Aging Time for Bigger Cigars

[mr.harten]

I just had a quick question for some of the veterans out there.

I have noticed that larger cigars tend (not always) to be more approachable with less age on them. This seems to match information or comments I have read from others. Min Ron Nee sets the minimum age for a number of DCs or Churchills at 2-3 years when shorter and thinner cigars from the same marque he says should age for at least 4-5 years. It may just be coincidence but I was curious if others thought there was a connection and if so what is the source? Differing balances of Ligero, Seco and Volado? Thoughts?

[Mark Twain]

» I just had a quick question for some of the veterans out there.

»

» I have noticed that larger cigars tend (not always) to be more

» approachable with less age on them. This seems to match information or

» comments I have read from others. Min Ron Nee sets the minimum age for a

» number of DCs or Churchills at 2-3 years when shorter and thinner cigars

» from the same marque he says should age for at least 4-5 years. It may

» just be coincidence but I was curious if others thought there was a

» connection and if so what is the source? Differing balances of Ligero,

» Seco and Volado? Thoughts?

It’s an interesting question to ask, but I believe that if you ask this question to ten different people of various smoking experience you will get ten different answers. What complicates your question even more is the fact that all the 2006 cigars were made with aged filler.

I believe that you should buy a box of cigars and experiment with ageing them. Smoke one every couple of months and note how the cigar changes over time. This way you know what age you prefer to smoke them at.

There are many boxes of early 2006 cigars out on the market that you can test on.

[Colt45]

I've never really given it much thought, but if by more approachable you mean

blander, I might agree. I'm also curious about the balance of primings from size to

size - does the ratio remain the same (if going for the same style of blend), or does

a larger format, in general, necessitate the use of more low priming filler?

[n2advnture]

This has been my experience as well except I'd say 3-5 on the larger ring gauges and 4-7 on the smaller ring gauges but that's my preference.

One thing that is distinctly different between the two ring gauges and how they age is that I find the thinner ring gauges tend to be more more complex with more subtle flavors when aged. (In my experience)

Hope this helps

~Mark

[El Presidente]

» I just had a quick question for some of the veterans out there.

»

» I have noticed that larger cigars tend (not always) to be more

» approachable with less age on them. This seems to match information or

» comments I have read from others. Min Ron Nee sets the minimum age for a

» number of DCs or Churchills at 2-3 years when shorter and thinner cigars

» from the same marque he says should age for at least 4-5 years. It may

» just be coincidence but I was curious if others thought there was a

» connection and if so what is the source? Differing balances of Ligero,

» Seco and Volado? Thoughts?

This is only a theory and a personal one (insert worthless)

Make a small hole in a loosely clasped fist. Suck through it. Good draw. Open the whole up...suck through it again ....notice the difference. Airflow.

I believe (not as strongly as I believe in UFO's but close) that far more air flows or accesses through larger gauge cigars than does through thinner gauge cigars. I think that this access to air accelerates ageing.

A cab of SLRDC breathes easier than a cab of Connie No 3

As for different proportions of filler leaf etc I think that this needs to be assessed a little more scientifically. I will try and do a photo shoot Friday where we break up a Partagas Lusitania and a Connoisseur No 3. Lets photograph the process and then breakup by weight the different elements as a proportion to the original weight of the cigar.

[Miami101]

Hi Prez

Where you able to take photos? I have a hard time keeping cigars fresh.

[Colt45]

» I believe (not as strongly as I believe in UFO's but close) that far more

» air flows or accesses through larger gauge cigars than does through

» thinner gauge cigars. I think that this access to air accelerates ageing.

»

Simply for the sake of discussion - if the cigars are properly filled for their given size,

would / would not the relative density be the same? Might it be the volume of air in

the larger size?

Keeping in mind Rob's airflow theory, and using the Lusitania and SdC 3 as examples,

if each were rolled perfectly, and the same size punch used on the cap, would we

expect them to draw the same - or not?

[Freefallguy]

» Make a small hole in a loosely clasped fist. Suck through it. Good draw.

» Open the whole up...suck through it again ....notice the difference.

» Airflow.

El P, sir... in this example, you don't allow for the cap. To follow your illustration, you'd would have to put your thumb over the hole in your fist. It would seem to me (inset worthless opinion here as well;-) ) that sticks don’t breathe as we do, in as much as they have only orifice.

As to why the sticks age differently, I have no idea.

[jgros001]

Interesting discussion....I do not think you can just boil it down to large v small gauge cigars. I like to think a lot of this has to do with the blend.

Ex. Trini Reyes most will say good off the bat with little aging required....Hoyo Epi 1 I think the same way. Then you have some bigger cigars like the ERDM Taino, Punch DC and Sir Winston that many will say need long term aging to show their true colors.

[bassman]

Depends on the blend of the cigar. I have 06 Bolivar Coronas Gigantes that are delicious now, yet my ENE 05 Punch DCs are still far too tannic to enjoy.

[Taino]

This has to do more with quality of tobacco than with the size of the cigar.

Specially a few years ago, better tobacco was used to make bigger (more expensive) cigars.

When I say better I only mean with more age on it. All premium cuban cigars use the same quality of tobacco, the difference is mainly given by the region it's planted and age.

That's why MRN makes that statement.

From... I would say around 2005, and after a few experiments/reserach they started adding more "better" tobacco to smaller vitolas. So MRN statement could be getting weaker year after year:-P