Leasons learned from the Month of Monsters

[DogRockets]

Interesting. Face was my favorite by far (considering I smoked about six boxes worth) but I ran out and haven't had one in probably 18 months.

All I know is that I thought they were phenomenal, and it was taking me over 3 hours to smoke them so it was always a committment.

I would have loved to had one 2 years ago. Face is my favorite Pudgy and I was super pumped to smoke the full size. Was totally and completely crushed!

[projectsunfire]

Bravo for your October experiment. Brilliant! Like you, I have fallen in love with Tats. Definitely my favorite NC overall. I have very limited experience with the Monsters though. I bought a Pudgy box last year along with a box Of Jekylls. Bought a box of Hydes this year. Other than that I have never had any of the others. And with the insane cost of old ones I most likely never will. My main concern with purchasing old Monsters is that they will be well past their prime. Which you just basically confirmed for me. Doesn't seem like they age well. I still have half the box of Jekylls and havn't had one in awhile. I wonder if they have gone flat as well. This brings up the issue I also have of holding on to stuff instead of smoking it when it is fresh.

[AndyCAYP]

Bravo for your October experiment. Brilliant! Like you, I have fallen in love with Tats. Definitely my favorite NC overall. I have very limited experience with the Monsters though. I bought a Pudgy box last year along with a box Of Jekylls. Bought a box of Hydes this year. Other than that I have never had any of the others. And with the insane cost of old ones I most likely never will. My main concern with purchasing old Monsters is that they will be well past their prime. Which you just basically confirmed for me. Doesn't seem like they age well. I still have half the box of Jekylls and havn't had one in awhile. I wonder if they have gone flat as well. This brings up the issue I also have of holding on to stuff instead of smoking it when it is fresh.

As Jeremy/DogRockets said, it's quite possible that these were just flat to him. It's also possible that smoking a cigar a day attributed to him missing some of the nuance - maybe his tastebuds just needed a bit of extra time to rebound.

Personally, I feel that most of Pete's cigars need extra rest. I've got the brown labels in a rotation where I'm just getting to cigars that have been sitting for three or four years, and that's only because I absolutely love what happens to them with that little bit of extra waiting. They become sweet, way more sweet than when fresh, and that adds an extra layer of intrigue to me.

The thing about this is that to your tastes you may prefer the cigars fresh, but there's definitely someone out there who doesn't. If you come across something that you feel has lost its edge and you don't like where it's headed, it's just started to get tasty for someone else. And if it happens to be a small batch cigar, you won't lose any money if you decide to pass it on to someone who appreciates it for where it is now.

[projectsunfire]

As Jeremy/DogRockets said, it's quite possible that these were just flat to him. It's also possible that smoking a cigar a day attributed to him missing some of the nuance - maybe his tastebuds just needed a bit of extra time to rebound.

Personally, I feel that most of Pete's cigars need extra rest. I've got the brown labels in a rotation where I'm just getting to cigars that have been sitting for three or four years, and that's only because I absolutely love what happens to them with that little bit of extra waiting. They become sweet, way more sweet than when fresh, and that adds an extra layer of intrigue to me.

The thing about this is that to your tastes you may prefer the cigars fresh, but there's definitely someone out there who doesn't. If you come across something that you feel has lost its edge and you don't like where it's headed, it's just started to get tasty for someone else. And if it happens to be a small batch cigar, you won't lose any money if you decide to pass it on to someone who appreciates it for where it is now.

I smoke a cigar a day on the average so maybe my palette is not as sharp as others. But I am all about aging my stash. I smoke mostly CC's and buy far more of those than I can smoke so I always have the majority in the aging process. I have found that most Tats, LP's, Padrons, etc are better with less rest on them. And I mean less than a year. Most NC's I have found smoke better fresh. Some are better young when they still have the zing to them. Others are better with a few months on them. Of course their are always exceptions & the kicker here is that this is merely my opinion only which is why this hobby is so great. Your mileage may vary. I sure know mine does

[jp1979]

So are you saying that I caused your downward spiral?

[AlanS]

So are you saying that I caused your downward spiral?

Justin, EVERYTHING is Horseshoe's fault. Every body knows?

[stonecutter2]

Awesome stuff I've yet to try a Monster, full or pudgy or little I almost got a box of Little Monsters, but just didn't get around to it. And the same happened this year. Ugh.

[HIM]

Our experiences have definitely been a bit different. The oldest monster I smoked this past month was a full size Mummy but I thought it had aged wonderfully. IMO I think the majority of Tatuaje lines actually smoke better with a few years on them. @AndyCAYP makes a good point, I think the profiles just went in a direction over time that wasn't in line with your tastes.

[Billb1960]

Our experiences have definitely been a bit different. The oldest monster I smoked this past month was a full size Mummy but I thought it had aged wonderfully. IMO I think the majority of Tatuaje lines actually smoke better with a few years on them. @AndyCAYP makes a good point, I think the profiles just went in a direction over time that wasn't in line with your tastes.

Or he's just ruined his palate on Gurkhas...

[AlanS]

Or he's just ruined his palate on Gurkhas...

It may have something to do with the packing materials in his ashtray. Poor boys sense of smell got all distorted!