Really the best advice?

[Cardinal]

Yes the majority move along, people that arent particularly impressed with a release or blend usually off load them in sales, bombs or trades. Your question really segues into a larger aging discussion which could go on for days. So...great post!

Imo, short term aging can bring a sleeper to life (1-2 years), long term aging will smooth out the rough edges (tannins, ammonia). Its difficult to tell which smokes are going to be the best candidates and most people just go on proven track record.

Ive gotten the most out of aged Habanos but some NCs have been really good too. One thing Ive noticed is that a lot of my nicaraguan broadleafs arent aging so great, these were full bodied smokes that seemed like great candidates but for whatever reason just didnt hold up over 2 years. Its tough to predict.

I agree, this is still one of my favorite topics, since it still seems so much more art than science. Plus it takes so long to learn from experience, so I am always interested in other people's first hand knowledge.

And that's really interesting about the broadleafs. With my almost nonexistent expertise I've been thinking that stronger/fuller means better aging potential.

I know you keep really good notes, so are there any standout NCs that have aged well for you, or not so well? I've got a bunch of boxes now dedicated to a 3+ year aging plan, but maybe there are some cigars in my humis that I should sample soon.

[Brimy]

Z

I agree, this is still one of my favorite topics, since it still seems so much more art than science. Plus it takes so long to learn from experience, so I am always interested in other people's first hand knowledge.

And that's really interesting about the broadleafs. With my almost nonexistent expertise I've been thinking that stronger/fuller means better aging potential.

I know you keep really good notes, so are there any standout NCs that have aged well for you, or not so well? I've got a bunch of boxes now dedicated to a 3+ year aging plan, but maybe there are some cigars in my humis that I should sample soon.

Taking into consideration that Habanos age best, I would think that non-broadleaf would age better.
I have zero aging experience so take this with a grain of salt. But I can't recall a Habanos Maduro. As usual please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Merovius]

@Cardinal I probably should be more specific. For whatever reason it was mainly Pete Johnson stuff with 2+, Regios Reserva, Skull Breaker, Cojonu 2012 (they just got really woody like I was chewing on bark); other Boradleaf blends like UF-13, FFP seem to be doing fine. /shrug

I still think that Oliva you sent me was tits; noticed youve been going all in on those

[stonecutter2]

Z

Taking into consideration that Habanos age best, I would think that non-broadleaf would age better.
I have zero aging experience so take this with a grain of salt. But I can't recall a Habanos Maduro. As usual please correct me if I'm wrong.

Cohiba makes the "Maduro 5."

[jhedrick83]

Cohiba makes the "Maduro 5."

If I recall correctly, the 5 signifies that's the wrapper has already been aged for 5 years prior to rolling.

[Cardinal]

@Cardinal I probably should be more specific. For whatever reason it was mainly Pete Johnson stuff with 2+, Regios Reserva, Skull Breaker, Cojonu 2012 (they just got really woody like I was chewing on bark); other Boradleaf blends like UF-13, FFP seem to be doing fine. /shrug

I still think that Oliva you sent me was tits; noticed youve been going all in on those

Hmmm, that's interesting on the Pete Johnson vs. DE vs. Oliva. Then again I've enjoyed most of the Tats I've smoked but they're not typically my humidor favorites anyway, aside from the Black which is a Criollo wrapper if I recall correctly.

So I had to go look it up after you mentioned it, and yeaaaah you're right that '08 batch of V Maduros was broadleaf! I'd either forgotten or never knew, since the last few releases have been San Andres.

And yes, for some reason every single Serie V variation is just killing it for me right now, so I've been stocking up on all the Vs, V Maduros, and Melanios that I can tetris into my humidors. I'm totally full now, so I can probably squeeze another box or two in there.

[herman]

In most cases if I don't like the cigar, age isn't going to make me like it, but it may improve some.
I always give a cigar a couple chances and also try purchasing from different sources.
There was a b&m that had their glass humidors displayed in the smoking lounge, and I grabbed a Tat out and it tasted like an ashtray.
My guess is the humidor wasn't sealed and smoke got in. I tried that same Tat from another humi and loved it.

Another example, I always buy my Oliva V by the box, and I had one box taste like a musty damp basement with a gritty consistency. I was pretty frustrated because week after week, it just didn't improve and I kept purging out and dissecting them before finishing. I gave up, put these in a tupperware, came back to them 6 months later and they improved significantly. The flavors have muted some, but that wet basement taste has become nearly untraceable and I'm happy with them. I have no idea what it was or what caused it... but time was kind.

[LGHT]

I have a lots of old aged cigars I’ll probably never smoke. The reason being at the time 5’rs and singles were really never really available so most guys like me just checked reviews and bought boxes (before the devil site existed). Plus it was a LOT cheaper to buy a full box instead of a 5r so being cheap most guys bought boxes and just hoped for the best. Another reason is some of the smokes I bought where actually not bad, but as I learned more and tried more I often found “better” smokes I would rather smoke over the good ones I had in the humi so of course I leaned toward buying / smoking the “better” cigars as the good ones sat ageing away.

Another reason I long term age is bottom line I just prefer a nice aged cigar. If you have never smoked a cigar with 10-20 years of age on it you will never really appreciate the fine subtle nuances of a well-aged cigar. If you start off with a nicotine pepper bomb and let it rest for 10 years it’s almost a completely different cigar. The 2 taste nothing alike. Some prefer the head rush in your face smoke, but I personally like a medium strength cigar that is more subtle and flavorful, but that wasn’t always the case.