Aging Question - Worth Aging Mini's?

[persianpirate]

Alright guys...amateur question here...is there any point in aging mini cigars? I know they're machine made & shredded tobacco...but would flavor improve over time if aged right? I love my Cohiba & R&J minis and am curious as to whether i should set some aside for a while. Thanks!

[Matt Day]

Hi I tend to keep any minis I have in a spare small travel humidor while they’re not going to develop any form of complexity aging them for a month or two in my view can help to smoothen out some of the harshness particularly if you get a dud box which are extremely harsh. I don’t age them myself for any real length of time intentionally but tend to buy four boxes of ten at once and if there is a dud box it will get left for awhile to see if it does any good.

[persianpirate]

Hi I tend to keep any minis I have in a spare small travel humidor while they’re not going to develop any form of complexity aging them for a month or two in my view can help to smoothen out some of the harshness particularly if you get a dud box which are extremely harsh. I don’t age them myself for any real length of time intentionally but tend to buy four boxes of ten at once and if there is a dud box it will get left for awhile to see if it does any good.

thanks for the info!

[cigcars]

Minis do have their place for those with no time but want a quick puff. I've always viewed minis, even quality brands like our Habanos or even Arturo Fuente's Cubanitos in the tins (which are fantastic) in the same light as European dry cured smokes. I've never thought of the prospect of their aging at all. Hmmm - good observation & good question Would like to see more expert opinion on the subject, myself.

[Ginseng]

Well, from my experience, minis don't change much at all, for either ill or well, over 6-8 years. They can hide on you, but I haven't found any that are likely much older than that. I really consider them functional equivalents to the Backwoods cheroots. A bit less nasty, but I've smoked plenty of both and that's what comes to mind. This is like cigcars remark about dry-cured. I've never been a fan of dry-cured. Hate 'em, but I do see the resemblance.

So in other words, buy 'em, smoke 'em, and forget about 'em.

Wilkey

[mk05]

Remember this post my friend. Remember the day you had 5 posts and you asked about aging Cohiba Mini's.

Come back in 5 yrs and search for this thread. I guarantee that you will get a chuckle.

[canadianbeaver]

Grind 'em up and let your gerbils sleep in them. They will love it.

[canadianbeaver]

^^^ that was just a smartass remark. I am in a mood today :-)

[stargazer14]

I'm a fan of minis myself. And have a number of half empty (full) boxes that have been sleeping away for years.

Some people just don't 'get' the idea of minis but I have been in situations were I had too much access to NC's

and after a few days of no CC's I find a Monti mini and....AHHHHHHH.....

....there is that taste I long for, and even tho it only lasts 7 mins, damn its good.

Tho i cant say for certain if they get any better with aging, so ignore this post.

[winelover]

Sorry don't bother ageing minis as they are cigarettes as far as I am concerned. They smoke as quickly, they provide a nicotine fix and they are tasteless. If you like them, perhaps I could recommend a machine rolled Cuban brand to you - Guantanamera - the stuff of legend.

No disrespect intended, each to their own. Also buy yourself a box of Bolivar Corona Juniors, Upmann Half Coronas or Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas - all of these are great flavourful smokes - no turning back.

Graham

[finecigar]

Aging minis would be like aging water. Nothing really happens. From my experience just by accident of keeping a few boxes of minis around for 5-6 years they actually tasted worse then. If I were you I would get a nice 25 box of ERDM Demi tasse, good small smoke for a cheap price. I have countless boxes and they providme with that short smoke when I don't have much time. Don't go for machine made unless you really have to for budget concerns or whatever it may be.

[PigFish]

How does tobacco know what form it is in?

While this seems like a stupid question I want to you to think about it for a while. Assuming that tobacco is good in the first place, and that age has a positive effect on it, how does it know if it is in a hand rolled cigar or chopped and put into a machine rolled cigar? Now if one knows that garbage tobacco is intentionally put to rest into mini cigars, please let him/her speak! But as long as the scrap, or "too small to roll" premium tobacco is used in a mini cigar, they have every bit the ability to satisfy as the premium hand rolled cigar.

This is not a statement of taste, as I admit I like Partagas Chicos. It is a matter of logic and deduction. While I respect the empirical observations of all, I don't know any that claim that they know that the demand for the mini is so great that the Cubans must raise specific low quality tobacco for their production. With that, I rest my case!

Cheers. -the Pig