from talking to some of the FOGs on the various forums, I have come up with this list:

2001
2003
2005
2008
2010
2012

Some of the 2001s are a bit of a gamble due to the construction issues during that time but I have not had a bad one. I have not had very many from before 2000 so I can't say on those. I will say that some of the best CCs I have ever smoked came from 2010. Specifically, the 2010 H. Upmann Sir Winstons are phenomenal.

 

[CigarGavin]

It really is all subjective but in my experience, and from talking to some of the FOGs on the various forums, I have come up with this list:

2001
2003
2005
2008
2010
1012

Some of the 2001s are a bit of a gamble due to the construction issues during that time but I have not had a bad one. I have not had very many from before 2000 so I can't say on those. I will say that some of the best CCs I have ever smoked came from 2010. Specifically, the 2010 H. Upmann Sir Winstons are phenomenal.

oh damn brother; how are those 1012's smoking? Haven't been able to come across one in a while that hadn't already turned into dust. :grin:

ok im done, sorry couldn't resist

 

[Nacho Daddy]

anything over 8 years old.I've had cubans from the late 80's to this year. Some are good young,some after 4 years,and so on. However,every stick I have had with 7 to 8 years on it has been epic. The exception to this is ,as was mentioned,years between '99 to mid '01,when rapid growth and poor business practices made cuban cigars a crapshoot. Poor rolling and the rush to get product out is why I avoid buying these years,and why you see a lot of '01 stuff in "Vintage" sections on web sites. However,a good stick from this period can be amazing.
2005 is widely considered a good year,I have found it to be so myself. The 2008 to present have been very good in my experience,with emphasis on 2010 and 2011. Excellent young sticks,probably will go thru a "dumb" phase for a few months,and hopefully mature into their typical cuban profile.
I have had more good surprises among the less popular marcas,and generally prefer the 46 and smaller guage sticks. Also, I have found that Cohiba needs 4 to 5 years to really start showing,and hit their stride at 7-8 years.

 

[Tyler]

It really is all subjective but in my experience, and from talking to some of the FOGs on the various forums, I have come up with this list:

2001
2003
2005
2008
2010
1012

Some of the 2001s are a bit of a gamble due to the construction issues during that time but I have not had a bad one. I have not had very many from before 2000 so I can't say on those. I will say that some of the best CCs I have ever smoked came from 2010. Specifically, the 2010 H. Upmann Sir Winstons are phenomenal.

oh damn brother; how are those 1012's smoking? Haven't been able to come across one in a while that hadn't already turned into dust. :grin:

ok im done, sorry couldn't resist

1012 BC of course. You have to handle them very carefully but the mummy wrappings I use to light them make for a pure smoke.

 

[The_Yagermeister]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for those 1012s!

 

[Gravity]

'99 and '00's have been nothing but problems for me, which seems to be what others have run into as well. Other than that, it's really a gamble if you weren't the one that did all the aging, never know what a cigar has been through.

 

[AlohaStyle]

For newer stuff, I've really loved 08. Beyond that, I've had some good cigars from most years, but 08 stands out to me. I haven't had too many current production 2010-2012 as I'm letting my stash age.

I will add, I have seen some amazing looking 2012's and look forward to smoking more of them.

 

[jacobwaits]

It really is all subjective but in my experience, and from talking to some of the FOGs on the various forums, I have come up with this list:

2001
2003
2005
2008
2010
2012

Some of the 2001s are a bit of a gamble due to the construction issues during that time but I have not had a bad one. I have not had very many from before 2000 so I can't say on those. I will say that some of the best CCs I have ever smoked came from 2010. Specifically, the 2010 H. Upmann Sir Winstons are phenomenal.

I have to agree about the Sir winnies...

 

[nanilla]

Yeah I dont think you can go wrong with anything from the last 10 years, I have really loved 08 and 10 especially.

 

[dvickery]

you asked "best years for habanos"...for me...i feel...best years for smoking right now is about '89 to '93.

derrek

 

[jamesbrownsplit]

Slightly related question. What do you guys think about guys like Pete Johnson and George Brightman saying current production CCs are just not any good?

 

[icehog3]

Slightly related question. What do you guys think about guys like Pete Johnson and George Brightman saying current production CCs are just not any good?

They are selling NCs, what are they gonna say?

The Cuban production since 2008 has been stellar, IMHO.

 

[Tanga]

Everything from 2005 and 2006 has been stellar. I am not a big fan of 2007 (mayby it is just bad luck I do not know). Then all the young Cubans, 2008 and forward, are pretty much smokable ROTT. That is a big difference compare to how it use to be.

 

[pbibby]

They are selling NCs, what are they gonna say?

This.....

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2 because, you know, I love Tapatalk 2.

 

[MoJo]

Slightly related question. What do you guys think about guys like Pete Johnson and George Brightman saying current production CCs are just not any good?

They are selling NCs, what are they gonna say?

The Cuban production since 2008 has been stellar, IMHO.

But they are not in competition with CCs for a large portion of the market (US). Also, what I have heard them say is that current CCs are not as good as they used to be and not as good as they can be, haven't seen any interviews of them saying that CCs just aren't good anymore (not saying they haven't said that, only what I have heard).

EDIT: also not sure how old the interviews I am referring to are

 

[jmartins]

IMO and not trying to step on any toes here. Outside of the USA CC's are still a very big cigar. Most our B&M's are full of CCs so it is hard to say as the USA does not allow CC into the country (if I am incorrect here in any way I do apologize and do not mean to offend).

For me the best years were the late 90s (97-99) and and I will second Tanga in 05-06 being excellent I have quite a few 05s and I absolutely love them.

Just my opinion here.

Cheers,
JM

 

[MoJo]

IMO and not trying to step on any toes here. Outside of the USA CC's are still a very big cigar. Most our B&M's are full of CCs so it is hard to say as the USA does not allow CC into the country (if I am incorrect here in any way I do apologize and do not mean to offend).

Agree, and from what I have been told (no idea if realistic or not) a lot of places outside of the US carry mostly CCs, with little selection of NCs (or at least not as many as CCs).