Aging and graded cigars

[Livo]

Curious what others think. When you buy a box that folks typically age (e.g., plpc or qdc coronas) are you more likely to insist on buying a higher graded hand picked box. Are you more likely to insist on a psp/hq box when buying, say plpc, over pe or buying blind?

Is it more important to than when buying a box you intend to smoke fresh?

[Laxman]

Good question and I am sure you will get quite a few different opinions. First for me it comes down to having a vendor you trust. Buying blind, especially with regular production cigars, is like playing Russian Roulette with 4 or 5 bullets. Don't do it!

If I want something to lay down for a few years to reap the rewards, I am always willing to pay a premium for an HQ and even better if I can get a PSP box. PLPC is a great example. For me its a good cigar fresh but with 5 years its a pure flavor bomb. This does not guarantee that the box is going to be lights out 5 years down the road but the odds are stacked in your favor.

With all the crap that is produced each year and so much inconsistency from box to box, plus the fact that I cannot walk into a local shop and hand pick my boxes, I put my faith in Rob to filter out all the garbage.

Whether I want to age or want to smoke fresh, I go with PSP first if available if not HQ. Over the last 5 years I have not been let down yet.

[Optic101]

My basic rule:

Start high > higher chance for better result

Act blind > you depend on luck only

5 - 10 years is a long time, good preparation is key to start, maintenance is key during the process.

There is always an exception to everything. ( the BUT rule .... )

[shlomo]

so many high quality boxes. most vendors will hand pick a box for you based on what you want or their thoughts.

i trust all my vendors, and have little problem buying blind. here included.

[PigFish]

Aging to me is coincidental to not being able to, nor having the desire to smoke all the cigars that I own on a given day.

The funny thing is, while I don't believe that aging improves bad cigars, I often leave a box that I don't particularly like to try again another day. It is a mind game… Each cigar is different so you don't know if you are storing good or bad cigars until you smoke them. I play the game anyway! I am forever hopeful even though I reject the premise of vacuum periods.

This does not mean that I won't rate a cigar for water content and deliberately keep from smoking them until they are at the right content for my taste.

I therefore smoke the cigars that taste the best while I am alive and able to do so. If a sample is not the best, I may put the rest back for a while and hope!

I never buy cigars to age. I buy them to have them to smoke someday when the mood suits me. The day could be tomorrow or ten years from tomorrow with no deliberate attempt to keep them for any given period…

I like cigars that 'look good' but there is no relationship between cigars that look good and taste good. A vendor should always send you good cigars (undamaged and within a reasonable expectation of good aesthetics) but a seasoned cigar smoker knows that you cannot expect Cuban cigars to be perfect. CC's typically taste better than they look when compared to cigars from other regions. JMHO.

Cheers, the Pig

[Optic101]

I never buy cigars to age. I buy them to have them to smoke someday when the mood suits me. The day could be tomorrow or ten years from tomorrow with no deliberate attempt to keep them for any given period…

Cheers, the Pig

Like this approach / lifestyle !

[Livo]

I almost always buy HQ and have yet to be disappointed.

It seems to me though that if you are buying a box to age that it becomes even more important to increase your odds of getting a great box. Five years is a long time. A better box up front would seem to increase your chances of a better outcome.

[KoreanCowboy]

Have never purchased a graded box before until a month ago. Had an HQ Cohiba Magicos selected for me and let me tell you, they are GORGEOUS! I'll always spring for the HQ if available from now on. It's well worth it.

[CaptainQuintero]

With each grade I've always been over impressed when I open the box and see what is inside.

Whatever I expect is always blown away by what i see when I get hands on, regardless of grade

In your hands:

PE seems HQ

HQ seems PSP

PSP makes you sit down for a while and take a breather!

[sactochris]

Having used several vendors over the past few years I can say that the worst looking box I've gotten from Rob was as good as some of the nicer boxes I've gotten from other sources.

[Livo]

Just to clarify - I wasn't asking what people think about FOH graded boxes. I am a 100% supporter of the HQ/PSP program. I've yet to be anything but thrilled.

My question was this - If you buy a box of plpc (a box a lot of people typically age) are you more apt to feel like 5 years is a long time and you should have bought the highest grade possible. Or do you feel like a good PE box may end up doing the trick because what happens after five years is a little harder to predict?

Don't know if I'm explaining myself well, but thanks for the input! I know plpc is highly rated by the FOH crew currently. Any thoughts?

Maybe the best way to put it is - while you should always try to buy the best possible boxes, does it become even more imperative to buy a great box when buying a box to age?

[Pedro2486]

Have never purchased a graded box before until a month ago. Had an HQ Cohiba Magicos selected for me and let me tell you, they are GORGEOUS! I'll always spring for the HQ if available from now on. It's well worth it.

Oh yeah. I definitely always go for these. Always worth it. Plus HQ Magicos are bloody awesome!!!!

(Yes that's a 4 exclamation mark awesome). In fact I hope some more come up soon as they have been my secret weapons in converting my non-cigar smoking friends.

I don't really buy to age ATM. I will put some down for a spell if they're not good yet (parti shorts with an ammonia 3rd 3rd for example) and I will just smoke what grabs my fancy that day