Cigars are tougher than most of us think

[Uwiik]

I was paranoid for a while about some older cigar, especially some that has been aging for almost 10 years inside a cardboard box. I have 2020 Escogidos and 2015 Connie No.1s and both came inside Singapore mandated cardboard boxes, tasted a stick of the 2015 Connie several months ago (after more than 3 months rest) and it was definitely terrible...full of cardboard and glue taste. I couldn't even finish the stick, I thought I lost them all. I then moved the entire sticks into my Elie Bleu humidor and rested these inside it for a while, a couple of months is my guesstimate. Today I inspected everything and I can smell the nice aged tobacco again, lighted one of the 2015 Connie No.1 and it was one of the best smokes ever, full of smooth aroma and extremely pleasant on my palate. I nubbed it until only a few millimeters left. Heavenly...

[JoeyBones777]

Nice! Glad to hear they came back for ya!

[Uwiik]

Thanks! I was sweating the size of corn when I first lit it (hyperbole). 😝

[PigFish]

I think some folks taste what they think they should taste.

 I have some cardboard tubed Cohiba that simply taste Cohiba… 

[Jimmy2]

2 hours ago, PigFish said:

I think some folks taste what they think they should taste.

 I have some cardboard tubed Cohiba that simply taste Cohiba… 

I agree 

[PigFish]

7 hours ago, Jimmy2 said:

I agree 

Good to see you back my friend!

[Li Bai]

19 hours ago, PigFish said:

I think some folks taste what they think they should taste.

 I have some cardboard tubed Cohiba that simply taste Cohiba… 

That's undeniable but cardboard does leave a taste when cigars don't come in tubos, don't you think ?

[Uwiik]

All I know is I could taste the cardboard when I smoke it without prejudice. As a newbie I didn't know that cardboard would affect the taste when I smoked it that one time, the experience is what actually set my mind. Maybe my tongue was lying to me because I knew it came from a cardboard box...possible, but I doubt it. 

[canadianbeaver]

Glad they came back! There were these assorted 5 Robusto boxes from 2014 or around then that were so cedared out. We had three boxes that we got at a great price.

Took the cigars out and put them in a normal empty PSD4 box with humi pouches for about a year 😂 in coolidor. Just hoping it would work, if not, oh well.

Turned out fine. Enjoyed them and those stinky empty Robusto 5 boxes are still cool looking things.

CB

[Fugu]

On 6/2/2024 at 4:07 AM, PigFish said:

I have some cardboard tubed Cohiba that simply taste Cohiba… 

Yep, and my cardboard-tubed Trinis simply taste Trini. 😁

In full agreement, Ray. Still, there could be an effect of storage conditions I reckon. A cigar kept in a ‘soggy’ (exaggerates) cardboard packing might eventually become tasting like that - soggy cardboard. At least that’s my take of what could be the reason for the ever lasting cardboard storage fear, and why some folks shun cardboard like the devil shuns holy water.

(much coveted packs from 2010, long discontinued packaging - outstanding cigars!, or first release Perlas - smell of clove and vanilla, smoke nothing short of phhhantastic, would seek these out anytime over the 2012 db-version)

[PigFish]

I am with Goo @Fugu on this one. Mildew tastes bad. Mildew and mold easily form as the result of capillary water activity in paper products. This includes the paper liner in dress boxes.

Cardboard tubes are simply 80+- weight paper. As most things cigars, decide for yourself. I would simply suggest that packaging is yet another area of cigar storage rife with ignorant prejudice. MHO

[gormag38]

On 6/1/2024 at 2:07 PM, PigFish said:

I have some cardboard tubed Cohiba that simply taste Cohiba…

I too have to agree with this statement. I have some CoRo that are in cardboard and have been fantastic. I've gone through a couple five packs of Siglo III in cardboard packs that made me realize that they're some of the best cohiba there is when aged. 

I think @JohnS was working through some epi 2s in one of his smoking blogs that were in cardboard too. If I'm remembering correctly, he too had a pleasant experience. 

[JohnS]

8 hours ago, gormag38 said:

I too have to agree with this statement. I have some CoRo that are in cardboard and have been fantastic. I've gone through a couple five packs of Siglo III in cardboard packs that made me realize that they're some of the best cohiba there is when aged. 

I think @JohnS was working through some epi 2s in one of his smoking blogs that were in cardboard too. If I'm remembering correctly, he too had a pleasant experience. 

That's 100% right!

[cnov]

On 6/2/2024 at 2:27 PM, canadianbeaver said:

Glad they came back! There were these assorted 5 Robusto boxes from 2014 or around then that were so cedared out. We had three boxes that we got at a great price.

Took the cigars out and put them in a normal empty PSD4 box with humi pouches for about a year 😂 in coolidor. Just hoping it would work, if not, oh well.

Turned out fine. Enjoyed them and those stinky empty Robusto 5 boxes are still cool looking things.

CB

I think these might have even been 2004, I picked up a couple of boxes a couple of years ago. I just chucked them in my singles tray and they've smoked great. I still have the Cohibas to try at some point but I'm going to wait until I smoke a newer CoRo so I have something to compare them to.

Even after nearly 20 years, the boxes were very strong smelling.

[canadianbeaver]

15 hours ago, cnov said:

I think these might have even been 2004, I picked up a couple of boxes a couple of years ago. I just chucked them in my singles tray and they've smoked great. I still have the Cohibas to try at some point but I'm going to wait until I smoke a newer CoRo so I have something to compare them to.

Even after nearly 20 years, the boxes were very strong smelling.

I am sure you are right. I originally typed 2004 but thought I must be nuts lololol

CB

[Fugu]

2 hours ago, canadianbeaver said:

I am sure you are right. I originally typed 2004 but thought I must be nuts lololol

CB

Haha, know this all too well. What? - 10 years on that box already?!! I thought I bought it just yesterday. Time flies... 😂

[Jamie117]

On 6/4/2024 at 12:06 AM, PigFish said:

I am with Goo @Fugu on this one. Mildew tastes bad. Mildew and mold easily form as the result of capillary water activity in paper products. This includes the paper liner in dress boxes.

Cardboard tubes are simply 80+- weight paper. As most things cigars, decide for yourself. I would simply suggest that packaging is yet another area of cigar storage rife with ignorant prejudice. MHO

I'm only being pedantic, but just because I'm a printer by trade; 80gsm paper is what your desktop printer uses. Cigar packaging cardboard would be more like 200gsm, maybe more. Unless you use a different weight in the States? Here it's grams per square metre (hence GSM)

[PigFish]

… 202.22 actually! -lol I stand corrected!

cheers!

[Bijan]

10 hours ago, Jamie117 said:

I'm only being pedantic, but just because I'm a printer by trade; 80gsm paper is what your desktop printer uses. Cigar packaging cardboard would be more like 200gsm, maybe more. Unless you use a different weight in the States? Here it's grams per square metre (hence GSM)

I think he meant 80 lb paper which is apparently 215gsm.

[Sandman]

My experience with cardboard is that at this point anything coming in cardboard is now put in empty boxes for aging. If I’m just going to smoke them in the next year I might leave them. I don’t think they age long term nearly as well.  The wrapper loses oils, and I feel they lose richness. I tested this with some 2016 Esplendidos. Left some in cardboard, others in a box. Boxed taste much richer, wrappers seem drier in the cardboard. The cardboard examples still taste good, just not as good. 

Also I bought many of the 05 Upmann 46 in cardboard back in the 2000’s they were tasty, but then someone gave me an 05 out of a cab and it blew the cardboard cigars away.  

Also, in the past 20 years I’ve bought enough vintage stuff in cardboard that I finally stopped and won’t even consider it anymore. Cardboard is where cigars go to die in the long term. Just my opinion based on experience. 

[Adisaputra]

When you have a good storage condition, any cigar will perform at its best. It's easy to blame packaging, when sometimes probably the main issue is only the humidor and how the condition is preserved. Or another possibility is that particular cigar is just bad, period. I have smoked many cigars from cardboard, stored for few years inside the original packaging (at that time I didn't know that it would be better to remove them to a humidor), and they tasted brilliant. 

[Li Bai]

Could it also be a matter of personal taste ? One can be particularly sensitive to some smells and I don't really see why it wouldn't apply to cigars 🤔

[BrightonCorgi]

Agree with @Sandman that cardboard is meant for near-term smoking if kept in the original packaging. I have old Fundadores that aren't as great as they should be and experienced this with Lanceros cardboard packaging.  As a general rule I keep everything as is, but would make an exception for cardboard if I didn't plan on smoking in the near term.

I do like cardboard packaging from Habanos. The colors and printing really pop. Perfectly round cigars are a big bonus!

[Jamie117]

6 hours ago, Bijan said:

I think he meant 80 lb paper which is apparently 215gsm.

Ah understood, so you do use American weights for paper. Learn something every day. What's the actual metric though? 80 pounds is a lot of weight - I'm struggling to think of what that's measuring.

[GerardMichaelTX]

I had to throw out a number of Cohiba Robustos in cardboard sleeves because they were far more prone to mold than all of the other junk I stored unprotected. To me that's the deciding factor to ditch the paper sleeves, especially when mold generally should not be happening at 65%.