We all like to rest our newly received cigars in the humidor for at least a month or so; well at least the disciplined among us do. But when we travel (and by this I mean long distance air travel), and bring stogies, are there cigars that hold up better than others? Has anyone cracked the code on this?
I keep a stock in the U.S., and another collection in my second office in Saigon, and both of these collections of resident cigars consistently taste better than any of the sticks that travel with me. However it seems to me that not all traveling stogies suffer equally. For instance I've noticed:
1. H. Upmann Petite Coronas don't travel well (at least on this route), but they're better after a couple of months resting (and still best of all in San Francisco rather than the heat and humidity of Saigon).
2. Punch Punch really suffer.
3. Sancho Panza Bellicose ('12) actually do quite well, they lose much of the sweetness, but otherwise smoke fine and never get harsh in the heat and humidity.
4. PSD4's travel better than Epi 2's. Go figure. The 2's get pretty sharp and nippy, doesn't matter if it's an '09, '12, '14 or '15 but they are just lovely at home in SF.
5. HdM Churchills really struggle with the travel.
6. Monte 4's have been great and not so great. Hard to spot a consistent trend here.
7. Punch DC ('12) do just fine from SF to NYC. Haven't exposed them to transpacific travel yet.
I just haven't found consistent, durable winners. Best luck has been with the SP, R&J Churchill (only a 50% success rate though) and PSD4's. I keep trying though.
What do you guys take on the road? And are there any secrets to minimize a cigar's suffering in route? Are there any types of cigar (full flavored, medium, aged, current, etc.) or Marcas that do better?