Cc aging questions

[sneak_a_cigar]

1. Why do they need to age for so long?

2. Do non-cc experts ever smoke right from the box? And if so, are they good?

3. Do you need a special humi, or can they be kept with the rest in a desktop?

4. Are they aged before leaving the factory?

Sneak

 

[owensaz]

1. Why do they need to age for so long?

2. Do non-cc experts ever smoke right from the box? And if so, are they good?

3. Do you need a special humi, or can they be kept with the rest in a desktop?

4. Are they aged before leaving the factory?

Sneak

1. Imagine cigars like tobacco lasagna it usually taste better as time goes on. But the actual answer is tobacco expels different gases(I believe mostly ammonia) with time and the longer they rest the more of these gases escape making for a better tasting "smoother" cigar. As well as a coupling of all the components of the cigar binder, filler wrapper..

2. Taste is subjective.. I'm no expert but for the same reason as #1 I've found I enjoy cigars Atleast 6months rested* but the more the better in my opinion.

3. You want to maintain a fairly consistent environment.. so quite a few ppl I know have a Humidor they smoke out of and then another Humidor that doesn't get opened nearly as often to age.

4. Yes they are, generally the higher the price point the longer they are aged. But of course this will vary to some degree.. Different lines etc..


Hopefully others chime in but there are other resources geared to CCs on the internet as well so do some reading. You'll be surprised at what's out there.

I think i answered this correctly but verify...

 

[bballbaby]

#2 - I opened a new box with a boxcode of Jly 2011 and it was awesome! PSD4. It's my new favorite. I had one a few weeks ago from 2007 and it was even better. I love the partagas flavor and could taste the differences and the similarity of the 2007 vs. the 2011. The 2007 was just better balanced and softer and smoother. but both were great.

#3 - No need for a special humi if your simply going to take them from the box and put them in the desktop and then smoke them in the next year or so. For long term aging where you're not going to touch them for a year or more, then I'd suggetst leaving them in the box and putting them in a long term storage humidor. One that won't be opened as often as a desktop might be opened. For long-term storage, leave them in their box so that cedar flavor is imparted on the cigars. But again, if you're gonna smoke in short order, put them in that desktop and show them off.

 

[Jfire]

If your going to smoke them in the first couple of years leave them sit in a desktop. If your going to age them for 5 plus years leave them in the slb, dress box or cabinet they came in. If you have 4 different humidors like many as well as myself. I have desktop for smoking now and vinotemp for all NC and CC full boxes. Then on top of that I have another vinotemp for all half boxes and singles. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Many CC smokers think 3 years is the min for a box to just start to age. So for guys thinking they're going to rest a box for one year and come right back to it with much change in smoking profile think again. Even though many habanos are more approachable now days many also need 3 plus years resting to be fully enjoyed. Most habanos see 180 days of aging (binder filler wrapper) and then they're boxed. Some cubans like cohiba and LE REs can see up to 5 years of aging of the blends and wrappers before they are boxed, stamped and shipped. Some like fresh Psd4s (me) some like older Psd4s. (Myself even more the fresh) but when they are say 2 years old they can be slightly off. It may take a individual years to figure out everything the way they want their CC setup.
Regards,
Jfire

 

[Hot_Sauce]

1) Not all Cuban cigars need to be aged for years. It's a matter of taste. Sometimes they are great as soon as you get them. And sometimed they need age. Sometimes they are great when you get them and they go through a sick period and then need age. Then they tast great. There is no correct answe to this unfortunatly. If you get a bad batch, in general age dosen't matter. They are a bad batch. Age dosen't matter.


2) Not all Cuban cigars need age to smoke we'll when young. In general when young they will be stronger in your face flavor. But some aren't good at all young. It's a crap shoot IMO. I like to wait 3+ weeks before getting them, but thats just me. Some poeple can't wait and try one as soon as they get them. Like I said it's hit and miss when you do that, and 3+ weeks dosen't guarantee they will be smoakable. Sometimes you need to wait longer. How long that is? There is no answer.

3) You don't need a special humidot to age cigars. Just one that holds humidity well. Both desktops/coolerdoors can do this if you have the right set up.

4) In general Cuban cigars don't age long before getting boxed up and shipping out. They are a business and don't have the time to age your cigars for you.They let you do that. They are dated the month they are boxed. Who knows how long they were rolled before that? But they aren't sitting there for months. Like I said they want to roll them and sell them ASAP and make $$ in general, unless they are something really special. Then move onto the next batch.

 

[bundwallah]

1. Why do they need to age for so long?

2. Do non-cc experts ever smoke right from the box? And if so, are they good?

3. Do you need a special humi, or can they be kept with the rest in a desktop?

4. Are they aged before leaving the factory?

Sneak

1.) It really depends on the brand/marca. Some are great ROTT, some get better with age.
2.) Yes. Good from the box. (not an non-CC expert FWIW)
3.) I'd set aside an aging humidor. Something you wont open to often other than to check the conditions. I've read that slightly lower RH and temperatures are recommended for aging. I offer no scientific references for this though. It is surmised that lower temps and RH are optimal conditions for the oils in the cigars to "meld" over time, thereby "aging" the cigars. Lower temps help prevent the oils from evaporating too quickly. Lower RH to help reduce the expansion and retraction of the tobacco filler, binder, wrapper over time. Suggested conditions. 59-61FH and 62-64RH.
4.)No. Regular production is not. Many LE's and RE's do use older aged tobacco prior to being rolled though.

In my experience, Cohibas have always been better with age vs ROTT. Again, YMMV.

 

[javajunkie]

hey, just to clarify/ chime in; i am reading between the lines and pulling old info from way back in my melon, but it sounds like there is fermentation of the leaf, aging of the leaf even, in the case of some higher end product, but little to no aging of the entire stick by habanos s.a.?

 

[bundwallah]

hey, just to clarify/ chime in; i am reading between the lines and pulling old info from way back in my melon, but it sounds like there is fermentation of the leaf, aging of the leaf even, in the case of some higher end product, but little to no aging of the entire stick by habanos s.a.?

Correct. Raw leaf is aged for special releases such as LE's and RE's. The only exception to regular production is Cohiba Maduro. In both scenarios, the leaves are aged before being rolled into cigars. Otherwise, regular production sticks are not treated the same.

 

[jamesbrownsplit]

I have a question that fits in this thread...

When you were starting off with CC's how did you know when they were ready for smoking? For example, I just got a box of Partagas Shorts with a box date of March 2012. Only a few months old. I'm impatient and have already smoked 2 of them. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with them. One certainly had some harshness to it, but it wasn't bad by any means. I don't want to blast through the whole box and smoke them when they are half of what they could be though. I guess my question is how did you determine something was "ready" with no point of reference? I guess its entirely subjective but I had to ask.

 

[Skitalets]

I have a question that fits in this thread...

When you were starting off with CC's how did you know when they were ready for smoking? For example, I just got a box of Partagas Shorts with a box date of March 2012. Only a few months old. I'm impatient and have already smoked 2 of them. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with them. One certainly had some harshness to it, but it wasn't bad by any means. I don't want to blast through the whole box and smoke them when they are half of what they could be though. I guess my question is how did you determine something was "ready" with no point of reference? I guess its entirely subjective but I had to ask.

Others may disagree, but my belief is that when you're just starting out, if a regular production cigar tastes good to you, go ahead and smoke it. You'll learn a lot about aged Cubans down the line and have time to age things. Party Shorts are going to be around.

 

[dvickery]

sneak

published elsewhere a few weeks ago...fits pretty good on this thread.
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aging cigars changes them(i always hesitate to use the words "improve" or '"get better")if you like what the changes are...then go ahead and age your cigars.

it is an inexact science to say the least...the fun is in the learning and trying to guess what will happen to your cigars.
over the years...some of the things i have learned...

this i published at cA recently and really didnt realize just how important it was untill after i posted it...

5packs...age faster than
dress boxes...age faster than
slb's(cabs)...age faster than
varnished boxes...age faster than
tinfoil wrapped bundles...and so on(somewhere tubos are in here...i just have too little experience with them to guess)

a lot of cigars INCREASE in strength as they age...for the first 10 years anyhow...robaina and allones are good examples of cigars that do this.

full boxes(as opposed to boxes of 24 of 25 or whatever)are the way to go...what i mean by this(it seems simple to me but others may disagree)is once a box is open the cigars age differently and faster(i believe)...which sort of takes me out of the "try one every 6 months til they are ready" camp...instead...i like to buy 4 or 6 boxes...open(and smoke)a box at 5 years...then 10 years...and so on untill i think that year is ready.

this i believe above all other aging techniques...leave them as un-disturbed as possible...i have cigars that are 15 years old with the seals still intact(some(many)will dissagree with this practice but its "what i do").
even some of my opened/inspected boxes...i have looked at(maybe)3 or 4 times in a decade.
try not to peek too often...closed nailed shut boxes age best...i believe.
along the same lines...i dont leave the lids ajar(some people use a dime to keep the lids open a bit).

for what its worth...i believe...about '89 to about '93 are the best years to be smoking just now.

not an aging Technique per se but also most important...for me not everyone...buy more than you smoke...i typically buy 4 times as many cigars as i smoke in a given year.

hope at least a bit of this helps
derrek

 

[orangedog]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

 

[SurpriseMVP]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

This is my approach with 2 exceptions. I do search out some cigars that are already aged and I bought my wife a huge wine fridge instead of a dress.

 

[Knickerbocker]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

+1 to this. when i find a cigar I like i buy 3-4 boxes of it. by the time I get into that 4th box it will likely be 5-7 years old.

 

[TimEye]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

+1 to this. when i find a cigar I like i buy 3-4 boxes of it. by the time I get into that 4th box it will likely be 5-7 years old.

Sound reasoning!!

 

[Alwayslit]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

...........:thumbsup:

 

[Cigary43]

just buy sh!t tons and smoke from all of it... some you'll smoke fresh, some will end up sitting because you buy faster than you can smoke. buy the wife a dress and some earrings. all problems solved.

Lol....probably the best response to a question that is always asked on cigar forums. The real deal is at the end of the day...it's your tastes that you should be concerned about but take everything with a grain of salt. Do your own experimenting with aging/resting and see what you like.