aged cigars

[sptcigars]

im new to cigars, about 8-10months, and im a little confused when it comes to the idea of aged cigars. if everyone likes a little age on their cigars, be it 3yrs or 13yrs, when the heck do you smoke in the now? if i put my cigars away for aging, what do i smoke today? im sure i cant go to the local store and buy a cigar that has been aged 5yrs can i? the most age ive got on a few of my cigars is 5monts.

[El Presidente]

This should explain it :-)

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/board_entr...er&descasc=DESC

[Colt45]

It can be a bit difficult. Some members buy two boxes of the same cigar - one to age,

and one to smoke from. Doing this with a variety of cigars can require lots of storage

space an lots of $$$ (certain higher-ups love that aspect).

What I find to be the real conundrum is trying new cigars. You acquire a group of

singles, put them away for a bit, smoke them over the course of months/years,

decide you like them, buy a box, and have to go through the whole aging process

again.

[Mel]

As you might have read on the link Rob posted I am a fan of the fresh or non-aged cigar. I do like some of the "more mature" cigars but find quite a few of them boring and mild. At it's essence it biols down to the opinion of which is better apples or oranges? There is not right answer to please all. Cigars are for consumption and you can not get the full pleasure from a cigar until it is lit. Sure it is gone now but the questions is did you enjoy it? If you did then no more needs to be said.

Some guys with much more time in the hobby have told me that is years past the cigars NEEDED more time to become pleasurable to smoke but in the last five+ years this is not so much the case. In any event smoke some of what you buy because you have to but always leave some of that box alone to age and in time you will have older cigars to compare to additional new purchases.

Good times to ya mate.

[bassman]

Of course, the biggest variable with buying aged cigars is how they were stored while aging. Personally, I buy extra boxes of my favorites so I can control the aging conditions.

[sptcigars]

»»

» Some guys with much more time in the hobby have told me that is years past

» the cigars NEEDED more time to become pleasurable to smoke but in the last

» five+ years this is not so much the case. In any event smoke some of what

» you buy because you have to but always leave some of that box alone to age

» and in time you will have older cigars to compare to additional new

» purchases.

»

» Good times to ya mate.

oh, yeah, my thought is though, if i enjoy it now, just bought, will it get better with age. and i know cigars have to reach a peak right. so how do i find it. plus i only have a desktop humidor so buying an extra box and leaving it in the box isnt going to work. i would need a cabinet humi for that. of course i want to get one of those.

[Claudius]

» im new to cigars, about 8-10months, and im a little confused when it comes

» to the idea of aged cigars. if everyone likes a little age on their

» cigars, be it 3yrs or 13yrs, when the heck do you smoke in the now? if i

» put my cigars away for aging, what do i smoke today? im sure i cant go to

» the local store and buy a cigar that has been aged 5yrs can i? the most

» age ive got on a few of my cigars is 5monts.

I guess that depends where you live. In most places in Europe, you can buy 5 year old cigars (or older). The downsides being that

- they are rather expensive

- most often, they store them too humid. You're lucky when they store them cold since at, say, 18°C (65°F), 70% will be more or less ok in comparison to the usual 70 - 72% RH at 20 - 21°C (70°F) or higher, since the lower temperature reduces the water absorption capability of the air significantly.

» oh, yeah, my thought is though, if i enjoy it now, just bought, will it

» get better with age. and i know cigars have to reach a peak right. so how

» do i find it.

Cigars usually become enjoyable after 2 / 3 years of box age. Some peak in 4/5 years, some take much longer. Just like Bordeaux wines.

» plus i only have a desktop humidor so buying an extra box

» and leaving it in the box isnt going to work. i would need a cabinet humi

» for that. of course i want to get one of those.

Yes, a cabinet humidor or walk-in humidor is a pre-requisite to storing your own cigars. While you figure out which of the 2 is better and / or financially more viable for you (ie. have you got a small spare room in your house that you can convert or do you live in an apartment?), you can always have the cigars stored in the OCL (Online Cigar Locker service provided by Czar). This seems particularly useful to people with little storage who want to age their cigars in perfect condition without the hassle of setting up their own thing. And it's even better for US citizens as they do not run the chance of seeing their stash confiscated. And for those who believe that the USA will end the Cuban embargo in the near future, it's also a way to stock up until they can legally import the then-aged cigars and enjoy them :-) If I didnt have a walk-in, I would use that OCL.

[kjellfrick]

Heck, Claudius, have you finally taken the step to build a walk-in? :-) :-)

[Claudius]

» Heck, Claudius, have you finally taken the step to build a walk-in? :-) :-)

Hey Kjell, how's it going? :-) Yes, I'm in the process TBH: the floor is tiled, light is in and the A/C has been running beautifully at 17,5°C for 2 months (even when it was 32°C outside). Just waiting for a guy to make some cedar sheets to cover one of the walls and install an electronically controlled humidification system (not really necessary as at the temp it's running, it has been constant at 68-70% RH for 2 months, but I'll feel better knowing it will be slightly drier through the use of the A/Cs DRY function and the humidifier). Right now I have a mastercase of RASSC and a few other bits and bops sitting in there on wine boxes. Not a pretty sight, really. I'll post some info when it's up and running with wood and shelves and stuff :-D

[winelover]

If you have the money then worry ye not. You can begin your own ageing process by buying 2 boxes every time as suggested, one to smoke one to age.

If you are like me at the moment, and saving hard, with little money for smokes, then you will find yourself in a bit of a predicament. The best I have had recently is by allowing a box of Jan 06 partagas to last until, well a week or so ago. That said I would have smoked them quicker if they were like my March 06 RASS, where I was all done by Christmas .

Seriously, I find the best way to age if you can't keep your hands away from your smokes and don't have enough money to have a long term strategy is...

TO BUY STUPIDLY LONG CIGARS THAT YOU WON'T HAVE TIME TO SMOKE VERY OFTEN!

P.S. I find churchills can be too short - can find the time to fit them in. You need DCs or larger!

[kjellfrick]

» im new to cigars, about 8-10months, and im a little confused when it comes

» to the idea of aged cigars. if everyone likes a little age on their

» cigars, be it 3yrs or 13yrs, when the heck do you smoke in the now? if i

» put my cigars away for aging, what do i smoke today? im sure i cant go to

» the local store and buy a cigar that has been aged 5yrs can i? the most

» age ive got on a few of my cigars is 5monts.

Well, it IS expensive if you go for the ideal solution to this dilemma. I've tried real hard for some time to buy both aged cigars to smoke now and boxes to age myself and I still have a way to go before I can rip into the cigars I've aged myself. Of course, it depends on how much you smoke. If you smoke a cigar a day it'll be something like a thousand cigars in a three year period. You'd have to put that amount away and simultaneously buy the same amount of aged cigars to smoke. Simplified of course, but one thing is for sure - it add$ up!

Claudius, great news and congratulations! I can easily see myself take the plunge in a year or two - space seems to be in short supply however good one is at Tetris...

:-D

[Well Armed]

I think in general I like almost all cigars with a little age. But, too much age in some certain cigars - if stored correctly, can result in muted flavors. But for the most part it is like a dirty MILF vs. a college coed who is drunk and wants to slobber on you.

[Claudius]

» it is like a dirty MILF vs. a college coed

» who is drunk and wants to slobber on you.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: