Cigars for INFO

**brian** · 08-20-2006, 11:47 AM

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.

**basil** · 08-20-2006, 02:26 PM

Good entry Brian.

**brian** · 08-20-2006, 04:58 PM

Thank you Basil

**Shelby07** · 08-23-2006, 09:51 PM

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

**CgarDan** · 08-24-2006, 12:21 PM

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

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

**cls515** · 08-25-2006, 12:51 PM

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.

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.

**basil** · 08-25-2006, 10:36 PM

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?