Sick, young, or ready

[njstone]

So I'm curious on aging cigars. I've only been keeping large quantities of cigars on hand for over 2 years, so don't have much with "age" to speak of.

Just to pic a couple examples (as there are perhaps too many to speak very generally), let's take a Bolivar PC and Trinidad Col/Reyes/Fundi as examples here. At what point after the box date do these cigars typically go through their aging stages, specifically when are they no longer "sick" and when are they "ready" in your opinions?

I know that most cigars tend to improve with age, and of course there are variations among cigars (consistency, construction, etc.). Obviously, we all have different tastes and tolerance levels for the cigars, and probably different opinions on when a stick is "ready."

But there have only been a couple instances where I thought a "young" cigar was enjoyable to me (Boli RC, Party Short), the rest of the ones I've liked have been 3-years-old at the very least.

Is this typical, or are there some sticks out there that were boxed in, say, '09 that are actually quite good NOW? How about the Boli PC, Trini Col/Reyes/Fundi?

Thanks for you thoughts, boys!

 

[sam a]

i usually like to go with MRN's minimum aging recommendations (boli pc 4 years for box 6 years for cabs) some people might not agree... but for me this works well. i've smoked through a few '09 boxes of pl panetelas that are great now. other than that i haven't had much personal experience with any cigars that young.

 

[srduggins]

My understanding is recent production is smoking better younger. I assume MRN's MARs don't take into account recent production, but is that true? Also, many cigars are enjoyable before they enter the "sick" phase. Specifically the 09 Upmann majestic is smoking well now. There is another thread on the smoking well ROTT, but I'd be interested in hearing when this "sick" phase typically occurs (12 months - 18 months?) although, I know it is different for every marca/vitola and even year of production.

 

[Bass man]

08 BPCs are smoking great NOW!

 

[Jfire]

Don't know myself but Party 898V from early 09 havnt been sick all year yet and are great already. I've heard the talk about/idea that many marcas may not be/get sick due to more aging of the tobacco due to slower sales.

 

[Alwayslit]

Boli pc, plpc, plmc are smoking good now. The trinis will need down time.

My understanding is recent production is smoking better younger.

....definitely most of it is!!

 

[bouncintiga]

on aging cigars, generally what i've learned is stronger cigars tend to age more gracefully than milder smokes. having said that, I think there are several cigars that smoke well young like the aforementioned party shorts, boli pc's. I have some plpc's but those are not smoking that well right now. A couple other good ones for me are the HDM palmas extras and san cristobal el principes. looks like the smaller RG stuff is where it's at for young smokes.

 

[dpricenator]

if they are young and ready, who cares if they are sick? Give her some day quil and handle business.:razz:

 

[Angry Bill]

Truthfully, it depends upon the cigar and age of the tobacco before its rolled. As stated, there are cigars freshly made cigars that are moking great now and others that arent. Most every cigar benefits from age. Easiest way, buy a box, smoke one and let the rest age. Smoke one occassionally to see how they are evolving.

 

[Hot_Sauce]

AngryBill pretty much sumed it up. CC today are smoking much better young than they were a few years ago? I've heard this is because they have much more of a tobacco supply than they did back then. So you are getting aged tobacco.

My experience is to try one and see how it is smoking. If it's smoking great fresh and you are enjoying them? Then keep smoking them if you like. They may go through a sick period? And then they may not? (That may have to do with that aged tobacco rumor) If they do hit a sick or bland period? I would let them take a nap in the humidor for a while. At least a good 6 months before trying another one. I have yet to figure out when cigars that are sick and bland get their flavor back? It just takes time. If they still don't tast good. Give them another 3-4 months and try again. In general smaller RG cigars tend to mature quicker than bigger RG cigars. But as mentioned it also depends on the blend.

Again I don't think there is an exact answer to this as there are so many variables. So yours and other peoples experiences here may be different.

 

[stogies&hoagies]

When I buy cigars, I buy with the intention to smoke and not age. When I get a new box, I usually wait a bit, at least a month, and smoke one. If it's good I use it in rotation, if I feel it's "not right" I move it aside for a bit, then try another. I jump all over the spectrum when I smoke and may smoke a bunch of a particular marque in a month, or not smoke any for 6 months. No rhyme or reason, just whatever strikes my fancy when I open the humidor.
So with that said, I've never really paid enough attention to say for sure what ages better than what.

 

[smokem94]

When I buy cigars, I buy with the intention to smoke and not age. When I get a new box, I usually wait a bit, at least a month, and smoke one. If it's good I use it in rotation, if I feel it's "not right" I move it aside for a bit, then try another. I jump all over the spectrum when I smoke and may smoke a bunch of a particular marque in a month, or not smoke any for 6 months. No rhyme or reason, just whatever strikes my fancy when I open the humidor.
So with that said, I've never really paid enough attention to say for sure what ages better than what.

This is what I do and my position on aging as well.

 

[CWS]

Oh. This thread is about cigars. I was about to move it to the NSFW.

 

[e-man67]

It really depends on your tastes/tolerance. I always smoke ROTT and then sample along the way. Sometimes a stick is horrible ROTT and sometimes they are great..sometimes you can grab back to back sticks out of the same cab and have them taste totally different. Not sure you can really put dates on them (I know MRN is the man but I don't totally agree) as to when they peak..all a matter of your taste. What is horrid to one person might be Heaven to another. I know this doesn't help much but that's what I got. Just buy MANY boxes and while you think some are sick you can dip into the others that aren't.

 

[Zen Cigar Man]

Oh. This thread is about cigars. I was about to move it to the NSFW.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[Speedboy]

I actually love most of my bolivars right out of their box!