Aging vs Aged

[Zmilin]

I understand aging and the benefits. Like wine some things get better with age. I recently smoked an Opus that Ive had for about five years and it was a mellower more pleasant smoke than the ones I had when I bought it. Granted there is no set # of years to wait for any brand, style or size of cigar but as Ive been thinking about aging cigars I have come to a few questions and would like to hear your opinions or facts.

A cigar mfg ages tobacco to use in its cigars. Should those cigars still be aged?
A box of cigars sits in a shop humidor for a few years and (lets say the box is dated 2010). Aren't those now aged?
How long do you age a cigar before you smoke it?
What has been your experience between smoked ASAP vs aged?

 

[Cigary43]

There is an advocacy for aging cigars and that usually is entertained by those who have a lot of experience with certain brands over a period of years. One can't really tell the merits of age on a cigar unless they have prior experience with it like you did with the Opus. A lot of smokers will tell you that an Opus just gets better with years on it as they are more balanced and there are those who don't have much experience with that brand and love them ROTT...it's up to the person as to what they are looking for. I have a lot of aged product because I have intimate knowledge of the brand and have smoked a lot of it over the years and for me they are much better with rest= anything between 1 month and up to 5 years while aging = anything over 5 years.

Trying to age cheaper cigars isn't going to avail much of anything as this process is pretty much for premium cigars only and it's the discerning palate that will know what or how difference aging makes in any cigar. Noobs aren't going to be able to appreciate the aging process or taste because they haven't trained their palate to know the difference much like the wine association you brought up. Wine and tasking wines that have been aged isn't going to wow those who don't have knowledge or taste for it as much as it's an acquired taste based on experience with a particular wine....same for cigars.

 

[atbat82]

I thinking aging "cheap" cigars can help. It won't turn them into good cigars, but they do often get better. They get less harsh and more balanced. In my experience

 

[StocktonJohn]

I agree with the above but I'll add a few points from my experience.

First, a year or two can really help cigars that have burn issues when fresh due to thick oily wrappers. This is mostly about maduros. If they burn better they tend to taste a lot more balanced.

Second, some cigars are more flavorful fresh. Whether that means they are better is up to the individual. Examples from my experience are DE Unicos and Padron 1000s maduros. I refer to this as a cigar "flattening out", but that is just my rather imprecise expression of this experience.

Third, cigars don't universally get more mellow with a few years of age. I've had some LFD sticks in particular that after 5 years were even more full bodied and spicy than when they were fresh. Same with some My Father sticks over a 2-3 period.

My 2 cents.

 

[beltjones]

Why wouldn't it help a cheap cigar just as much as it helps a good one?

 

[Cigary43]

I thinking aging "cheap" cigars can help. It won't turn them into good cigars, but they do often get better. They get less harsh and more balanced. In my experience

Aging implies at least 5 years....that means you buy a cheap cigar ( $2 - $4) and then wait the appropriate time to call it "aged" and then see if this makes it worth while. I have rested a lot of cheaper cigars in the $4 range and at about a year it does help overall in about 30% of them but for me to age cheaper cigars is like trying to age Boones Farm wines...at some point it's just not worth the time or effort. For some it is so I can only give an experienced opinion on what makes sense to age. JMHO

 

[Craig Mac]

What does price have anything to do with aging potential?

 

[ascrivner]

I thinking aging "cheap" cigars can help. It won't turn them into good cigars, but they do often get better. They get less harsh and more balanced. In my experience

Aging implies at least 5 years....that means you buy a cheap cigar ( $2 - $4) and then wait the appropriate time to call it "aged" and then see if this makes it worth while. I have rested a lot of cheaper cigars in the $4 range and at about a year it does help overall in about 30% of them but for me to age cheaper cigars is like trying to age Boones Farm wines...at some point it's just not worth the time or effort. For some it is so I can only give an experienced opinion on what makes sense to age. JMHO

Resting is up to 2 years, aging beyond that, 5 years+ age is a crapshoot unless it's cuban.

 

[StocktonJohn]

Why wouldn't it help a cheap cigar just as much as it helps a good one?

I think it may help to the extent that the tobacco is just young. However, most cheap sticks are made from low grade tobacco that at its best just doesn't have the flavor. Aging will not add flavor that is not there to start.

 

[Craig Mac]

Well said John, nothing to do with price, rather the quality of tobacco. Not all "cheap" sticks are necessarily inferior tobacco and aging is nothing more than experience and opinion at the end of the day as demonstrated every time these threads come up. What works for one doesn't always work for all and vice versa.

 

[D Quintero]

Short / med filler Cc's are most definitely going to benefit
From aging.
Let me add something -smoking in excess dulls the keenest of senses - the nose.
So especially when some fat fuck cigar smoker preaches solely about taste ? Well, they're speaking with a handicap , a retardation... The nose knows yo
Imho

 

[Trackmyer]

A cigar mfg ages tobacco to use in its cigars. Should those cigars still be aged? YES,

Just because a mfg. ages the leaves used in a given blend for a cigar does not mean it shouldn't be allowed time to meld flavors together. This is more important when dealing with a high demand cigar that the mfg. ships out within short time after leaving the rolling table. Allowing these cigars time for the filler,binder,wrapper to blend together the better it will get.


A box of cigars sits in a shop humidor for a few years and (lets say the box is dated 2010). Aren't those now aged?

Many opinions here, most will say aging cigars require a more specific and stable condition of temp, RH, and light exposure. So no, being in a lit up, high traffic area like a B&M humidor is not this type of environment.


How long do you age a cigar before you smoke it? Depends on the cigar.

Most NC's are designed, blended, post production rested, and shipped ready to smoke ROTT. This is where personal opinion will vary with type of cigar. Many cigars are at the peak flavor the blender had in mind when he created the line. Though some age well and are much better to me when allowed to age in their closed cedar cigar boxes for a couple years plus. Even though it may not be the same flavor profile the blender had in mind for their line.
However any Maduro cigar that went thru a special process to achieve the dark oily colored wrapper will be worse with age.


What has been your experience between smoked ASAP vs aged? Mixed.

Ive had cigars boxed in 97' that I broke into in 2012 that tasted great. Ive had some rested for less than 2 years that had a lot less flavor than they did ROTT.


It all boils down to type of cigar, and your preferences. Not all cigars age the same, regardless of price point.

These answers are specific to NC's only.

 

[atbat82]

I thinking aging "cheap" cigars can help. It won't turn them into good cigars, but they do often get better. They get less harsh and more balanced. In my experience

Aging implies at least 5 years....that means you buy a cheap cigar ( $2 - $4) and then wait the appropriate time to call it "aged" and then see if this makes it worth while. I have rested a lot of cheaper cigars in the $4 range and at about a year it does help overall in about 30% of them but for me to age cheaper cigars is like trying to age Boones Farm wines...at some point it's just not worth the time or effort. For some it is so I can only give an experienced opinion on what makes sense to age. JMHO

Fair enough. If you define aging as 5 years or more, then I meant "resting". A year or two on some cheap stocks can help soften the edges. By 5 years it would probably be pretty flat (though I've never let a cheap stick or any stick last that long!)

 

[Jfire]

If you age certain NCs five years you might as well not even buy them. I think resting and aging in NCs is a universal term. About 6-12 months. But anything over 12 months is just aging a NC. For Habanos resting is 1-2 years and aging is 2plus IMO.
And I would also agree that aging is only helpful if you're not going to pound your senses with cigar smoking everyday. Give the Palate and sinuses a rest at lest every other day..... It helps you not only pick up flavors on aged cigars but just improves your appreciation for a fine well rested/aged cigar.

 

[Cigary43]

Fair enough. If you define aging as 5 years or more, then I meant "resting". A year or two on some cheap stocks can help soften the edges. By 5 years it would probably be pretty flat (though I've never let a cheap stick or any stick last that long!)[/QUOTE]

If you read those who talk about Rest/Aging you'll see the consensus of what they say as a whole...isn't my definition at all so I tend to agree in principal as to the time frames. I agree with resting NC's as I did my own experiment years ago and found that a lot of NC's really do benefit from at least a year of rest. 5 years would not be worth it IMO as they do smoke pretty flat.

If you age certain NCs five years you might as well not even buy them. I think resting and aging in NCs is a universal term. About 6-12 months. But anything over 12 months is just aging a NC. For Habanos resting is 1-2 years and aging is 2plus IMO.
And I would also agree that aging is only helpful if you're not going to pound your senses with cigar smoking everyday. Give the Palate and sinuses a rest at lest every other day..... It helps you not only pick up flavors on aged cigars but just improves your appreciation for a fine well rested/aged cigar.

I agree with you 100%...the only cigars I tend to think benefit from resting that long are Opus cigars and a few others. You did bring up a great point of smoking cigars on a daily basis...it will overwhelm any palate no matter how long you've been an enthusiast and isn't the whole idea of enjoying a cigar....getting it to taste as great as possible?

 

[atbat82]

If you read those who talk about Rest/Aging you'll see the consensus of what they say as a whole...isn't my definition at all so I tend to agree in principal as to the time frames. I agree with resting NC's as I did my own experiment years ago and found that a lot of NC's really do benefit from at least a year of rest. 5 years would not be worth it IMO as they do smoke pretty flat.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that you'd made up the definition!

 

[teamrandr]

I have smoked several different nc's recently. A 98 partagas that was still full of flavor. I tried two from '99 a davinci and a jamiacan macanudo and one Don Juan from 2000. The store owner at my local shop holds certain boxes of stuff he thinks might age well. I found that they smoked perfectly, though it is mandatory to smoke them.slower than usual. They certainly held some character but for the most part had mellowed quite a bit. Overall I say the difference is suttle but worth expirementing with. I will have to try the 2007 partagas that I have and see how it compares to the '98.

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

Short / med filler Cc's are most definitely going to benefit
From aging.
Let me add something -smoking in excess dulls the keenest of senses - the nose.
So especially when some fat fuck cigar smoker preaches solely about taste ? Well, they're speaking with a handicap , a retardation... The nose knows yo
Imho

All I got out of this was you calling me retarded and a fat f$&k...

Were you?

 

[D Quintero]

figure of speech Bro .

too much pulp for general consumption perhaps? the fat fuck comment now seems a tad much though.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I am no expert by any means, but I find that beer and cigars have a lot of similarities. In the beer world we call resting "conditioning" to where the beer becomes ready for consumption fresh, then aging certain beers can help. I think the ingredients and strength of the product determines "aging" potential personally for both beer and cigars. A light beer usually does not age well as the flavors that are there tend to age out and my experience with most lighter flavored cigars is the same, what little flavor was there to begin fades away over time. High alcohol beers with strong flavors tend to age well as the "harshness" that you taste fresh mellows over time, the same thing happens with cigars that have stronger flavors usually, but again it comes down to the tobacco that was used and whether or not the flavor that it will contribute will age out quickly or slowly over time..