Growley Monster
Proud Creator of the Imperfecto
Can I smoke them the day I receive them? Shucks. Sometimes I smoke them the day I roll them!
Of course the tobacco I roll with is aged, already. No, that's not quite the same as further aging after rolling, but definitely the rough edges are thoroughly tamed after aging the leaf for one to three years. Certainly my palate is not sophisticated enough to tell you how much of a stick's aging was after rolling and how much is in the leaf, before rolling. Appearance and hand-feel can make aging of the rolled cigar sort of obvious, but flavor and aroma, not so much, IMHO. The only exception is that some cigars REALLY soak up a lot of cedar notes when aged in the box, especially without cello. Why more in the box than loose in the humidor? Darned if I know, but the most powerfully cedar infused stogies I have smoked had been set back in the box, and the box stored in the humi. I actually prefer not to taste a lot of the cedar but I don't necessarily find it objectionable, either. It's like getting your hotdog with creole mustard instead of French's ballpark yellow. Just different, not ruined.
If you want cigars that taste like Habanos, you might try the Honduran Punch Grand Cru in the larger gauges, or the almost identically tasting Hoyo de Monterrey Excaliburs, likewise from Honduras. I find that they are not very consistent from one year to the next but they are always quite good even if they aren't exactly the same as the previous year or years. I have been rolling with a lot of aged Ecuadorian grown Havana2000 Viso and in a blind test you could easily mistake them for some random Habano. I will be trying the Seco from the same source sometime soon, alone and blended with the Viso. I think I also have some of the Ligero I want to try.
If you REALLY have a discriminating palate, you ought to try rolling. They don't have to look perfect to taste wonderful, and you save a butt-load of money. When you are selecting each half leaf that goes in a stick, you are definitely in control.
Of course the tobacco I roll with is aged, already. No, that's not quite the same as further aging after rolling, but definitely the rough edges are thoroughly tamed after aging the leaf for one to three years. Certainly my palate is not sophisticated enough to tell you how much of a stick's aging was after rolling and how much is in the leaf, before rolling. Appearance and hand-feel can make aging of the rolled cigar sort of obvious, but flavor and aroma, not so much, IMHO. The only exception is that some cigars REALLY soak up a lot of cedar notes when aged in the box, especially without cello. Why more in the box than loose in the humidor? Darned if I know, but the most powerfully cedar infused stogies I have smoked had been set back in the box, and the box stored in the humi. I actually prefer not to taste a lot of the cedar but I don't necessarily find it objectionable, either. It's like getting your hotdog with creole mustard instead of French's ballpark yellow. Just different, not ruined.
If you want cigars that taste like Habanos, you might try the Honduran Punch Grand Cru in the larger gauges, or the almost identically tasting Hoyo de Monterrey Excaliburs, likewise from Honduras. I find that they are not very consistent from one year to the next but they are always quite good even if they aren't exactly the same as the previous year or years. I have been rolling with a lot of aged Ecuadorian grown Havana2000 Viso and in a blind test you could easily mistake them for some random Habano. I will be trying the Seco from the same source sometime soon, alone and blended with the Viso. I think I also have some of the Ligero I want to try.
If you REALLY have a discriminating palate, you ought to try rolling. They don't have to look perfect to taste wonderful, and you save a butt-load of money. When you are selecting each half leaf that goes in a stick, you are definitely in control.
(wierd right)
