Really the best advice?

[CoachDread]

So I'm still relatively new here, but I try to be active and I do my best to read most of the new threads as well as perusing quite a few of the older threads. In many of them I see the recurring advice that if you don't like a cigar, put a couple/few of them in storage for 6 months, a year, decade, whatever, and then try it again. I previously bought in to this and then after seeing this advice given again I wondered...why? Not the why of resting, as I know this can alter flavor and can make a good stick great and a bad stick tolerable...but why waste your time on a cigar you really didn't enjoy when there are SO many others out there to try? Wouldn't it make more sense to just move along, find something you really enjoy now and put more of those away to see if they turn into something really spectacular?

[Hardheaded]

There are a few reasons people recommend it.

1. Your tastes change over time, especially if you are a ewer smoker and still trying new cigars.

2. Cigars smoke differently at different levels of rh, different stages of their fermentation cycle, etc.

3. It's usually good to try new things at least twice. Not just cigars.

That being said it's up to you to decide if the advice of stashing some away to try later makes sense to you. Was the cigar you didnt like harsh and off putting, or did you just not like the flavor profile? Time usually helps get rid of that harshness, however if you just don't like certain flavors, that might not change.

For example, I don't like the flavor profile of most Sun Grown habano wrappers. I know trying thr same cigar later won't change that. However if the cigar just seems a bit harsh and gives me that ammonia type taste, I know it might be good to try again later. But who knows, I may develop a liking for those wrappers I used to not like.

In the end it is your choice. We can only make recommendations and it does not work for everyone. Smoke what you like. Feel free to ignore a cigar if you didnt like it that first time. It's all up to you.

[OldSkoolTarHeel]

It's not just the resting of the cigar itself, I promise. There are numerous other reasons why this advice is given time and again.

You could have simply had a poor example of that particular cigar, such as bad burn or off tastes.

The surroundings at the time of your first take at it could have contributed to the poor reception of the cigar.

But mostly, your tastes will change too. I've been smoking for a few years now, and what I like now, is vastly different to what I liked then. There are cigars that I loved when I was much newer at this that I simply don't find appealing any longer.

By all means, do what you want with the cigars in your possession, if you don't want to "waste your time," don't. If you want to take a second pass at what could be a good cigar, do.

Edit: Apparently @Hardheaded types faster than I do.

[CoachDread]

Please don't mistake my question as any kind of negativity. If it came across that way I apologize. I get that tastes will change over time (I know that my palate now is NOTHING like it was before) but was just wondering why you'd invest more in a cigar that you didn't care for in the hopes it might improve down the road as opposed to just moving on to something else and then picking up more of the things you actually enjoy. No intent to disparage in any possible way.

[Hardheaded]

Please don't mistake my question as any kind of negativity. If it came across that way I apologize. I get that tastes will change over time (I know that my palate now is NOTHING like it was before) but was just wondering why you'd invest more in a cigar that you didn't care for in the hopes it might improve down the road as opposed to just moving on to something else and then picking up more of the things you actually enjoy. No intent to disparage in any possible way.

I certainly didnt take it in any negative way. Its just a question.

I think most of the advice stems from a lot of online shopping and normally getting cigars in 5 packs or more, or at least I do. It's just more cost effective living in NY. I save local trips for single, usually higher end sticks I know I like.

If you only bought one of a cigar and didnt like it, you certainly don't have to run out and buy a few more just in case things change.

[garublador]

I certainly didnt take it in any negative way. Its just a question.

I think most of the advice stems from a lot of online shopping and normally getting cigars in 5 packs or more, or at least I do. It's just more cost effective living in NY. I save local trips for single, usually higher end sticks I know I like.

If you only bought one of a cigar and didnt like it, you certainly don't have to run out and buy a few more just in case things change.

Without knowing the specifics of the recommendations in question, that would be my guess, too. There may be a few exceptions to this, like if it were a well known cigar that performed wildly different than expected, then it might be worth picking another couple up to rest for a while, but for the most part it's probably not worth buying more of a cigar that you don't like, especially when you're new.

I'm pretty new too and I'm sure there are a few cigars that I've written off that should be revisited. My plan is to get my whole storage, technique, palate and preferences much more stable before I worry about them again, though. As the OP pointed out, it may be better to explore different cigars than focus on cigars I've already not liked. However, if I have more than one I'll keep the others around rather than getting rid of them.

[Yarddog]

Coach Dread, I'm pretty much with you on this. The only reason I'd put one away for later was if I made a mistake in the first place and had it on hand anyway. Otherwise, move on, in my opinion. I only have a 70 cigar humidor, which is plenty of space to keep the ones I have in rotation, but not big enough to keep clunkers in. I dunno, again agreeing with you, if I didn't like it at first, I probably won't like it any better in six months, notwithstanding that yeah, you can get a bad one in a bunch of good ones.


The other thing that happens to me is that I'll pay $10, $15, $20, even more, for a stick with a lofty reputation...and I find that I like the sticks that I buy on special for $1 to $2 better. Such was the case with the vaunted Liga Privada #9, Padron 1926, the AJF New World, Tatuaje Black Label, and others. Decent ceegars, but NOT outstanding and worthy of the price tag and/or reputation. Those are good examples of what we're talking about. I could have bought another, put it away, see if I like it later, but to me, the sticks I buy SHOULD be aged long enough before I get them. To me, it just makes no sense that I should have to do the job that the maker SHOULD have done before they sold it to me! To me, it's almost like a loan...'pay me today for a cigar that you can't smoke for a year'. Mmmmm...nooooo...If I can't smoke it right off the truck, or right from the B&M, I'll move on, cuz there's plenty out there that I CAN do it with!

Maybe if I had a lot more disposable income to play with, or a larger humidor, or both, or took this hobby more seriously, I might feel differently. But...I don't.

[Nature]

I certainly wouldn't acquire another of a cigar I didn't care for the first time just oto see how it does with time, but if I had a few to begin with, they kind of get rested by default because I don't get back to it. Like has been said, there are plenty of other good cigar options I know I like, want to try, or new ones coming all the time. Then, after forgetting about it for 6 months or a year, or whatever, I might come across it and wonder if it's gotten any better. Even then, if it's not a gem, I likely wouldn't re-purchase, just finish up what I had at some point.

[Cardinal]

I think Dustin nailed it with the online shopping bit and how we end up with 5ers so often. I sure wouldn't buy MORE of a cigar I didn't like just to try aging them, but I might throw them in the humi for 6 months or a year and see if I change my mind or they get a little better.

When it comes to buying at the shop, I don't think I've ever bought more than 2 of an untried cigar, and only then from a maker I trusted. So when I have a bad single, I just don't buy it again.

[Cool Breeze]

I think Dustin nailed it with the online shopping bit and how we end up with 5ers so often. I sure wouldn't buy MORE of a cigar I didn't like just to try aging them, but I might throw them in the humi for 6 months or a year and see if I change my mind or they get a little better.

When it comes to buying at the shop, I don't think I've ever bought more than 2 of an untried cigar, and only then from a maker I trusted. So when I have a bad single, I just don't buy it again.

I agree with this.
OP, I'm with you. If I only had one, I certainly wouldn't invest in another just to try it 6 months down the road.

But I do buy up 5ers on the devil site pretty often.