For the recently initiated...let them rest.

[Jimmy_jack]

Just a quick word. My dive into the CC world is only a few months young. I have heard it said and seen it written "Let them acclimate to your humidor" "some time down will help" and so on. This is so true. It is hard not to try a smoke ROTT, and I suggest that you do so you can see where it goes at it ages. I am starting to see now just how much a little time (3-4 months) can make a big difference. I'm not talking about aging...that's different.

So...in conclusion. For those that that like me, are new to this, let them rest and you'll be rewarded. 

 

[Mattb82]

So true 

[SaintMickey®]

Without question. Although I always smoke one initially and make some mental notes on what I thought. I have to have something to "compare" it to a year later or longer of course.


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[Texwrangler]

Totally agree with everyone's comments.  I really saw evidence of this 'rest' time on Monti Petite Edmundo's and Robaina Unicos....such a big difference even after just 30 days resting.   

[strikethebox7]

So true, and its a great concept for the wives to understand when she see's the mailman has delivered yet another box, and then you get the look, "but honey , the others need to rest first"


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[BellevilleMXZ]

You guys are killin me.....I have no willpower......lol

[ShortFatHokie]

Can't help it but I always smoke one within the first week, then put them all down for a while.  It is an eye-opener to see how much they change in just a short time.

[IronW]

1 hour ago, strikethebox7 said:

So true, and its a great concept for the wives to understand when she see's the mailman has delivered yet another box, and then you get the look, "but honey , the others need to rest first"


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This is sometimes hard to accomplish, eventually they'll accept it ... hopefully

[MahDooRow]

1 hour ago, BellevilleMXZ said:

You guys are killin me.....I have no willpower......lol

IMO if you're going to smoke a stick from a newly-acquired box just take one ROTT.  For some reason CCs seem to smoke better before you put them into the humidor rather than smoking one after they've been in for about a week.  My hypothesis is that the travel time from vendor to buyer acts in a similar way to dry boxing.  Once you put the new sticks into the humidor it destabilizes them initially, which is why they taste bad and smoke poorly.  In general, I find it takes about 4 months in the humidor for the moisture content of new sticks to stabilize at the desired level. 

[MaxG]

9 minutes ago, MahDooRow said:

IMO if you're going to smoke a stick from a newly-acquired box just take one ROTT.  For some reason CCs seem to smoke better before you put them into the humidor rather than smoking one after they've been in for about a week.  My hypothesis is that the travel time from vendor to buyer acts in a similar way to dry boxing.  Once you put the new sticks into the humidor it destabilizes them initially, which is why they taste bad and smoke poorly.  In general, I find it takes about 4 months in the humidor for the moisture content of new sticks to stabilize at the desired level. 

 

Not sure about the 4 months part, but I've seen time after time when a stick ROTT tastes way better than the one beside it in the box tastes 2, 4, 6 weeks later.  I've never really dry boxed, since I figured storing at proper conditions precludes the need for that, but this makes me wonder.

 

- MG

 

[canadianbeaver]

Sounds true but watch comments. Some are great right away. We smoked boxes of new Monte Media out of the post office and loved them.

 

[mwaller]

Another bit of advice is to keep the humidity down for CC's.  60-62% seems to work well for me.  NC's seem to do fine at 65 or even 70.  But CC's taste awful at this humidity.

[Habana Mike]

Almost always I'll smoke one upon arrival to see how they're doing, where they're at. Sometime they can be amazing upon arrival.

Generally put them away after for a few weeks before trying the next though sometimes will dip in again sooner if they rocked initially.

 

[Bohn007]

17 hours ago, SaintMickey® said:

Without question. Although I always smoke one initially and make some mental notes on what I thought. I have to have something to "compare" it to a year later or longer of course.


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I never smoke anything until it's sat for 30-60 days. Just too many variables in transit. 

[stogieluver]

7 hours ago, Bohn007 said:

I never smoke anything until it's sat for 30-60 days. Just too many variables in transit. 

I agree.  I believe Rob has a suggested formula of "x" number of weeks in your humi for every day in transit.  I can't remember his number, though, but I've seen him post that they should rest for at least 30 days, and 60 would be better.

[TheMonk]

7 hours ago, Bohn007 said:

I never smoke anything until it's sat for 30-60 days. Just too many variables in transit. 

I try to do the same, although sometimes I can't avoid it... but have also regretted it.

[PigFish]

Most vendors store with humidity above that of my liking. The percent moisture content can very well be a plan, as dry cigars that are poorly handled can suffer fines. A wet cigar is one thing, a broken cigar is another.

I never smoke fresh cigars. It is not the term fresh that bothers me, it is the moisture content. Smoking dryer cigars is a preference, and just about any part of the cigar that is saturated beyond my taste will ruin the cigar for me. I just don't like the taste of 'damp' tobacco! With that in mind then, I don't rest cigars as much as simply dry them to the climate that I prefer. I have noting agains the term 'rest' but resting means little, and drying means specifically what I am talking about.

I typically won't smoke a cigar within a year of buying it. Cigars bought today are not for consumption today. With the quality of the cigars varying from cigar to cigar, box to box, I don't believe in the 'same box code' same results theory that many of you believe in. I have bought cigars back to back, or even at the same time, finding that even if the box codes are the same, the cigars are still different.

Rest or dehydrate, I trust my settings and the conditions shipped with others' cigars. The advice is good! -Piggy

[PapaDisco]

On 1/15/2017 at 9:06 AM, MahDooRow said:

IMO if you're going to smoke a stick from a newly-acquired box just take one ROTT.  For some reason CCs seem to smoke better before you put them into the humidor rather than smoking one after they've been in for about a week.  My hypothesis is that the travel time from vendor to buyer acts in a similar way to dry boxing.  Once you put the new sticks into the humidor it destabilizes them initially, which is why they taste bad and smoke poorly.  In general, I find it takes about 4 months in the humidor for the moisture content of new sticks to stabilize at the desired level. 

Out of curiosity, I used to take a newly arrived box from FOH, remove a couple of sticks and insert a digital hygrometer and then close up the box and ziplock it for a bit.  The hygrometer always settled at 65%rH +/- 1.  Ambient in the room at the time was sometimes 50, sometimes 70, so I was getting a reading of what was in the box, not the surrounding environment.  I had assumed that things would dry out a bit in shipment, but the cigars carry enough of their own water that, with the fine wrapping Greg, et. al. do the rH is maintained, varying only with temperature along the way.

[MahDooRow]

3 minutes ago, PapaDisco said:

Out of curiosity, I used to take a newly arrived box from FOH, remove a couple of sticks and insert a digital hygrometer and then close up the box and ziplock it for a bit.  The hygrometer always settled at 65%rH +/- 1.  Ambient in the room at the time was sometimes 50, sometimes 70, so I was getting a reading of what was in the box, not the surrounding environment.  I had assumed that things would dry out a bit in shipment, but the cigars carry enough of their own water that, with the fine wrapping Greg, et. al. do the rH is maintained, varying only with temperature along the way.

Shipments from FOH always arrive in a timely manner and packaging is excellent.  It should come as no surprise that rH remains pretty steady, but very cool that you've confirmed this with hard data.  I sometimes order from other vendors in which shipping typically takes longer.  The cigars are always very good quality, but the extended shipping times sometimes translate into a drier product upon arrival.  

 

[Dave001]

is waiting 10 years long enough?  but of course I just have so much patience (only for some things) but in reality some cigars even after just a few months are fine but even I have some  boxes  that I only wait for around 3-5 years

[Mycroft]

16 hours ago, PapaDisco said:

Out of curiosity, I used to take a newly arrived box from FOH, remove a couple of sticks and insert a digital hygrometer and then close up the box and ziplock it for a bit.  The hygrometer always settled at 65%rH +/- 1.  Ambient in the room at the time was sometimes 50, sometimes 70, so I was getting a reading of what was in the box, not the surrounding environment.  I had assumed that things would dry out a bit in shipment, but the cigars carry enough of their own water that, with the fine wrapping Greg, et. al. do the rH is maintained, varying only with temperature along the way.

This morning at 8am I received a box of HDM du Prince from a recent 24:24 hand picked clearance. At 10am I took one out to smoke and put the others in a zip lock with a calibrated hygrometer. Ambient temperature 21C. Then I smoked the cigar. 

Appearance was dark mottled wrapper, dry looking without oily sheen. Cigar felt firm but pliant, no hard areas, and the foot did not look tight. It did not feel over hydrated. I would have guessed low to mid 60s.

The cigar smoked very well. The Draw was perfect. Burn was perfect. Part way through I left it for 5 minutes to make coffee and it did not go out. 

Taste started low-medium and steadily progessed to medium-full. Predominantly coffee (paired well with the black coffee I was drinking) with some interesting gingery/spice notes at various points. No harshness. Plenty of smoke. A very good cigar. Made my day. 

I checked the ziplock after a few hours. Humidity was 68.

I divided the cigars into a dry box at 62% humidity, a wet box at 72%, both with bovedas, and the sealed ziplock with no humidity regulation. I assume the ziplock will maintain the original humidity. 

I will re-test in 30 days. Hard to imagine that they will get much better though. 

[Mycroft]

Box code for the du Prince is TOR Jun 16.  Which is the same as the ones in the Christmas Sampler from el Pres of best 2016 cigars. And the reason that I bought them. 

[Dave001]

that's the only way for you to know your own preference, doing your own testing methods, although 72% RH is really high you might like it at that high a humidity do let us know when your test is completed

[SlimOne]

I'll admit that I will usually try one before the end of the 30day rest period. If I like it it is game on if not I revisit usually at one or two month intervals until I feel they are worthy of sacrificing to the gods.

Most tend to do better with the recommended 30-60day acclimatization. If they haven't settled by then I will check in on them in six months or so.

[PapaDisco]

I used to not give much credence to the notion of 'Travel Shock.'  How is one supposed to take cigars on vacation if you have to rest them a month once you land?   And like the rest of you, I've had plenty of sticks ROTT that were just fine, but then I take a box of Sir Winstons to NYC, a mere 5 hour flight, and they don't taste like Sir Winstons anymore (the box is now resting in a pal's humidor).  Likewise I remember a box of Upmann PC's that were harsh upon landing in Saigon.  Letting them rest brought them back to their glorious selves.

Wish there was a better explanation for Travel Shock than the guesswork we have now.  Why are some cigars affected and others not?  it's a mystery!