Cigars for INFO

I am really serious about starting to age cigars. Therefore an ongoing contest.

Every week someone will get a CgarDan Fun Pack™ of cigars as long as they post aging info in this thread

1) week begins on Sat and ends the following Fri

2) if more than one person posts info in a certain week I will select who made most interesting contribution ( never posted cigar, quality of info etc ) and send that person the prize. If only one person posts in a week that person gets the prize. No one posts no prizes.

3) Info must include the cigar description ( name, size, etc, for ISOMs box date is highly preffered for both aged and non aged versions ) ; how long it was aged ( min of 1 year ); how did the cigar chage from aging ( for good or bad, this is the most important part so provide as much info as you can) and whatever else you think is usefull

4) You should have at least 200 posts or be a member of this board for at least half a year so I know I am not getting the info from some newbie who just moved on to the real thing from those flavored stciks

5) I would like these to be your own observations not those of your friends with exception made for people like cgargirl who work in the business and I know they have experience to back up someone elses story.

I REALLY HOPE YOU FOGs WILL PARTICIPATE PLEASE PLEASE SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Thanks

Dan

ahem...."fun-pack" is trademarked......

Get a big cooler, buy a pound of beads I prefer 65%. Clean cooler and absorb smell with baking soda. line with spanish cedar slats from cigar boxes. place distilled water in an open container on the bottom place 1/2 lb of beads in another container. Allow beads to absorb moisture. Remove distilled water source. Place boxes in cooler close lid check periodically for bead condition per manufacterer.

For singles I prefer real humidors. I like to lay some churchills evenly spaced and without cello perpendicular to the direction I will lay the other sizes. Put down a layer of cigars with no cellophane. Then another set of churchills. etc. allows air flow .

Turn the cigars periodically to prevent damage and flat spots.

Don't smoke them for x amount of time. With boxes smoke one every six months or so and keep a journal about development from aging.

I'm a newbie with a lot of potential and posts. Just started aging boxes. AVO Maduro robusto, Private Stock Maduro robusto , Torano Exodus 1959 Perfecto.
ISOM's are illegal so I have none.
Lots of singles in two box humidors, boxes in a footlocker humidor. Life is good.

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Originally Posted by bigpoppapuff

ahem...."fun-pack" is trademarked......

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You are right Sir .........please post some on topic info.... or else...... :smiley2: :smiley31:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Baron Porthos

Get a big cooler, buy a pound of beads I prefer 65%. Clean cooler and absorb smell with baking soda. line with spanish cedar slats from cigar boxes. place distilled water in an open container on the bottom place 1/2 lb of beads in another container. Allow beads to absorb moisture. Remove distilled water source. Place boxes in cooler close lid check periodically for bead condition per manufacterer.

For singles I prefer real humidors. I like to lay some churchills evenly spaced and without cello perpendicular to the direction I will lay the other sizes. Put down a layer of cigars with no cellophane. Then another set of churchills. etc. allows air flow .

Turn the cigars periodically to prevent damage and flat spots.

Don't smoke them for x amount of time. With boxes smoke one every six months or so and keep a journal about development from aging.

I'm a newbie with a lot of potential and posts. Just started aging boxes. AVO Maduro robusto, Private Stock Maduro robusto , Torano Exodus 1959 Perfecto.
ISOM's are illegal so I have none.
Lots of singles in two box humidors, boxes in a footlocker humidor. Life is good.

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This all good info but what I am looking for is answers to # 3 !!!!!!

I happen to have Siglo IVs from both Jun '01, and Dec '05.

Maybe this weekend or next I will have to have one of each and compare the flavor profiles.

Sorry to post-pad, but that's funny Syd!!! :smiley36: :smiley36: :smiley36:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigpoppapuff

ahem...."fun-pack" is trademarked......

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Dan, here is a page that is interesting. I found some of the info about aging to be very general, but there are a few specifics in this article.

I have very little that is more than 2 years old; for me, "aged" is over a year. I know that the PD4s are great right out of a box that has a date of 12 months or less (dates stamped are package dates), and that if you wait too long, they'll turn "sick". However, they don't do it all at once. Light one at 20 months, and the flavor will change as you smoke it, some of of it having gone sick and some of it still being the wonderful flavor when they were 2 months out.

On domestics, some tobaccos are aged meticulously, in controlled processes, before they are ever made into cigars. Like Padron '26's. Can't really improve on these, I don't think. The only 26 I ever had that could've been aged was a 35 - it was punched and became tarry (probably because it was punched). I've smoked '26's up to a year after buying them - they are just as good if not better right out of the store.

I figure there are few specifics because opinions on flavor can be very subjective. I'm going to ask around - I've been curious too about which ones age best and which ones really don't benefit. I've always heard isom's for sure. Except for the PD4s.

Great start so far I will name the winner for this week either on the weekend or Monday ( will most likelly be traveling this weekend ).

Keep the info coming !!!

And a bonus quetion for this week

How can I find out the date when the cigar was produced if its not an ISOM assuming I have the oroginal box will that help ?

Also, the Oliva site recommends their new Special S line be aged 5 years.

They also have this:

Recommended Aging
High Primes (Thicker Wrappers) Maduro/Habano/Corojo/Habano 2000/Criollo/Sumatra/3-7 years

2-3 Primes (Medium Wrappers) Low Primes/Ecuador Connecticut/2-5 years

1st Cut (Thinner Wrappers) USA Connecticut/Cameroon/1-4 years.

These last three lines have been the closest thing to "rule of thumb" that I've seen. However, a dollar says someone, beginning with manufacturers, all the way to consumers, will have a rule for their line, EL, personal fav, or something, that will cut right across these recommendations.

Great start every one keep the info coming along :smiley20:

Week one winner is Basil Pm me your addy thanks :smiley20:

Hell yeah - awesome. I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend who may know more about aging.
pm sent

August 1, 2006

by Nick Perdomo

Recently I was asked about my view of the aging process. Keep in mind that humidor aging, or proper storage and humidity for finished cigars, differs from the process of aging tobacco prior to making cigars. Humidor aging is what I'm talking about here.

Well, lets start. The first thing about properly aging your cigars is to ensure your cigars utilize fine tobaccos in the blend, including a high quality binder and wrapper. For instance if you and I were going to cook up some great steaks - bear with me on this explanation - and you had the super duper $4,000 grill, extra virgin olive oil, the very best sea salt, and the finest ground pepper, but you bought a steak at the local supermarket that has been there for who knows how long. But I have my $50 charcoal grill with my trusty Perdomo salt and pepper shaker, yet I buy the finest cut of beef at Stock Yard steaks in Chicago....guess which one is going to be better. Naturally, my steak is going to kick ass. The very same is true on humidor aging of your cigars. If your cigar was made poorly with substandard fillers, binder and a so-so wrapper and you put it in the finest CI humidor with a perfect 65% humidity and you age it in this great humidor for one or two years - you know what you have? That's right: a one to two year old, awful cigar. Garbage in, garbage out.

Nick's personal humidor at work

Make sure your humidor has a nice seal. The inside should be lined with fine Spanish cedar and your humidification unit moistened with distilled water as needed. Now season the humidor. What I mean by that is, dampen a cloth and wipe down all the cedar inside. The cedar will turn a darker color of course because it is wet. Close the humidor for about three hours. When you open it again, the Spanish cedar will have absorbed all of the water and the humidification device will humidify the cigars correctly. Now the kicker: put in good cigars (most of the time Perdomo cigars of course) in your humidor. The best cigars for aging are those with medium to full flavors and a nice aroma. These types of cigars are most receptive for aging, and after six months they are often enhanced dramatically. Personally, I believe if you let them age for over two years they often start to lose their flavor and aroma.

Okay, I must go now my thumbs are sore from typing.

Until next time,
Nick

Link to actual article: http://www.cigarsinternational.com/html/perdomoBlog.asp

Keep in mind a lot of the cigars are older batches, meaning they were produced say in 04 and have just been sitting in retailers humidors.

"Cigar" in "CgarDan" is misspelled. Perhaps if you were aged in a box for a year, you would indeed be differnt, possably with more time in the box you would start to produce plume or bloom- but this is not certain at this time. One question everyone will ask is "should I age CgarDan in or out of the cellophane- and this is a humdinger as many cannot agree, but overall everyone knows it really does not matter. If we were to be taking CgarDan out of the humidor and moving him around quiet frequently I would opt to keep the cello on to protect CgarDan. To find the box code on CgarDan you usually have to rummage though his things till you find some sort of Identification, unlike cubans CgarDan does not have a difinative place that the date code will allways be, sometimes it can be in his wallet, in the console of his car, even on the dresser at home. CgarDan comes only in one size and vinage, as well as wrapper- but I hear the longer you age CgarDan, these things can change in perportion, texture, and even color. Overall, I do not know if I prefer aged CgarDan over fresh CgarDan strait out of the box, its ultimatly a matter of personal opinion.

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Originally Posted by basil

Hell yeah - awesome. I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend who may know more about aging.
pm sent

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Ted package is on the way DC # 0306 0320 0003 9159 2421 :smiley20:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheSilentChamber

"Cigar" in "CgarDan" is misspelled. Perhaps if you were aged in a box for a year, you would indeed be differnt, possably with more time in the box you would start to produce plume or bloom- but this is not certain at this time. One question everyone will ask is "should I age CgarDan in or out of the cellophane- and this is a humdinger as many cannot agree, but overall everyone knows it really does not matter. If we were to be taking CgarDan out of the humidor and moving him around quiet frequently I would opt to keep the cello on to protect CgarDan. To find the box code on CgarDan you usually have to rummage though his things till you find some sort of Identification, unlike cubans CgarDan does not have a difinative place that the date code will allways be, sometimes it can be in his wallet, in the console of his car, even on the dresser at home. CgarDan comes only in one size and vinage, as well as wrapper- but I hear the longer you age CgarDan, these things can change in perportion, texture, and even color. Overall, I do not know if I prefer aged CgarDan over fresh CgarDan strait out of the box, its ultimatly a matter of personal opinion.

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Interesting and a bit scary at the same time ... sort of twilight zone like :smiley24:

Week 2 winner is Brian. :smiley20: Pm me your addy thanks

Cool:smiley20: PM sent, thanks.

Someone told me that Tatuaje puts dates on their boxes.
I'll keep you posted if I hear of any other nonISOMs that put the production date on their boxes.
Gran Habanos now have date stamped boxes I have been told.

Also this came up I thought interesting:
"Isom's have a boxing date,not a rolled date. If you really want to split hairs, the date on the box is when it was placed in a box, not when it was rolled."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CgarDan

Great start so far I will name the winner for this week either on the weekend or Monday ( will most likelly be traveling this weekend ).

Keep the info coming !!!

And a bonus quetion for this week

How can I find out the date when the cigar was produced if its not an ISOM assuming I have the oroginal box will that help ?

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Brian your package went out DC # 0306 0320 0003 9156 2438

Cool. Thanks bud.:smiley20:

:smiley41:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CgarDan

Brian your package went out DC # 0306 0320 0003 9156 2438

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Recieved package today. Great sticks, thanks alot bro!:smiley20:

Had a very nice package waiting on me yesterday when I got home. Thanks, CgarDan! Also, here's an email I've been waiting on:

Hi Ted,

Was meaning to get back to you earlier. From my experience, there is no
"general" rule as to the aging of Cuban Cigars. I have had some great
feedback for some 06's I have which people smoked right away. You are
right that this is subjective, and some people are willing to put
cigars
away for a couple of years while others let them rest a couple of
months.

From personal experience I like to age Cohiba's as I think they are
one
cigar that really comes around after some time in the Humidor. I have
had good experience with letting some of the original releases of the
Siglo VI which I was fortunate enough to have in my stock. They have
been aging a few years now and smoke perfectly.

I would like to shed a braoderlight on this, but I think some others
may
have more experience aging cigars other than just Cohibas.

Best Regards

I thought it was "these to be your own observations not those of your friends "?

Right you are TSC. My last post is an email from a friend in the business, on an international level.

What I appreciate about his reply is that he didn't (nor does he ever) try to slide a bunch of bullshit by.

I've dangled a preposition, but fuck it.

This is not much info, and it basically covers only one brand. I'd intended to submit it with my first round of answers and I don't expect CDan to consider it a "new" entry.

This is a pretty general comment not a cigar specific review ( Ex 2006 smoked like this 2002 aged 4 years smoked like this.) I think general comments are welcome from any sources as they are just stats to come to some kind of consenus with time


If anyone does have some specifics to give like mentioned in the Ex that would be really great :smiley20:

Great job guys keep it up :smiley20: :smiley20:

Hate to say this but there were nowinners for week #3 ; although Basil does get an honorable mention for his friends e-mail post.

Week # 4 starts today so let's hope this one will have someone getting something :smiley2:

Oh yeah bonus question going forward. Some of you probably heard the there were letters being sent by the gov to various individuals as well as vendors selling ISOMs to US citizens. Now this not an opinion question but one of fact. Please post any info that you know has factual merit: Did anyone really get slapped with fine or worse jail time ( i don't care for names, just the story) ; how seriously are the vendors taking this news; what are the long run implications ( will the supply be affected, etc ); there were also letters sent to people traveling to the island, so how does one go about doing that, what are the triggers that gov is looking for to see if such act occured

If you fell uncomfortable posting answers here in the thread PMs are fine.

I dont know about recent events, but the only case I'v ever heard of about someone getting arrested for selling cuban cigars here was quiet a few years ago, in New York I believe, and the guy was and had been openly advertising the sale of them. I think he ended up just getting fined.

1. The Cigar Years

By Jennifer M Jordan
It's an inevitability of life: age happens. We all come into this world fresh and new, only to leave old, used, and sporting a ceramic hip. With all the uncertainties of life, one thing is for sure: we are all growing old.

Cigars, like people, are also subject to this aging. Though they don't enjoy the benefits of older humans - the discount movie tickets, the Social Security, the absence of bowel movements - cigars, just like us, are always growing up.

Why it Matters
This aging of cigars is a very important factor in the cigar's overall flavor and body. Whether you smoke a younger cigar or one with some wrinkles, both experiences will be different. More often than not the cigars with some years on them will be exceptional smokes. However, cigars do reach their peak, and tend to go bad afterwards. Thus, smoking a cigar that once dangled from the lips of Ulysses S. Grant, no matter how cool it is to come into contact with famous saliva, may not taste as good as you might predict.

How to Know
In a perfect world, the way to discover the age of a cigar would be to simply ask for an ID, waiting patiently as the cigar digs around in its purse or wallet. In reality, however, the signs of an older cigar are slight shrinkage (perhaps it was "in the pool"), the ability to move the cigar rings up and down the length of the cigar without much friction, and the presence of a light whitish gray powder (known as plume).

Cigars: The Early Years
Cigars should only be smoked within a few weeks of being rolled if you are hoping to get a new or freshly rolled type of flavor. Generally, experts agree that most cigars embody a better taste after their first birthday.

Two years is usually the best time to smoke Habanos, Hondurans, Dominicans, and most all light smokes; this is usually the peak time where these cigars are most flavorful.

Between two years and five years is where most other cigars peak - they become the high school quarterback, the prom queen, the senior class president. The stronger bodied cigars - the Havana Bolivars, for instance - are thought to generally age better over a greater duration of time, and peak during these "toddler" years.

Between 7 and 10 years, most cigars get set in their ways, watching the evening news while eating TV dinners. In a nutshell, they mellow out. For most people this is equated with having too little flavor.

Cigars: The Golden Years
While some cigars are done after a decade, there are others who will survive the test of time. Some cigars just grow old gracefully; they are the "Dick Clarks" of tobacco.

The Cigar Aficionado magazine, in its quest to find the perfect cigar, recently rated a group of older cigars. The Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva D' Chateau (1996), the Partagas Partagas De Partagas No.1 (1990), the Cohiba Lanceros (1988), the Saint Luis Rey Regios (1988) and the Sancho Panza Molinos (1995) all scored in the 90's, while the Ramon Allones Gigantes (1991) topped the chart with a perfect score of 100.

The age of a cigar is an important factor when lighting up to enjoy a few joyful moments. But, like so many things, age is not always a factor completely determining. Some cigars may be well past their prime and still offer a fully unique and enjoyable flavor. The age of a cigar is just a guideline; ageism aside, it really comes down to individual opinions and tastes.

Good entry Brian. :smiley20:

Thank you Basil:smiley16:

I don't think ths link has been posted yet. No entry, obviously, cause it ain't mine, but it's another opinion.

http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/aging/index.html

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Originally Posted by CgarDan

one of fact. Please post any info that you know has factual merit: Did anyone really get slapped with fine or worse jail time.

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I know of a guy who has received at least two letters, and maybe a few, I'm not sure on that. He has never received a fine but says that he doesn't know what will happen in the future. As of now it has just been paper saying his cigars have been confiscated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shelby07

I don't think ths link has been posted yet. No entry, obviously, cause it ain't mine, but it's another opinion.

http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/aging/index.html

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Great link. It is actually the same one Basil posted in week one :smiley20:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brian

Cigars: The Early Years
Cigars should only be smoked within a few weeks of being rolled if you are hoping to get a new or freshly rolled type of flavor. Generally, experts agree that most cigars embody a better taste after their first birthday.

Two years is usually the best time to smoke Habanos, Hondurans, Dominicans, and most all light smokes; this is usually the peak time where these cigars are most flavorful.

Between two years and five years is where most other cigars peak - they become the high school quarterback, the prom queen, the senior class president. The stronger bodied cigars - the Havana Bolivars, for instance - are thought to generally age better over a greater duration of time, and peak during these "toddler" years.

Between 7 and 10 years, most cigars get set in their ways, watching the evening news while eating TV dinners. In a nutshell, they mellow out. For most people this is equated with having too little flavor.

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As a followup, some cigars of known age were smoked and compared to dated reviews of cigars with known birthdays to contrast tastes of cigars with differing age. However, one must note that construction issues such as using different tobaccos in different years can account for the differences in tastes. In addition, all of the cigars with my smoking notes were smoked within the past week. Now, on to the cigars:

1. Partagas 898 Varnished (MPC OCT04) - The cigar has about two years of age and was an interesting smoke to say the least. Plume is present. The cigar had a nice vanilla character to it, with changing spice complexity. For instance, in the first 1/2", a peppery character was noted, while in the next 1/2" was a developing spice. The next inch carried vanilla, spice, hints of cedar, and a flash of orange.
A. (Cigars-review.org) Box ZFI SEP 05. This cigar really needs to be described in thirds. First third, mild/medium with a delightful and straightforward aroma that is clean on the palate. Second third, Amazing complexity with medium body. Every draw exhibits new flavors, and the flavor develops slightly with each. Last third, full body with powerhouse old school havana taste, almost knocked me out. Overall, an incredibly complex cigar that should improve well with age. The overwhelming majority of positive reviews is a testament to the quality of this cigar. - Submitted by peteando on May 4, 2006
B. (Cigars-review.org) Box code JNL DIC04. Just got a box last week and let them rest for a whole 5 days! As soon as I took the first puff there was the sweetest taste I have ever had in a cigar. Tastes of fruit and a little spice were throughout this gem. A true Habano. I will def. be getting another box of these beaut\'s. - Submitted by CIGARHead on May 5, 2005
In comparison to the reviews of approximately 1 and 0.5 year old cigars, one can see that some spices developed in the first third of the cigar aged 2 years.

2. Cohiba Siglo VI (ROA ENE06) Smoked this cigar with about 0.5 years of age. I can't say I was disappointed with it, as it is still my favorite cigar, but it was not the monster I've had before. The disinct Cohiba flavor was present, but the spice and complexity was not there. In previous smoking experiences, the spice was evident at the very start. In contrast, this cigar was pretty one dimensional, just a good smoke. There were flashes of complexity with some spice trying to break through, but like I said, it was not the monster of before. Still at 0.5 years, a great cigar, and still my favorite Cuban.

3. H. Upmann Sir Winston (ECA AGO01) This cigar has about 5 years of age and was very complex. The first inch was peppery that developed into a spicy character. The underlying flavor was very nice and woodsy. About halfway through the cigar changed its character to a very smooth, hard to describe flavor. It was kind of a salty, silky smooth woodsy profile with very little spice. In the next couple of inches, the spice reappeared to let you know it never left but was just hiding in the background. An awesome smoke but a little longer than what I like. But for occassions when you have the time, it is a highly recommended smoke.
A. (Cigars-review.org) Just cracked an 03 box. Starts off smooth, fresh, and mellow but not boring at all. Builds steadily to rich and complex about half way through. After that, I kept insisting to myself that it couldn't possibly get any better after every puff... and after every puff it just kept making me a liar. By about three quarters of the way through, I was getting a cool, rich, spicy smoke that was so thick I swear I could almost bite it. By the end, it was only dignity that kept me from fetching a pair of nose pliars and using it as a roach clip. - Submitted by greg258 on September 9, 2005
In comparing the two reviews between cigars of 3 and 5 years of age, one can see spices present in the 5 year old evident earlier in the smoking experience.

In conclusion, aging cigars can bring about flavor profiles, most notably a spicy character from this review. Generalizing the info, at 0.5 years of age, the complexity is not fully developed and just a good flavor profile is present. At 2-3 years of age, the complexity is coming around but not fully developed, and at +3 years the complexity is becoming more refined.

cls515 - outstanding reviews.

A couple of comments/questions. I'm aware that box dates are packing dates and not necessarily manufacture dates. But, dates printed on boxes are the only reference. I've assumed that the cigars are packed pretty soon after manufacture, but also have wondered if that is in fact the industry/company practice. Is there ever a substantial amount of time (a year or more) that passes before the cigars are packed in boxes?

Your thoughts?

Thanks Basil. I would think they are packaged soon after rolling. I'll try to find out and get back to you.

CLS515 Amazing review indeed and in fact it makes you the winner for WEEKk # 4

Please PM me your name and addy and sticks will go out early next week :smiley20:

Awesome thanks.