new cigars

[jabba]

Wilkey,

I have a feeling where you are gonna point me and I agree if you are trying to store cigars for 15-20 years plus...

Hong Kong collector Min Ron Nee, author – with former Cubatabaco executive Adriano Martinez – of An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars (Interpro Business Corporation: Hong Kong, 2003), has another view.

In his Encyclopedia, a 491-page tome laden with illustrations of virtually every Havana cigar produced since 1960, he confronts the issue in his endearing, bull-in-a-china-shop style:

“Is cellophane really bad for cigar aging? The answer can be found in 15+ years old cigars which were presented in both the cellophaned and non-cellophaned versions. The Quintero Churchills and the El Rey del Mundo Panetelas Largas, both brilliant cigars, are excellent examples.

“All 15 to 20 year old Havana Cigars in cellophane happen to taste much better. It is possible that as time goes by, the oils deposited on the cellophane prevent leakage of large organic molecules and creates a mini ‘wine-in-the-bottle’ effect.

“Nonetheless cellophane no doubt delays maturation. Removing the cellophane accelerates the aging process. and is not an unwise decision for people who cannot wait.”

In my experience, Cigars age faster without the cello and taste better sooner. If you have a box you don't want to smoke for a quarter of a century then Nee's advice is probably sound because the cellophane probably lets the cigars age at a much slower pace.

Gator,

I should of asked you what you meant by "long" ... so I will revise my advice... If you plan on smoking the cigars in the next 10 years and you don't store them in a desktop that you open daily, then CELLO OFF!

 

[Gonz]

MRN strikes again!

 

[Shooter]

MRN strikes again!

yup, it does make sense to me though

 

[BobbyRitz]

Wise words, Rob.

Hey, you're going to the HH on the 27th, right? Are you going to try and make it up for the Thursday before?

Wilkey

That's very possible. I'll have to revisit the thought tomorrow or Tuesday to see how the week is progressing.

Rob

 

[Ginseng]

Definitely take it off!

Notice how the Padron higher end and other cigars such as Tatuaje don't use cello. It restricts air flow.

You may want to save a few cellos just in case you want to gift out a few sticks later.

Where'd you hear that?

Wilkey

My own personal experiments and experience over the last 6-7 years.

You ever wonder why some of the higher end smokes don't come in cello? Padron for instance cellos the Padron series but not the 1964 or 26 series.

Cellos have their purpose, they are great for cigars in transit and great when cigars are in a retail store being man handled.

I'm familiar with the Padron, Tatuaje, Ashton VSG packaging. But then you have the OpusX, Añejo, and various LGC Limitadas which are all cello'd. I agree that cellophane has benefits as a protective measure. Just wondering what that means in terms of air flow.

Forgive my probing. I just want to examine this idea a bit.

Wilkey

 

[jabba]

Fuente is consistent with cellophane on all there cigars... while Padron is not... also for many years the Cuban's were not.

I made my discovery on Padron regular series cigars. Many years ago I use to always take the cello off. These Padrons would smoke great after just 6-12 months in my humi. Then I started buying multiple boxes at a time and just leaving the cello on. I would take the cigars out of the cello immediately before I smoked them. I noticed a lot of these cigars had an ammonia smell when I took them out and were not always enjoyable to smoke. After some thinking I attributed this to the cello, so I started doing some random sample testing with lots of Padrons and other cigars. The cigars in the cello often had these ammonia characteristics while the ones out of the cello never did. I attributed this to the restricted air flow of the cellophane wrap and thus less air exchange causing the cigar to breakdown/age a lot slower.

 

[Zeebra]

I agree with the cello off point of view for the average smoker who smokes their cigars relatively quickly after purchasing. If you're in the business of storing for 10-15 years before smoking them, then leave the cello on. Basically what Jabba said. :thumbs:

 

[Ginseng]

Fuente is consistent with cellophane on all there cigars... while Padron is not... also for many years the Cuban's were not.

I made my discovery on Padron regular series cigars. Many years ago I use to always take the cello off. These Padrons would smoke great after just 6-12 months in my humi. Then I started buying multiple boxes at a time and just leaving the cello on. I would take the cigars out of the cello immediately before I smoked them. I noticed a lot of these cigars had an ammonia smell when I took them out and were not always enjoyable to smoke. After some thinking I attributed this to the cello, so I started doing some random sample testing with lots of Padrons and other cigars. The cigars in the cello often had these ammonia characteristics while the ones out of the cello never did. I attributed this to the restricted air flow of the cellophane wrap and thus less air exchange causing the cigar to breakdown/age a lot slower.

Ahh Joe,

Now I understand. I needed clarification on the terminology. I could not figure out how "air flow" and cello were related. But now I know that what you were really talking about was diffusion of chemical substances across the cellophane. I know what you meant now.

BTW, I agree with what you and Michael say regarding storage objectives and their relevance to storage technique.

Wilkey

 

[Saxjazzman]

Take the cello off???? You mean you are not supposed to smoke them with the cello on??? :whistling:

 

[Michal]

Take the cello off???? You mean you are not supposed to smoke them with the cello on??? :whistling:

lol
Ofcourse no! You only smoke Fonseca's with this white paper on, but never with cello

:sign: