Sick periods?

[FatPete]

Hi

hope everyone had a good weekend. 

I'd like FOHs opinions on something I've just read about-cigars and sick periods where cigars after certain number of years  go through a bland phase, if I understand correctly.

 Does this really occur and when, or nowadays is it a bit like plume íe seldom seen ?

Thanks FatPete

 

[Philc2001]

Years ago what we used to call the sick period was usually in the first few months or first year after rolling, and you could usually tell especially with distinctly flavorful vitolas because they would be bland and somewhat tasteless and in some cases you could smell a notable aroma to ammonia. I haven't experienced this in the last few years, Cuba seems to be managing their tobacco curing processes and producing more consistent product these days, albeit some would argue they are less flavorful than years past. What I've noticed in recent years is there may be a short period of muted flavors with young cigars, but more often than not it seems some cigar varieties these days are just getting lighter and less flavorful in general - most notably in the Bolivar line, which in years past I associated with bold and distinctly rich and stronger vitolas from Cuba. 

The sick period is often attributed to the process when a variety of tobacco leaves are married together into a cigar, before they have had enough time to meld and come together to form the flavor profile. That is why it is generally assumed to be associated with youthful cigars. There are some reports of sick periods occurring in later stages of aging too, though less common. There doesn't seem to be much conclusive evidence to support either claim besides general conversation and anecdotal observations by cigar enthusiasts. 

[FatPete]

49 minutes ago, Philc2001 said:

Years ago what we used to call the sick period was usually in the first few months or first year after rolling, and you could usually tell especially with distinctly flavorful vitolas because they would be bland and somewhat tasteless and in some cases you could smell a notable aroma to ammonia. I haven't experienced this in the last few years, Cuba seems to be managing their tobacco curing processes and producing more consistent product these days, albeit some would argue they are less flavorful than years past. What I've noticed in recent years is there may be a short period of muted flavors with young cigars, but more often than not it seems some cigar varieties these days are just getting lighter and less flavorful in general - most notably in the Bolivar line, which in years past I associated with bold and distinctly rich and stronger vitolas from Cuba. 

The sick period is often attributed to the process when a variety of tobacco leaves are married together into a cigar, before they have had enough time to meld and come together to form the flavor profile. That is why it is generally assumed to be associated with youthful cigars. There are some reports of sick periods occurring in later stages of aging too, though less common. There doesn't seem to be much conclusive evidence to support either claim besides general conversation and anecdotal observations by cigar enthusiasts. 

Thanks for that informative answer -good to know there is less sickness about now.

[NSXCIGAR]

^^ Yep. The classic "sick" period generally referred to a point from about a few months to a few years after rolling. The statement on boxes of Rafael Gonzalez that the cigars should either be smoked within a month of production or after a year seems to be acknowledging that.

There's also the theory of sick periods that occur between "vacuum periods" when cigars are aged long-term. The first vacuum period is said to occur between years 10-20 and the second vacuum period can occur between years 20-40. MRN mentions many Montecristos seem to peak around 8-12 years old and then turn "sick" until about 20-25 years old. I suppose they'd have another good run from 25-40 years old and then become "sick" again until about 50 or 60 years old. That's the theory anyway. He does mention that some cigars seem not to fall victim to this phenomenon like Punch and Upmann that seem to improve linearly over time with no retrenchment. 

[luvdunhill]

Aren't "sick periods" when a cigar isn't "just" a cigar?