Do Romeo y Julieta Cazadores really benefit from aging?

[El Presidente]

Do Romeo y Julieta Cazadores really benefit from aging?

This was a side topic discussed at last Fridays Live FOH video review and it has stuck in my mind since.

My thoughts are that I get as muh benefit extensively dry boxing (10 days at 58/60 RH) my fresh R&J Cazzies as I do ageing them for 5-7 years. Others get a different experience.

Perhaps it is that I like to keep the intensity/vibrancy of young Cazzie and decently aged ones just lose that aspect for me.

I do love a great cazadores mind you but would love your feedback/experience

[potpest]

I can't speak from an aged perpspective as I've never had one, but my '14 box of cazzies are some of the finest fresh sticks I have.

Maybe I just have a great box but they are suprisingly smooth, no harsh edges whatsoever. They are certainly strong in flavour but I see no real reason to age them. I am doing so with 15 out of the box just to see what happens to them over time.

[Troels]

My experience is limited to one box. Bought it spring last year and smoked most of the box within first few months. Smoked two a month ago and liked them better. It was my thought that a years rest had improved them

[Ginseng]

I have to admit that I enjoy the Caz just fine with anywhere between 0-10 years on them. While the more recent vintages are very accessible essentially right off the truck, even 2-3 years on the clock renders them no less powerful while rounding the edges and the after-palate. I just love 'em!

Wilkey

[noreaster]

I can vouch for an '06 box recently purchased at a Mexican LCDH and they are fantastic...lots of billowing smoke, even draw and rich flavor...wish I could've bought more...

[smokum]

Do they benefit ? It depends on if you like the punch in the mouth power of the fresh ones or the mature and smooth flavor of the the aged Cazzy. Here is a well aged one. AEP ABR 07 that I just smoked on a most flawless Chicago evening. 72 degrees and a perfect breeze. My best bud dropped by and he enjoyed a DIp 4 from 06 right along with me. The Caz was likely the best smoke I have had so far this summer.all the familiar flavors are there without the sharp edges. Damn near perfect.

[heyferg]

My experience is limited to one box. Bought it spring last year and smoked most of the box within first few months. Smoked two a month ago and liked them better. It was my thought that a years rest had improved them

My experience is similar. I bought 2 boxes last year. One I laid down. The other I started smoking from on day one. I was very disappointed with the first 3 or 4 I smoked. I just shoved the open box to the back of my humidor and moved on to other things. A couple of weeks ago I tried one and it was MUCH better. After 9 months of sitting, a lot of the harshness had smoothed out, but still lots of full bodied flavor.

[polarbear]

Do they benefit ? It depends on if you like the punch in the mouth power of the fresh ones or the mature and smooth flavor of the the aged Cazzy. Here is a well aged one. AEP ABR 07 that I just smoked on a most flawless Chicago evening. 72 degrees and a perfect breeze. My best bud dropped by and he enjoyed a DIp 4 from 06 right along with me. The Caz was likely the best smoke I have had so far this summer.all the familiar flavors are there without the sharp edges. Damn near perfect.image.jpgimage.jpg

Nice Ride

[dowjr1]

Smoked a couple from my box bought maybe a year ago and initially was not a fan. They looked amazing but moist and not really smokeable. Will have to revisit.

[dvickery]

Have been buying over the years ... Only ever smoked one box tho .

'99 ryj cazadores smoked in '12 ... Smoke quite young ... Would have sworn they were about 5 year old smokes ... Lip blistering strength and flavours not yet developed .

A question about these smokes ... When did hsa start banding them ???

Derrek

[RickHendeson]

Side question: For those who age, are you aging in foil or out?

[smokum]

Mine are in the foiled box. Only a half dozen left . Damn.

[Ginseng]

in the original packaging only.

Wilkey

[dvickery]

Side question: For those who age, are you aging in foil or out?

In foil ... Not even a peek .

Derrek

[anacostiakat]

I too rest mine intact. I like to put some time on them just to round out the edges.

[mi000ke]

I have a box of MOE APR 2014 and they are still smoking rough. I smoked one ROTT, one in april 2015 and one last week. I figure nothing to lose by letting them marinate longer and try one every 6 months going foward.

[heyferg]

Side question: For those who age, are you aging in foil or out?

In the foil, in the box. Just like they came.

[airtrade]

Is the foil sealed from the factory?

If so I'm guessing they are all bought blind.

[mk05]

Last real one I had was PEL01, thought I was going to melt.

I tried one from 2012, tasted like cardboard.

[Smallclub]

Is the foil sealed from the factory?

If so I'm guessing they are all bought blind.

Exactly. Very few (if any) online vendor would break the foil, nor can you do it in most cigar shops.

[treberty]

Back in the early 2000s I went to Andorra often - there's a fantastic shop there with a great selection of Cubans. I was offered a cigar by the manager - ANY cigar. So when I said I'd take his recommendation he gave me an aged Caza from 1991 I believe. So roughly 10 yo.

It was simply an outstanding cigar. Mellow, but still enough kick, rich and complex, whereas the young Cazadores I was used to smoke were more "rough" (too much kick), less complex, although still good.

That cigar in Andorra convinced me that Cazadores benefited from ageing. But I do get Rob's point. And maybe the aged Caza that I smoked was coming from the best box ever produced, who knows.

One thing I know though is that to me the Cazadores is a "rustic" cigar when it's young and smoked straight from the box. I'll have to dry box them and try Rob's trick if he ever puts some up on the 24:24 ;-)

It has become harder to find this cigar in Cuba over the last decade BUT I stumbled on 3 boxes in Varadero last October (have never seen any in Havana) and didn't buy any because I was already busting my quota big time...

[JamesNYC]

First time poster. Hello everyone and I'm glad to join your club and hopefully make a useful contribution or 2.

I just got 2 boxes of these wonderful cigars, both 2014, one February and one April.

I intend to age 1 box for 8-10 years, and slowly smoke the other box.

I did a little research on this site, and see references to glass or other jars for storing/aging cigars, and note that they have cedar inserts.

So I am curious what the members here think of adding some cedar to the Cazadores boxes.

Has anyone done this, or think it would be a good idea?

And on a somewhat related matter, I was advised by a manager of a LCDH that each box should be placed in a ziplock bag individually, and then opened once a month. He got this from a couple of high end cigar shops in London. For lack of any other solid information, I've now started doing this.