Dating Cigars

[kingbeefy]

I just started getting serious about cigars a year ago June, so I am very much still a newbie to the hobby. Early on I was keeping up with my cigars on a spreadsheet but it didn't last long. It made it feel too much like work for me so I abandoned it. I do however admire the ones who can keep up with their cigars like that and still enjoy it. The element of surprise I have found really enhances the experience for me. I have even gone as far as to intentionally keep my cigars very unorganized so when I dig through them for something to smoke I might be surprised by what I find.

I am still fascinated when I see an experienced smoker make a comment like, "this cigar would be amazing with a few years of age". Why certain ones would be better with a year, some would be better with several years, and some are as good as they are going to get now and how the old timers are identifying these smoke still intrigues me.

Are there any general rules to aging certain types of fillers, wrappers, sizes, CC's, NC's, etc?

[CptnBlues63]

I just started getting serious about cigars a year ago June, so I am very much still a newbie to the hobby. Early on I was keeping up with my cigars on a spreadsheet but it didn't last long. It made it feel too much like work for me so I abandoned it.

LOL - I'm the same way. I kept it up for a while but found it too much like work. Mostly I started that sheet to keep track of what I did like, and didn't like but it quickly became moot as I seem to remember what I like quite well.

Having said that. My own experience with aging is simple enough. A couple years back I went to Las Vegas and on the advice of someone on this board, I stopped at the Fuente store at Caesar's Palace casino for a cigar and mohito combination. While there, I bought 4 of the "house" Fuente cigars. I smoked one later that day and thought, "This is ok, not great, but ok" A few months later, I smoked another one and had the exact same reaction. I forgot about them for a while so it was almost two years later I lit another one of the remaining two and was stunned by how good it was.

I hadn't aged that on purpose, I just had been smoking other cigars and the two were buried under a few others and I forgot about them. So aging certainly helped that particular cigar out. I hope the same remains true for the last one which I'm kind of saving for a special occasion.

[kingbeefy]

LOL -

Having said that. My own experience with aging is simple enough. A couple years back I went to Las Vegas and on the advice of someone on this board, I stopped at the Fuente store at Caesar's Palace casino for a cigar and mohito combination. While there, I bought 4 of the "house" Fuente cigars. I smoked one later that day and thought, "This is ok, not great, but ok" A few months later, I smoked another one and had the exact same reaction. I forgot about them for a while so it was almost two years later I lit another one of the remaining two and was stunned by how good it was.

After this post I smoked a Casa Fuente double corona that I bought in February. I thought it was noticeably better than what I had while I was there.

[TheGreekTitan]

...snip
I am still fascinated when I see an experienced smoker make a comment like, "this cigar would be amazing with a few years of age". Why certain ones would be better with a year, some would be better with several years, and some are as good as they are going to get now and how the old timers are identifying these smoke still intrigues me.

Guess I just have to smoke a whole lot more cigars.

[kingbeefy]

Guess I just have to smoke a whole lot more cigars.

Looks like the "old timers" aren't going to give up any secrets here. I guess I'll just have to smoke a whole more too. Oh well.

[Paddy]

Looks like the "old timers" aren't going to give up any secrets here. I guess I'll just have to smoke a whole more too. Oh well.

As your pallete developes you be able to tell when a cigar is "green". There are certain flavor profiles that go along with cigars that have "NOT YET REACHED THIER MATURITY". I am in no way an expert in such matters. But I have been smoking for over a decade. and have had the pleasure of massive cigar inventories. It has just become a habit to date all my cigars, singles and boxes alike.

[ashauler]

Too strong, or acrid, or imbalanced......let it sit for a bit. Taste sweet, reminds you of freshly cut hay, with an almost cloying "room note".......let it sit for a bit. Does one aspect of the flavor profile overwhelm another...i.e. spice is over the top.....let it sit for a bit.

[ggiese]

...and if it smells like ammonia, put that baby away for at least a year.

[Mizicke5273]

I got a label maker that I use to print out the date and slap on the ass of the box. And I usually only date boxes. I'll do singles if they are special or if I lnow they do better with some down time.

[ggiese]

Looks like the "old timers" aren't going to give up any secrets here. I guess I'll just have to smoke a whole more too. Oh well.

It is impossible to impart experience. That's something you must develop for yourself.

...aging is not a bad thing - unless you're trying to age White Owls. They're made to smoke the way they smoke regardless of how long you leave them around.