Habana Crop of 2012/2013

[garbandz]

I am curious to learn when the last leaf of the 2012 crop is/was rolled,and when the 2013 crop starts to be rolled.Also,when will the 2014 crop be ready.

Any help with harvest times,ageing and processing will be useful.

This will be relevant to normal cigar production,not specials or LEs.

Thanks for your help..........

[Blakes]

I think it depends on the type of leaf as the ligero, seco and volado have different aging times.

[Smallclub]

Cuba being Cuba I don't think you can get a reliable info on this matter…

[sw15825]

Cuba being Cuba I don't think you can get a reliable info on this matter

Agreed. They say they age all tabacco for regular production cigars from 1 to 3 years, beginning this again in 2006. Seems like 2012 may have had more aged tabacco in the cigars, compared to previous years, but I dont know, just a guess. But who knows from Cuba what Really happened.

[mk05]

It was either that they used more leaves that weren't utilized in '10-'11 due to economic downturn, or that Tabacuba is cooking the **** out of the tobacco to make it more approachable. Isn't it weird that cigars taste so immediately approachable, vs just a year or two before?

Maybe they learned how to cook tobacco while butchering Cohiba with Maduro5. LOL? Sarcasm off...not really

[sw15825]

It was either that they used more leaves that weren't utilized in 10-11 due to economic downturn, or that Tabacuba is coooking the **** out of the tobacco to make it more approachable. Isn't it weird that cigars taste so immediately approachable, vs just a year or two before?

Maybe they learned how to cook tobacco while butchering Cohiba with Maduro5. LOL? Sarcasm off...not really

Hopefully the former or they just upgraded fermentation process. Your right though, it is strange indeed. late 2011 through 2012 this approachable cigars! First, excitement, then remember its Cuba! OMG. I havnt smoked enough 2013 to tell how its going but have heard mixed reports.

[ramon_cojones]

my 13 d4s are too young

[mk05]

Let me know if you can tell the difference between 13 POU or RMS D4 and JL #2. Because I can't.

[ramon_cojones]

my upes didn't taste very d4 like when i cracked it, won't be revisited for some time

[Lotusguy]

Let me know if you can tell the difference between 13 POU or RMS D4 and JL #2. Because I can't.

I'm curious - how many cigar per week do you smoke?

[CaptainQuintero]

I'm not sure there are untoward reasons for recent cigars tasting better. There might be but Occam's razor says Cuba have just upped their game steadily and consistently since the millennium madness.

Why would a cigar have to be hot, harsh or unapproachable for a number of years for it to mean it is a great cigar?

Historically some Cubans had to be aged up to three years to remove huge amounts of ammonia just to reach 'fresh 2001' cigar approachability. Now a decade on, Cubans don't need that historic ammonia reducing wait from the 70/80's or the 4/5 year rule (Cohiba withstanding imo)

Just processes getting more effective and efficient, possibly due to imperial tobacco helping with modernisation?

We've seen the new techniques in fermentation that hector Luis has been using, thing getting better surely are probably due to slow modernisation rather than conspiracy?

[Pedro2486]

I for one am glad that they are smoking better young, though I may come to regret this as my collection grows and ages. As someone new to CC's I have no aged stash to smoke while new purchases age and I'm not easily able to acquire/afford aged stock. If young CC's are smoking better it benefits the community by making habanos more approachable to new aficionados and that can't be a bad thing for the hobby. Especially with the "war on smoking"

[CanuckSARTech]

I'm not sure there are untoward reasons for recent cigars tasting better. There might be but Occam's razor says Cuba have just upped their game steadily and consistently since the millennium madness.

Why would a cigar have to be hot, harsh or unapproachable for a number of years for it to mean it is a great cigar?

Historically some Cubans had to be aged up to three years to remove huge amounts of ammonia just to reach 'fresh 2001' cigar approachability. Now a decade on, Cubans don't need that historic ammonia reducing wait from the 70/80's or the 4/5 year rule (Cohiba withstanding imo)

Just processes getting more effective and efficient, possibly due to imperial tobacco helping with modernisation?

We've seen the new techniques in fermentation that hector Luis has been using, thing getting better surely are probably due to slow modernisation rather than conspiracy?

Well said and thought out. Very much agreed.