HUMI LOVE

[ReelMan]

I have had a well-sealed humidor for about 4 years now, and have used Boveda packs for 65%Rh and 65 degrees temp.  My cigars don't seem to give me the flavors that I feel I should expect.  They all taste pretty much the same, actually: mostly tobacco, no nuances.  Most of these sticks have 4 years on them.

I use spills or long matches, and don't touch the 'bacca until I finally light the finish.

What does the collective feel that I need to look at?  I notice that Prez keeps his walk-in at 68Rh and 60 temp.

Any suggestions and comments gratefully appreciated.  

[DBNInc]

There was another topic recently about best RH for smoking, and it seems to me that the RH of the location where you smoke might matter as much as the RH of the cigar itself.  Do you live in a dry or humid climate?  Do you dry box at all before smoking?

[Meklown]

May be something wrong with the cigars, or it may be due to yourself. Were / are you .. sick recently? smoking more nowadays? heavy food before the cigar? too strong drink pairing? or maybe .. badly ventilated smoking area? 

[ReelMan]

Thanks, guys.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and we have had an excellent summer.  Mostly 75 degrees with 70% humidity.  I normally pick out a stick in the morning and dry box till about 2 in the afternoon.  I smoke only outdoors, mid afternoon, don't drink and have not been sick in over 20 years.  The cigars have been exclusively purchased from our host, so no issue there.

[FNXProject]

It's hard to say with aging in my experience, I had tried an Epicure Especial from a 2014 box recently and it was really disappointing, all I got was strength from tobacco and thats it, not much flavor at all. Sometimes you get a nice box and it will smoke great without any age, but you never know if that box will age gracefully or become a dud over time. I think you should just take one out every few month and see how it progresses, if it starts to become something you don't like then you know it's reached it's aging potential. Or if you have more patience, let it sit for few more years and see if it goes through another phase of flavor changes.