Resting Cigars

[rodwha]

Reading a portion of a thread I came across it being mentioned that cheaper cigars being talked about needed to be rested a few months to become fairly good. Why is this, and what exactly is it as I assume it's just that, allowing it to sit in a humidor to age a bit.

I've also seen aged cigars (up to 12 years?). If properly stored (~68/68*?) do cigars last a very long time?

I usually begin puffing on something about as soon as I get them, or within a week. The last few will have certainly sat a bit.

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[FireRunner]

I do this with several cigars and I've mentioned this method on here. Some cigars need rest before the tobacco flavors smoke well. The Cain from Oliva is a brand I do this with. My family sits a box or two for at least 6-8 months before smoking them. It makes a world of difference because often times the RH is too high in stores (or where they are in storage) or the cigars were recently made.

In short, I believe most cigars that smoke harsh will mellow out after resting. The tobacco has time to calm down and the flavors tend to smoke better after resting. Another cigar that my family does this with is the Hoyo Excalibur. Rest those for about six months and they are a great smoke.

I also never - ever - smoke a cigar right from the store. I always allow them to rest in my humidors for at least two weeks. I find often the stick will smoke harsh or off due to the irregularity of the humidity of the stores.

[rodwha]

So despite what it is (cheap/expensive) it is best to rest them due to potential humidity issues, but even just for the flavors (oils?) too, or do quality cigars typically sit before being shipped?

[jhedrick83]

There can be a couple reasons here. It can take a couple weeks for a cigar that has been mail ordered some time to acclimate to the specific RH you keep in your humidor. Letting them rest ensures you don't have any burn/taste issues due to uneven RH in the cigar. Also, depending on how fresh a cigar is it may go through a "sick" period where there is another fermentation cycle. Since the leaves are moistened for rolling, it can kick off another round of fermentation in the rolled cigar. Usually this is where you can get some ammonia smells while smoking. The biggest reason I tend to age my NCs is I feel I get a smoother smoking experience if it's been resting a 1 year+. You might be surprised how different a cigar is ROTT vs 2 years old vs 5 years old. For example, I love Aroma De Cuba Mi Amors, they are really good fresh, with about 5 years on them they are unreal to me. Some of the aging depends on the strength of the cigar as well. Some milder cigars may not hold up as well to age as the medium or full cigars do. As for how long cigars can last, with proper care they can last decades. If you have the room in your humidor, get a 5'er of a cigar you love and smoke one every six months and take notes on it.

[Billb1960]

I generally try to let cigars rest for a couple of weeks after I get them especially from my usual B&M. They keep their store at 70% humidity so I give them some humi time at 62-65 before I light them up. Most of the cigars I buy online get the same treatment although I've never actually checked what RH they're at when I get them.

[rodwha]

How would you go about checking the RH of a cigar?

I'm not sure my palate is acclimated enough to know well enough. I've only just become more serious. Prior to now I've only had a couple of cigars with a friend who had the real deal, and several that SWMBO bought me over the years. Only now have I smoked more than maybe 2 or 3 in a year. Maybe I ought to give it a try though. The one cigar, other than the Cohiba, is the Avo Classic, and I have 10 on the way with 15 other cigars to smoke.

I actually have no idea what RH mine sit at. I've been using a Drymistat with Xikar propylene glycol 70% RH fluid, but have no idea if it's consistent or how it behaves in a tupperdore.

[bluenoser]

I personally like to let everything I order rest, if I can hold out. But that's mostly because I buy exclusively from the US and have seen shipping take anywhere from 1-3 weeks to cross the border. Rule of thumb I use is 1 week in the humi for everyday in transit. I have tried a couple 5 packs I've ordered ROTT vs resting for a few weeks and it's night and day. Getting them to the proper RH with a little rest is definitely worth the wait.

[Jaybird]

I'll smoke a Cigar right out of my B&M but we keep them at 67%. When I mail order I'll sometimes smoke ROTT (take good notes) but then rest the rest for several weeks/months to see how they aged. I have been blown away at the changes, and not always for the better. CH Angels Anvil was 1. ROTT AMAZING! 6/8weeks later at 62-64% So harsh, rancid and acrid I only smoked 1/3 and set it down. Seems ALL Diesel, MOW and Ave Maria do REALLY well with a few weeks rest...

All that said, this is a hobby so you really just have to play around with what you like and go with it.

Cheers
Jay

[AlanS]

How would you go about checking the RH of a cigar?

I'm not sure my palate is acclimated enough to know well enough. I've only just become more serious. Prior to now I've only had a couple of cigars with a friend who had the real deal, and several that SWMBO bought me over the years. Only now have I smoked more than maybe 2 or 3 in a year. Maybe I ought to give it a try though. The one cigar, other than the Cohiba, is the Avo Classic, and I have 10 on the way with 15 other cigars to smoke.

I actually have no idea what RH mine sit at. I've been using a Drymistat with Xikar propylene glycol 70% RH fluid, but have no idea if it's consistent or how it behaves in a tupperdore.

If you don't have a hygrometer its all guess work. You can pick one up anywhere for less than $10. Then you can track the humidity accurately.