Cigars for immediate consumption

[rhcolbert]

Idk why my logic is the way it is, but I have always felt the smaller vitola should be ready to go for immediate consumption.  The H. Upmann 1/2 coronas, partigas shorts, ERDM lunch club (prior to their death), monte 5, Boli CJ/PC... I like for all of these to be ready to go about the second they land in the post. 

I really only age my larger smokes. I think the only smaller cigars I let have any age were some trini Reyes.  I really enjoy getting a good, short,  cost effective cigar that delivers. I don't have massive expectations for complexity at these sizes, I just want them to deliver a one dimensional solid flavor out of the gates. 

Am I alone here or does the group believe in aging the 20min to 40min max smokes?

[NSXCIGAR]

5 hours ago, rhcolbert said:

Idk why my logic is the way it is, but I have always felt the smaller vitola should be ready to go for immediate consumption.  The H. Upmann 1/2 coronas, partigas shorts, ERDM lunch club (prior to their death), monte 5, Boli CJ/PC... I like for all of these to be ready to go about the second they land in the post. 

I really only age my larger smokes. I think the only smaller cigars I let have any age were some trini Reyes.  I really enjoy getting a good, short,  cost effective cigar that delivers. I don't have massive expectations for complexity at these sizes, I just want them to deliver a one dimensional solid flavor out of the gates. 

Am I alone here or does the group believe in aging the 20min to 40min max smokes?

Size has nothing to do with it. How a cigar performs fresh or with age is a case-by-case determination. The same vitola in different marcas performs entirely differently. A Monte 4 and a BPC have entirely different results fresh and with age. Some of the cigars you mentioned smoke well fresh, some of them don't. 

If good performance ROTT is what you're after there are plenty of cigars that deliver that. IMO, though, most of the small cigars really do benefit greatly from age, and by that, I mean they go from good to great with only a couple of years on them. RASCC and Monte 5 come to mind. 

If you're looking for something without a whole lot of complexity, there's no reason to spend money on cigars like the BCJ and RASCC and especially the Trini Reyes, which is a terrible value. There are cigars like the PLP, small Partagas offerings, RyJ Mille Fleurs and many others that are regularly discussed in the "Cheap & Cheerful" forum that are much better values for the kind of experience you describe, many of which are cigars that don't need much age at all to be very good.

[canadianbeaver]

Smoking  2016 Punch Punch that just came in not long ago. For curiosity, thought I would give one a try while we are watching the Jays play Devil Rays.

Devil Rays are beating the crap out of us, but the cigar is great. Soon it may go into the yuck stage where it needs to rest for a couple of years, or maybe not. But this was a nice surprise.

[Farani]

5 hours ago, canadianbeaver said:

Smoking  2016 Punch Punch that just came in not long ago. For curiosity, thought I would give one a try while we are watching the Jays play Devil Rays.

Devil Rays are beating the crap out of us, but the cigar is great. Soon it may go into the yuck stage where it needs to rest for a couple of years, or maybe not. But this was a nice surprise.

I have a box of Punch Punch from 2009...well worth the wait if you can stash a box away! Just picked up a cab from 2014, too, but I don't plan on sampling them anytime soon. 

[canadianbeaver]

5 hours ago, Farani said:

I have a box of Punch Punch from 2009...well worth the wait if you can stash a box away! Just picked up a cab from 2014, too, but I don't plan on sampling them anytime soon. 

We have these too. The idea is that sometimes guys here get newer ones. Trying one of anything can be worth it.

CB

[rhcolbert]

think this ties into the "last third" topic as well.  If the "last third" improves with age, then that's a significant amount of cigar for something like a CG/Churchill, DC, etc.

if the last third or less of a half corona isn't great, I'm not livid.  I picked it up for a short smoke anyways.

Hating the last third of large, unaged regional, a monte 1, punch DC or something like that is akin to hating the entiritey of a whole smaller cigar.

risk aversion may be why I age the larger ones and just go for it with the smaller vitola.  If a small one sucks young, I'm not out much $ and can go ahead and age em while I smile apmething else that size that is good young.

[subport]

21 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Size has nothing to do with it. How a cigar performs fresh or with age is a case-by-case determination. The same vitola in different marcas performs entirely differently. A Monte 4 and a BPC have entirely different results fresh and with age. Some of the cigars you mentioned smoke well fresh, some of them don't. 

If good performance ROTT is what you're after there are plenty of cigars that deliver that. IMO, though, most of the small cigars really do benefit greatly from age, and by that, I mean they go from good to great with only a couple of years on them. RASCC and Monte 5 come to mind. 

If you're looking for something without a whole lot of complexity, there's no reason to spend money on cigars like the BCJ and RASCC and especially the Trini Reyes, which is a terrible value. There are cigars like the PLP, small Partagas offerings, RyJ Mille Fleurs and many others that are regularly discussed in the "Cheap & Cheerful" forum that are much better values for the kind of experience you describe, many of which are cigars that don't need much age at all to be very good.

Can't agree more. My thoughts exactly that aging has nothing to do with size. Well... I do like young and fresh cigars but still...age can bring them to another level. ERdM demi tasse comes to my mind. Small cigars and so much benefit down the road. I absolutely love them with 5+ yrs...