What makes a cigar "vintage"?

[Martindelmundo]

This question looms at the moment I'm about to light up a Bolivar Churchill tubo from 2000. I think this would be vintage. In the wine industry a vintage is according to the year it was made. In cigars I think of it as being a bit older, with some age on it. What do you all think? or is their a standard.

Martin

[adic88]

For me, "vintage" cigars is not just something that has good age on it but is also from a "good" release of cigars that year.

For example, 1998 cigars is considered vintage today because it is not only 12 years aged, but also because 1998 was known to have some really good cigar releases. 2007 is the same in recent memories, by 2015 or so, 2007 cigars will be considered vintage.

[CanuckSARTech]

I agree completely with Aizuddin. It's that combination of age, plus from a good year/crop.

I think something that has at least 10 years age on it would be vintage in timeline length. Five years or so is just "aged" - there could still be a lot of time for the cigars to improve/blend.

[Martindelmundo]

So vintage is not just a means of doubling the price ?

I don't know... But it is a good reason I guess to pay more.

[bolivr]

I don't know there is a formal time period.

My thoughts would be that vintage can only begin when a cigar has gone through the main early part of the ageing process; this being after about 5 to 8 years perhaps.

A cigar that is 10 years old and has been stored in good conditions can begin to claim the vintage tag as the next decades of ageing offer smaller incremental improvements in the flavour and smoothness of the smoke.

As for pricing and value - each to their own

[El Presidente]

Vintage is what you can get away with.

According to PCC it is 5 years

1998/2006/7/8/ should be great "Vintages" for cigars with the massive exception that 20-30% of what was produced was sub par (underfilled/overfilled etc etc). You don't get this proportion of spoilage with wine.

[Ghabanos]

When do we know if a specific year release is a good year? Is 2010 good or do we know yet?