Aging Question

Question from a newbie:
Is there anyway that you can tell when a cigar has been aged to its optimum?
I have 2 examples as to why I ask this. I reieved a box of Montecristo's for X-mas this past year. They were great smokes from the get go. Haven't had one for a while, but lit one up the other night and it was like a totally different cigar! Absolutely excellent! On the other hand, I had a handful of VSG's that were about 6 months older than the Montecristo's that also smoked well from the beginning. However it seemed to take the VSG's a little bit longer to get to the point where the Montecristo's did (where it tasted like a different cigar, very creamy and smooth, etc.)

So: Is there a way to tell when a cigar has started to change it's properties and become an "aged" cigar?
Why does it seem that some cigars (stored the same way in the same humidor) take longer than others to age?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Now that is a great question. I look forward to seeing what answers might show up on this thread.

atuck said:

Now that is a great question. I look forward to seeing what answers might show up on this thread.

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**** ....should I not have asked that? did I start something that I shouldn't have? damn it....I suck at this!

No it really is a good question! And I really do want to hear some answers to this. I commend you for coming up with a GOOD question.

atuck said:

No it really is a good question! And I really do want to hear some answers to this. I commend you for coming up with a GOOD question.

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whew....I thought I might have hit some sore spot or something that was gonna get everyone in a tiff or something...oh well....the question still stands....any answers?

Valid question - no good answer.

Sure there is plenty of good anecdotal evidence out there but it is all subjective. While just about any cigar benefits from age there is no way to tell when it will peak for your tastes. From the very little experience I have with "vintage" cigars I would have to say for my tastes the older the better. It is extremely rare that I have say a five year old that isn't in all ways superior to a freshie. I was recently lucky enough to smoke an '85 Monte Especial that was gifted to me. Quite possibly the smoothest most refined smoke of my life. Does that mean all well aged cigars are great? Hell no. They can be very hit and miss. They are after all handmade product made from leaf from various crops blah, blah, blah.....I could go on but I'd bore myself and everyone else to death.

As many have said before me the only way to tell is to smoke one. If it's no good put 'em away for six months or a year or more and try, try again. When they smoke great smoke till your heart's content

Any questions ???

The only way to really tell is by experience and smoking the cigars. Most non-Havanas are using aged tobacco in some form or another, when they roll the cigars. So, in effect, they are already aged to a degree. Havanas on the other hand are, for the most part, rolled with substantially fresher tobacco. Different blends will age better than others as will different sized cigars.

Without the experience of smoking the cigars, you'll never really be able to determine what the benefits of aging are.

Matt R said:

Without the experience of smoking the cigars, you'll never really be able to determine what the benefits of aging are.

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Given the variation in aging times, are shorter time frames noticeable? For instance, 3 months... 6 months... a year? I often times find it hard to remember what a smoke tasted like that far long ago.

In a particular instance that states a smoke needs 5+ years to reach a new level of taste/complexity, are the changes throughout the process noticeable, or are they too slight to detect until the smoke "awakens"?

In regards to Habanos, MRN suggest aging times ranging from 2 (minimum) to 5 (average) years. Some cigars, he even says their aging potential is "unlimited" (i.e. they can only get better and better with age). Best thing to do with Habanos in my opinion is to smoke one right off the truck, then every 6 months. This way, even after 5 years of aging you will only have gone through about 10 cigars. If somewhere in that 5 years you find them especially good (say after 2-3 years) smoke away! Like Matt R said, with experience you will begin to develop a sense of when a cigar has been aged enough (I'm not there yet). I can say that an SLR Serie A from 2000 was the most refined cigar I have ever smoked.

Steve Saka offers up a great primer on aging. :thumbs:

Cigar aging article

preembargo said:

Steve Saka offers up a great primer on aging. :thumbs:

Cigar aging article

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great article.....thanks for everyone's responses.....i guess smoking one periodically and noting any changes is probably the best way to tell when they are ready...that works great for the box of montecristo's...unfortunately, I only have 4 VSG's left...but they are just about ready I think, maybe another six months or so....I also have an aged ISOM Cohiba and Bolivar....i know that my girlfriends father aged them already, just not sure how long before he gave them to me....guess I need to find that out before I decide when I want to smoke them.....

After the VSG and the Montecristo's that tasted so good, it's hard to pick up one of my newer cigars when they are staring out of the humidor at me reminding me of how good they tasted!

I guess patience is a virtue........wish I had more of it!

Something to add to this question...

For aging Cigars, do most people find that only fine quality or fine (I'm not sure of the terms, :blush Cigars are only good for aging. Or can/do you also age "everyday" smokes?

Awesome question Bchem!

Lopaka said:

Something to add to this question...

For aging Cigars, do most people find that only fine quality or fine (I'm not sure of the terms, :blush Cigars are only good for aging. Or can/do you also age "everyday" smokes?

Awesome question Bchem!

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i can only give you my opinion (take it for what it's worth, especially since I asked the quesiton to begin with! haha) but i think it's kinda accepted that pretty much any cigar can benefit from age. and again, unfortunately budget contraints prevent me from buying many full boxes of cigars, and only allow me to buy single premiums most of the time. unfortunately i am kinda spoiled with some of the great cigars I've had thus far, and am having a hard time finding an affordable everyday cigar that i enjoy....what I happen to be doing now is working on getting a fairly cheap box of mayorgas, smoke a couple and let them sit while i smoke some of my singles....in a few months or so, hopefully i will have a box of at least fair quality cigars....i don't know, we'll see how long they make it before they are smoked. as i said in my previous post....patience is a virtue....maybe i'll have more patience when i build up my humidor a bit.....slowly but surely it's getting there....anyone have any suggestions for affordable everyday smokes that don't really need any aging to make them good?

damn....i thought i knew a little bit about cigars, but the more i read on this website, and the more i post my questions on this board, the more i realize how very little i do know!....and if i'm this hooked on cigars now with the little knowledge i have, i am scared to see how crazy about cigars i'll be as the years go on and my knowledge and experience with them goes up!

i have aged a box of oliva grand maduros for 2 years, and IMHO they did get better. WAY oily even. i think these run about 2.50 a stick, and they used to be my "every day" smoke, that is until i ran into a hell of a deal on DR cohibas. there are lesser known brands out there that can really taste great and not cost a fortune. they sure arent no opusX or a habano, but that is what special occasions are for right?

most cigars can benifit from aging
I had a CAO Brazilia today that had just 8-9 months in the humi
The cigar was GOOD, less harsh and more enjoyable than they were just that short time ago.

Bill

It's ironic that I was reading this section thinking the same thing about a Partagas Black Label Clasico that I smoked the other night. I've smoked only 2 Partagas before--a Partagas Black Label Piramide and a Partagas Series D #1 LE 2004 (ISOM) and I enjoyed both those immensely. Lite up the Clasico and was I disappointed. After I finished smoking it, I was thinking, now I think I know what they are talking about with “aging”. I still have one more Clasico left and may have to get a Humidor faster then I was planning to start aging it.

I love this site

Lopaka

See bchem? I tod you this was a great question.

Excellent answers. :thumbs: I really can't add much more than has already been said. My cigars seldom stay in my coolers long enough to become aged so I only get to smoke older ones when they're gifted to me

I tend to prefer my Havanas "newer" than most people do because I like strong cigars.