Best vintage to suit my taste

[pinotwinelover]

I have smoke a good number of the island sticks over the past couple years. I am a much bigger wine collector than cigars, altough I probably have 600 cigars or so. Much like the different vintages of wine, I have found that most of the cigars that I enjoyed either are from 2001 a few from 2004 but most of the recent versions of the same cigar did not have what I describe as a creaminess or tea leaf quality that I love.

For example Sir Winston 2001 all had this creamy complexity, but the 2002s and 2007s was much more earthy and tobacco.

I had a 2004 Juan Lopez selecion #2 same creaminess, 2006 box code not so much

I had a 2001 Esplendido that had the same rich creaminess as the 2001 sir Winston, a 2004 not so much.

I guess my question is, do the vintages come with these different characteristics?

The Winstons of just 1 year apart, 2001 to 2002 I would have never guessed were the same cigar based on flavor profile. I know age has some to do with it, but 1 year apart?

I would appreciate any opinion and would love to just buy the vintages of the cigars I like that that give me the flavor profile I enjoy the most.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Mike33]

I'm not sure the best way to answer your question, but I'll give you some of my thoughts. Each vintage for each cigar is going to be different, much like wine I would guess. I don't think you can say with certainty (at least I can't) which particular vintage is going to have a flavor profile to your liking with any consistency.

You mentioned creaminess and to be honest, I find most Cuban marcas have this characteristic to varying degree. It all depends on the cigar as to how it will develop over time. The young cigars you are smoking now that lack what you like as far as the flavor profile goes may develop into what you like down the road. A lot also depends on the storage conditions the cigars where kept in. Years in different environments can greatly affect how a cigar smokes.

The last thing I can tell you is certain years are considered better than others. The '06 release is generally thought of to have been the best in the last decade or so. I personally have enjoyed certain cigars from '03 and even from the much maligned '99-01 period. So, I don't know if there is any better way to judge vintages other than trying the same cigar from different years and see which ones you like best.

 

[MoeCizlak]

I'm no horticulturist, but I would assume that growing conditions would play a part in the variance as well as aging once the cigar is rolled. Even though the same species of tobacco plant is planted in the same field, there are too many variables that could affect the plant. It's not going to get the same amount of nutrients, the same amount of rainfall, the same exposure to the sun or the same tempature from year to year. All of these can affect the plant before it is even exposed to the variables of storage once it's a cigar.

 

[armedak]

I think what you are experiencing is the effect of different year of tobacco crop and box storage time. In other words, the cigars change over time and develop "aged" flavor charasterics. One of the more interesting aspects of this hobby is to sample from a box of cigars over a long period of time( ten years or more) and experience the changes in flavor development. It would appear you favor the taste of aged cigars. You are not alone.

 

[dvickery]

pinotwinelover

"tea" smell is a very astute description for SOME older smokes.

most of the smokes i have in the 10 to 20 year stage are still getting stronger...a few are becoming tealike...most of the smokes(not all)i have from the 80's are at the stage you are looking for.

note:avoid anything called "belvederes"...these are insanely strong at 20 years and i dont believe they will ever be what you are looking for(i like em for what they are tho).

some that develop a tealike boquet with not too much time...

monty especiales(both sizes)...in as little as 10 or 12 years it is becoming obvious in the especiales#2...by 20 years the especiales are "there".

party 898uv...the only ones i have are very tealike yet they are still a flavourfull cigar with some strength.

erdm pc's...a very young cigar('99)that is well on its way to what you are looking for.

hope this helps
derrek

 

[pinotwinelover]

I appreciate the replies so far. I smoked a more recent box code of the Petit Edmundo the other night, and it had much of the profile I like. I think it will gain more of it with age.

I am beginning to wonder if cigars don't mirror wines in this way: They always say there is no great wine, just great bottles of wine. Thus even the best wines from each vintage may not be exactly like that last.

I am beginning to believe that cigars are similar. Maybe great individual cigars or boxes, but not entire years.


I have also always wonder why cigars put less emphasis on the year of the tobacco than wines do grapes. Vintage is everything in wines, important for Cubans but seemingly almost not an issue with Domican, Honduran etc...
any thoughts as to why to other countries ignore this?

I look at cigar ratings and they never state what year the tobacco came from. One could pick up a box that was 3 years old and hate it, but love one 2 years old. Just rambling now I guess.