Buying older Cigars

[mikinva]

I am new to cigars, I smoked seven in 2019, and tried another 6 or 7. I bought five boxes of Cubans in the last 5 months. Montecristo 4, Vegueros Mananitas, Super Partagas and two boxes of JLP Brevas.

All of them were older, either 2017 or 2018. Is this good or bad? People post about Cuban cigars needing rest. Can you assume they were stored in proper humidity, if they are from a reputable seller?

Does it mean, they were on sale because they were from a poor batch? They all look good. The JLPs are a little rustic. With the age, does it mean, they are ready to smoke, once they acclimate?

[99call]

Basically you bought non hyper desirable cigars, this means you are very liable to receive slightly aged stock.   

you will find many smokers will go one of two ways:

1, to look for expensive premo LE RE stock that over performs and has secondary market value. i.e Orgulloso, Punch 898, Sancho Panza GQ, etc etc

2, to look for streams of high quality within the standard catalogue i.e R&J Royales, RG perla+PC Monty 4, Sancho Panza PC, simply to smoke and enjoy......not to sell

there is nothing wrong with your cigars, they are simply humble 'everyman cigars' that merchants have lots of, and that naturally sit on the shelves for a bit longer

[joey rockets]

When it comes to Cubans, 2017 and 2018 are considered to be new or newer cigars.

[Frozenbarb]

Older cigars are even more sought after as long as they are stored properly. Older cigers are considered aged and will usually turn into a better cigar. 2017+ is considered a newer cigar. I have sone 2013s and 2015s in my humidor. Those being my oldest!

[stogieluver]

We all remember our first steps on this journey. There is so much you need to learn, and you’ve come to the right place. Lots of helpful people here who love to educate newbies. 

My advice: relax, enjoy the journey, don’t over think things, only buy from reputable dealers (this is the best one), buy a larger quality humidor than you think you’ll ever need, let your Cuban cigar shipments rest for at least 60 days at low 60’s rH at around 70 dF (same for long term storage), buy a Perfecdraw tool, don’t smoke cigars too fast, study the Waterhole and Newbie Q&A forums here, use the search feature (because all your questions will have been asked multiple times in those forums), and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t find your answer. 
 

Oh, most importantly, get a second job or expand your credit lines.  ?

[Meklown]

11 hours ago, mikinva said:

Can you assume they were stored in proper humidity, if they are from a reputable seller?

Does it mean, they were on sale because they were from a poor batch? They all look good. The JLPs are a little rustic. With the age, does it mean, they are ready to smoke, once they acclimate?

Expanding on these questions to the more knowledgeable members -

Is it a plausible assumption that cigars were stored correctly if they still look/feel fine after several years?

To me knowledge; too wet = mould, too dry = cracks. If neither of these symptoms appear in the cigars, could it be assumed that it was stored in acceptable conditions?

If not, what other "bad storage conditions" may spoil the cigars (taste-wise) without the cigars showing either of these 2 symptoms (mould/cracks)?