What NC cigars do you age?

[JoeyBones777]

We talk a lot about aging CC and there is a lot of experience here on the forum of good time frames for particular cigars. However, there isn't a ton of talk about NC cigars given that they are considered "ready to smoke" because the tobacco is generally aged prior to blending.

I've found some NC do well with age. For example, Opus X and Padron thousand series do well with 3+ years of age. Others have mentioned Warped cloud Hopper, Warped La Hacienda and Arturo Fuente Hemingway.

What NC cigars have you found do well with age and bring out more sweetness or complexity with time down? How long do you age them?

[vvvendo1969]

Based on my personal experience, Davidoff Aniversario No.2 (discontinued......).

[SUP8333]

All of the Puro desnudos get better day by day.

[Deeg]

The stronger LFD blends do well with some age.

[Puros Y Vino]

What little NC's I do have age due to me having no interest in smoking them over a CC. I did take a look at an old LFD Mysterio I had from 2009. It's the last one of 5 I bought. I always enjoyed this cigar. The aroma off this one was amazing. Coffee and cocoa power on the wrapper. I suspect I may light it up this summer. Several Drew Estate cigars I smoked after "aging" for 5 years were akin to smoking newspaper. I have a couple of the M81's which I will dip into sometime this summer as well.  

[mohammed.s.almutlaq11]

None.

[JoeyBones777]

4 hours ago, SUP8333 said:

All of the Puro desnudos get better day by day.

I agree. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up over longer period of time, 2-3 years down.

[bmac]

Honduran tobacco obviously ages well as evidence with Fabrica 5 sticks.4-5 year old tobacco at roll.

[ubiquito]

46 minutes ago, JoeyBones777 said:

I agree. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up over longer period of time, 2-3 years down.

The 2021 Carlotas are smoking just fine 😍

[Li Bai]

6 hours ago, ubiquito said:

The 2021 Carlotas are smoking just fine 😍

I smoked one yesterday and I have to agree on that 👍

[BrightonCorgi]

The ones people give me that I have little intention on smoking. They'll age like the pyramids.

[GVan]

I age all of my non-CC's or New World cigars the same as my CC collection. Part of it is having a collection large enough that I can age the new cigars and still have plenty to smoke for my regular rotation. Part of it is having fun with the hobby of collecting interesting cigars and the ability to share aged, "Ready to Smoke" cigars with friends. Most NC's keep getting better with age just like CC's. The best ever example was a box of 1999 Padron Magnum's that were buried in the back of my humi and I completely forgot about them. My son and son-in-law were over and I had recently found the box with 3 left so we smoked them that evening. If I remember correctly, they were about 15 years aged in the humi at the time. All 3 experienced smokers stated it was the best cigar we had all year. Smooth and flavorful - better than any Padron 64 or 26 in my collection.

Other NCs that I have found really benefit from aging:

• Ashton VSG's - some of mine are now 15 years aged in the humi.
• Padron 64's and 26's - I have boxes from 2011, 2012 and 2014 that are smoking lights-out right now.  Interestingly, the 26's are still very full-bodied.
• Arturo Fuente Magnum 44's - 7 years aged and my son-in law's favorite NC out of my humi.
• Oliva Serie V Lancero's - the 2017 boxes of these now have a distinctive sweet pistachio flavor that they didn't have in the begginning.
• Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero's & Corona Gorda's - these are absolutely awesome NC's and some of my personal favorites with 5 to 7 years of additional box age on them.
• All Southern Draw cigars seem to get better with age - I won't touch a Kudzu Lustum until they age for at least 5 additional years.  I just tried a Fraternal White that had 3 years on it and my notes say to wait another year before the next one.

I treat my NC's just like my CC's. -- same storage conditions, same smoking humidity. Whenever I see a very good price on an NC I know I like or one that's been recommended to me by someone I trust, I buy and place them in a coolidor for 6 months to a year before smoking the first one (CC's typically for 2 to 3 years). Even when I'm dying to try one I won't touch them for at least 4 months (at which time I usually note they're not ready yet). Then, I try one every 6 months or so and keep notes on their flavor / smoking progression. There is no hard and fast rule that I follow. I deem them ready when the usually present NC black-pepper has died down and they are burning flavorful without any touch-ups. One of my favorite NC's took a full year for the black pepper to be replaced with cayenne-pepper which I love as a change of pace cigar.  

When they are "Ready" I then move them to the Office Humidor for anyone to try one. I definitely think that what some people might call stronger NCs are better aging candidates. For me, almost all cigars benefit from at least a little time down. The best example, as stated above, is the Nudie / MOFOH line-up where we are all commenting on how with just 6 months of additional age they are getting way better and much more complex.

[JoeyBones777]

4 hours ago, GVan said:

 

I age all of my non-CC's or New World cigars the same as my CC collection. Part of it is having a collection large enough that I can age the new cigars and still have plenty to smoke for my regular rotation. Part of it is having fun with the hobby of collecting interesting cigars and the ability to share aged, "Ready to Smoke" cigars with friends. Most NC's keep getting better with age just like CC's. The best ever example was a box of 1999 Padron Magnum's that were buried in the back of my humi and I completely forgot about them. My son and son-in-law were over and I had recently found the box with 3 left so we smoked them that evening. If I remember correctly, they were about 15 years aged in the humi at the time. All 3 experienced smokers stated it was the best cigar we had all year. Smooth and flavorful - better than any Padron 64 or 26 in my collection.

Other NCs that I have found really benefit from aging:

    Ashton VSG's - some of mine are now 15 years aged in the humi.
    Padron 64's and 26's - I have boxes from 2011, 2012 and 2014 that are smoking lights-out right now.  Interestingly, the 26's are still very full-bodied.
    Arturo Fuente Magnum 44's - 7 years aged and my son-in law's favorite NC out of my humi.
    Oliva Serie V Lancero's - the 2017 boxes of these now have a distinctive sweet pistachio flavor that they didn't have in the begginning.
    Tatuaje Black Label Petit Lancero's & Corona Gorda's - these are absolutely awesome NC's and some of my personal favorites with 5 to 7 years of additional box age on them.
    All Southern Draw cigars seem to get better with age - I won't touch a Kudzu Lustum until they age for at least 5 additional years.  I just tried a Fraternal White that had 3 years on it and my notes say to wait another year before the next one.

I treat my NC's just like my CC's. -- same storage conditions, same smoking humidity. Whenever I see a very good price on an NC I know I like or one that's been recommended to me by someone I trust, I buy and place them in a coolidor for 6 months to a year before smoking the first one (CC's typically for 2 to 3 years). Even when I'm dying to try one I won't touch them for at least 4 months (at which time I usually note they're not ready yet). Then, I try one every 6 months or so and keep notes on their flavor / smoking progression. There is no hard and fast rule that I follow. I deem them ready when the usually present NC black-pepper has died down and they are burning flavorful without any touch-ups. One of my favorite NC's took a full year for the black pepper to be replaced with cayenne-pepper which I love as a change of pace cigar.  

When they are "Ready" I then move them to the Office Humidor for anyone to try one. I definitely think that what some people might call stronger NCs are better aging candidates. For me, almost all cigars benefit from at least a little time down. The best example, as stated above, is the Nudie / MOFOH line-up where we are all commenting on how with just 6 months of additional age they are getting way better and much more complex.

Lots of good info there. Thank you. I think it was your comment on my Cloud Hopper review that got me thinking more deeply about aging potential of NC.

[vvvendo1969]

20 hours ago, SUP8333 said:

All of the Puro desnudos get better day by day.

I agree 100%. My 2021 and 2022 Desnudo (Lancero Colorado and Lancero Maduro) got much better after 2-3 years, more complex and more flavourful.

[Jerryvonkramer]

On 6/12/2024 at 12:27 PM, Puros Y Vino said:

 Several Drew Estate cigars I smoked after "aging" for 5 years were akin to smoking newspaper. 

Absolutely brutal 😂

[Juliano88]

On 6/12/2024 at 4:34 AM, mohammed.s.almutlaq11 said:

None.

Not true. 

[GerardMichaelTX]

Besides a well aged swisher or white owl, I enjoy the following:

• Padron: Thousand Series
• Most of the Liga Privada Unico Series
• LFD Cabinetta No. 6 - Hard to find but worth the smoke
• Fuente - Everything from Montesino all the way to Opus
• Van Der Donk Panatelas - Yes, keep them in the humidor, they are a very pleasant budget stick with age.
• Dunhill Aged Semanas - Fantastic smoke but discontinued a very long time ago.

There are a number of cigars in my collection that are 5-10 years old now that I have been meaning to try just never had time.

[JoeyBones777]

6 minutes ago, GerardMichaelTX said:

Besides a well aged swisher or white owl, I enjoy the following:

• Padron: Thousand Series
• Most of the Liga Privada Unico Series
• LFD Cabinetta No. 6 - Hard to find but worth the smoke
• Fuente - Everything from Montesino all the way to Opus
• Van Der Donk Panatelas - Yes, keep them in the humidor, they are a very pleasant budget stick with age.
• Dunhill Aged Semanas - Fantastic smoke but discontinued a very long time ago.

There are a number of cigars in my collection that are 5-10 years old now that I have been meaning to try just never had time.

Nice! A little redundant with the aged Swishers and Liga Privada.🤣

I've got a box of Liga 9 corona viva that I am going to track flavor progression on.

[GVan]

On 6/13/2024 at 10:41 AM, vvvendo1969 said:

I agree 100%. My 2021 and 2022 Desnudo (Lancero Colorado and Lancero Maduro) got much better after 2-3 years, more complex and more flavourful.

Back in 2021, I bought 3 packages (30 in each Ebony and Ivory package) of the Colorado Maduro and the Colorado Rosado Lanceros. The 2021 Maduro Lanceros were the first to be ready to smoke and the first to be gone from the humi. I miss the Maduros, they were awesome.  

At about 6 months, the Rosado's were just ok, however, at about a year and a half, these turned the corner on flavor. Now at about 28 months of humi time, these are my number one surprise cigar that I have been sharing with my CC friends. Everyone agrees that they are pure, smooth, Partagas baking spice replicas. The flavors combined with the unique size really surprises some of my most experienced cigar friends.  

I've been waiting to break out a new package until the Colorado Rosados are all gone -- but after reading all of these posts -- I think it's time. Below is the original pictures I posted back in Feb. '22 when these came in and of course, I had to smoke some ROTT.