ready to smoke?

[Gator]

Do pretty much all cigars need to age before smoking? If not, what are some common brands that are good to go after a couple weeks in the humi to stabilize? I used to pretty much smoke when i got them, but after reading alot of threads, i realize i need to sit on them for awhile, but not sure if this applies to all cigars?

 

[Seere]

Do pretty much all cigars need to age before smoking? If not, what are some common brands that are good to go after a couple weeks in the humi to stabilize? I used to pretty much smoke when i got them, but after reading alot of threads, i realize i need to sit on them for awhile, but not sure if this applies to all cigars?

Good questions. I'm actually in the same boat you are, but this is what i've figured out from my own trials and errors.

It will depend on the cigars quality when you get it. If they feel heavy, dense, and seem moist, they are fresh and need some time to balance at home. These cigars seem to have a ring that swells ahead of the burning tip. So far i've gotten away with these and they taste ok, I have to smoke them with more reserve as the heat and moisture is a bad mix.

When I let these moist cigars sit for 3 - 4 days they improve in general, after a week or two there is no better way to enjoy them. At this point the burn is well balanced and the smoke will be great.

Sometimes i've picked up a cigar that is good to go right away, they feel soft and the wrapper looks a bit flat compared to the shine of a moist wrapper. These may slightly crack with slight pressure which I find to be a good time to smoke em.

Best thing is to figure out what works best for you. I find some cigars burn hot and need cooling. By getting the head moist and chewable it cools the smoke making it amazingly smooth (and tastey). Something I have only enjoyed with few cigars however.

Hope that helps'

 

[Brickhouse]

Bro, I smokem if I want to, no biggie IMO. I buy certain cigars that I fully intend on aging first, so those go into the storage humi. But I have no shame in opening the mail and light'n one up.

 

[Shooter]

I let em sit at least a month, depending on where I buy em...

 

[Black Plague]

A lot of NCs can be smoked right when you get them...but I'm beginning to take the same approach to NCs that I take to CCs and letting them age. Much like a lot of young CCs, NCs straight from the store tend to have ammonia problems that can be eliminated if you let them lay for a year or more.

 

[Dan66]

I don't find my pallete to be quite as refined as some folks' are. (It's getting there, though...) So letting cigars age doesn't do a lot of good. The exception would be for very full-bodied smokes. If a particular cigar is too harsh or strong, I'll let the others like it age for a few months - maybe as long as a year. I find this mellows them (without robbing their strength). The other reason (for me) is if they're improperly humidified. Too wet or too dry is no good for anyone!

In a nutshell: if I buy a cigar today and am in the mood for it tonight, I have no qualms about smoking it right away.

 

[Dave]

I don't find my pallete to be quite as refined as some folks' are. (It's getting there, though...) So letting cigars age doesn't do a lot of good. The exception would be for very full-bodied smokes. If a particular cigar is too harsh or strong, I'll let the others like it age for a few months - maybe as long as a year. I find this mellows them (without robbing their strength). The other reason (for me) is if they're improperly humidified. Too wet or too dry is no good for anyone!

In a nutshell: if I buy a cigar today and am in the mood for it tonight, I have no qualms about smoking it right away.

I go about it the same exact way. The main reason I would let a cigar rest is to dry them out or make them more moist. By all means, if you got them, smoke them. Quality tobacco will benefit from some aging, but the increase in enjoyment is very subjective to each individual.

 

[CoventryCat86]

I have found that almost all non Cuban cigars that I purchase from the big online retailer like Holts, JRCigars, CigarsInternational, SeriousCigars, Famous-Smoke, are too wet to smoke when I receive them. My guess is that they store them on the "wet" side so they won't dry out during shipping.

Most Fuentes and Toranos these days are also packaged with those friggin' humipacks which make matters worse. :angry: The minute I receive boxes like that, I toss the humipack and right into the 60%RH coolerdor they go.

I like to let these sit for at least a week, preferably two before I smoke them. If I absolutely cannot resist and want to smoke one earlier than that, I have at least prepared myself for it being too wet which almost always results in a mushy cigar with lousy burn, etc.

As far as Cuban cigars, I was never really one to "age" them (I simply don't have the patience :laugh: ) BUT they almost always need to "rest" at least two weeks after receipt or they'll smoke like crap.

 

[Shooter]

I have found that almost all non Cuban cigars that I purchase from the big online retailer like Holts, JRCigars, CigarsInternational, SeriousCigars, Famous-Smoke, are too wet to smoke when I receive them. My guess is that they store them on the "wet" side so they won't dry out during shipping.

Most Fuentes and Toranos these days are also packaged with those friggin' humipacks which make matters worse. :angry: The minute I receive boxes like that, I toss the humipack and right into the 60%RH coolerdor they go.

I like to let these sit for at least a week, preferably two before I smoke them. If I absolutely cannot resist and want to smoke one earlier than that, I have at least prepared myself for it being too wet which almost always results in a mushy cigar with lousy burn, etc.

As far as Cuban cigars, I was never really one to "age" them (I simply don't have the patience :laugh: ) BUT they almost always need to "rest" at least two weeks after receipt or they'll smoke like crap.

ditto

 

[SammyP]

In my experience, JR's is the worst for shippng them wet. You have to let them acclimate for a couple weeks. CI seems to be much better, but they still come wetter than I like.

Two that seem to do well right out of the box are two cheaper ones I smoke....5 Vegas and (NC) Sancho Panzas. They always seem to burn well, even if a little wet. About the worst would have to be Padron X000 series. Fresh, my 2000's seem like they weigh a pound apiece! I've had a box for over a month now, and they're just becoming smokable after being stored at 65%.

There's no difinitive answer to your question. Some retailers just keep them too wet or too dry (although too wet seems to be the norm). Add to that the fact that different cigars perform differently at different RH levels. The safest bet is to store them at your preferred RH, and smoke 'em when they come around!

 

[fna]

"a couple weeks in the humi to stabilize"

Stabilize what?

Someone else commented on "ammonia problems" in cigars that need as much as a year in one's humidor to be resolved. Several questions on this:
What ammonia from where?
What happens to the ammonia while you hold the cigar for a year? Where does it go and how does it get there?

Thanx

 

[fna]

"right into the 60%RH coolerdor they go"

I am of the school of thought that a few degrees of RH one way or the other is not going to kill a cigar. I('ve got no problem with the above statenment or practice. But:

Did you know that (damn now I am unsure of the compnay) either Davidoff or Ashton requires their cigars to be stored at 70% RH and they will not guarantee quality if they are not so stored?

 

[billytpage]

I usually age mine defacto, that is I buy more than I can smoke so the extra end up in the Rubbermaidador!

Billy

 

[stevehawk]

"a couple weeks in the humi to stabilize"

Stabilize what?

Someone else commented on "ammonia problems" in cigars that need as much as a year in one's humidor to be resolved. Several questions on this:
What ammonia from where?
What happens to the ammonia while you hold the cigar for a year? Where does it go and how does it get there?

Thanx

I've always taken this to mean "stabilize the relative humidity of the cigar". As CC mentioned, many retailers ship their cigars "wet", which means they are stored and/or shipped at a higher-than-usual RH than most experienced cigar smokers prefer. Most prefer 65% RH, though some folks vary that by as much as +/- 5%. I don't know anyone who varies by more than 5%, but they may be out there.

As for the ammonia, I'm not sure if it's actual ammonia (help, Wilkey?), however, I have noticed an ammonia-like taste in recently purchased cigars that goes away as they age. I encountered this most recently with a box of LGC Reserva Figurado Felicias. I smoked one right away (no time to stabilize or age) and the ammonia-like taste was very strong. I lit another one 3 weeks later and it was better, but still did not taste quite right. After 8 weeks, they tasted fine.

"right into the 60%RH coolerdor they go"

I am of the school of thought that a few degrees of RH one way or the other is not going to kill a cigar. I('ve got no problem with the above statenment or practice. But:

Did you know that (damn now I am unsure of the compnay) either Davidoff or Ashton requires their cigars to be stored at 70% RH and they will not guarantee quality if they are not so stored?

I agree that a "few" degrees of RH one way or the other is not going to kill a cigar. However, I think 10 degrees off of 65% will definitely affect the burn, draw and/or taste of most cigars. As always, YMMV.

 

[scthornton]

I have found that if the cigars come packed by themselves, no humidification with them and depending on shipping times, they can be slightly dry and maybe burn a little hot and quickly. I have also had cigars that came with humidification and they needed to sit out a while. I've usually smoked them either way within a day or so, or the upcoming weekend.

HTH

 

[Saxjazzman]

"a couple weeks in the humi to stabilize"

Stabilize what?

Someone else commented on "ammonia problems" in cigars that need as much as a year in one's humidor to be resolved. Several questions on this:
What ammonia from where?
What happens to the ammonia while you hold the cigar for a year? Where does it go and how does it get there?

Thanx

I've always taken this to mean "stabilize the relative humidity of the cigar". As CC mentioned, many retailers ship their cigars "wet", which means they are stored and/or shipped at a higher-than-usual RH than most experienced cigar smokers prefer. Most prefer 65% RH, though some folks vary that by as much as +/- 5%. I don't know anyone who varies by more than 5%, but they may be out there.

As for the ammonia, I'm not sure if it's actual ammonia (help, Wilkey?), however, I have noticed an ammonia-like taste in recently purchased cigars that goes away as they age. I encountered this most recently with a box of LGC Reserva Figurado Felicias. I smoked one right away (no time to stabilize or age) and the ammonia-like taste was very strong. I lit another one 3 weeks later and it was better, but still did not taste quite right. After 8 weeks, they tasted fine.

"right into the 60%RH coolerdor they go"

I am of the school of thought that a few degrees of RH one way or the other is not going to kill a cigar. I('ve got no problem with the above statenment or practice. But:

Did you know that (damn now I am unsure of the compnay) either Davidoff or Ashton requires their cigars to be stored at 70% RH and they will not guarantee quality if they are not so stored?

I agree that a "few" degrees of RH one way or the other is not going to kill a cigar. However, I think 10 degrees off of 65% will definitely affect the burn, draw and/or taste of most cigars. As always, YMMV.

As I understand the ammonia problem, it is in the leaf itself. Proper fermentation releaves the leaf from most of its ammonia via the hight temperature and pressure of the bundle. However, some may remain and continue to break down as the cigar ages. I have smelled some cigars that I really believed I could you as bleach in my wash they were that bad. Improper fermentation to get the cigars on the market, as during the cigar boom in the '90, or "pushing the hands of time" can leave a lot of ammonia residue in the leaf. When you burn it you know it and it generally sucks.... That is my limited knowledge about ammonia.