Ideal Age for a Cigar?

[Mel]

I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and ready and way to young.

So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

[anacostiakat]

» I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and

» all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and

» ready and way to young.

»

» So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

First I think it depends on your palate. I know people who prefer fresh and those who prefer nothing less than five years or older.

It also depends on the brand. Some require more ageing than others.

Normally I prefer at least three years and five or more is best. I do "try" fresh stuff upon arrival and at intervals.

[Colt45]

Well Mel, I'll take a stab at it......

In my opinion, it will vary from cigar to cigar, vintage to vintage. But in general, I feel

that however long it takes for a cigar to become fully integrated and reach it's peak of

full flavored goodness, is the right amount of time - be it six months or six years - no

more, no less.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop.......

[tigger]

» I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and

» all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and

» ready and way to young.

»

» So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

Really depends on the cigar.

Milder blends, in my experience, tend to need less time than stronger ones, and tend to lose their character more quickly if they're aged too long. But those are only tendencies.

From a pure flavor standpoint, the finest cigar I've ever smoked was about 20 years old. The second finest was less than a year, and a Cameroon-wrapped Dominican to boot.

Hope that muddled things further for you. :-D

[Havanaaddict]

» I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and

» all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and

» ready and way to young.

»

» So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

I would have to say early to mid 90s before they changed the blends!!!

[Mel]

» Well Mel, I'll take a stab at it......

» In my opinion, it will vary from cigar to cigar, vintage to vintage. But

» in general, I feel

» that however long it takes for a cigar to become fully integrated and

» reach it's peak of

» full flavored goodness, is the right amount of time - be it six months or

» six years - no

» more, no less.

»

» How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop.....

True to my form Colt I never found out I always chewed the SOBs. I knew I'd get this wishy-washy response from you mate. Be a man and pick a time and stand for your opinion.;-)

LOL love ya.

Let me tell ya'll the reason I opened such a can of worms that defies a hard number answer. I smoked a 93 Boli CG last night and followed it with a six month old SCdlH Principe and I enjoyed the newer cigar better. It just had so much life and flavor to it compared to the mild and boring "vintage "cigar.

I have bought quite a few aged cigars (12+boxes)now that range from the late 70's on up to the 06 stuff and I always hope for so much out of the old stuff but get let down. I find that on AVERAGE I like the 1-3 year old cigars the most. After six plus years the cigars lose something that I like and the "smoothness" that they gain can not make up for the loss.

So there final word, 2y/o. Still fresh and alive but not sick.

[Colt45]

» Let me tell ya'll the reason I opened such a can of worms that defies a

» hard number answer. I smoked a 93 Boli CG last night and followed it with

» a six month old SCdlH Principe and I enjoyed the newer cigar better. It

» just had so much life and flavor to it compared to the mild and boring

» "vintage "cigar.

»

» I have bought quite a few aged cigars (12+boxes)now that range from the

» late 70's on up to the 06 stuff and I always hope for so much out of the

» old stuff but get let down. I find that on AVERAGE I like the 1-3 year old

» cigars the most. After six plus years the cigars lose something that I like

» and the "smoothness" that they gain can not make up for the loss.

»

» So there final word, 2y/o. Still fresh and alive but not sick.

Now we may be talking palate / personal preference, as stated by the Kat above, or

perhaps these aged cigars have indeed passed the peak of full flavored goodness.

The world may never know........

P.S. You're not getting my bud light.

[wp2]

5 + years.

[tigger]

» 55. seem like since i've gotten older i enjoy every single cigar i smoke.

» best regards.

LOL! Well put. :-)

[Claudius]

» I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and

» all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and

» ready and way to young.

»

» So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

Let me put it this way: in the first year, most often the first 2 years after the cigars were packaged, they are still very young and often full of ammonia (the degree of ammonia depending on the fermentation, type and age of the tobacco and the blend). Cigars in this stage are not that pleasant to smoke, I find. Usually, after 3 years of box age, the cigars are approachable and can be smoked for several years. Sometimes, they get much much better after 5 or 6 years, sometimes they dont.

I have smoked "old" cigars (from the late eighties) that were fantastic (like that 1988 PSdC No. 3) and also have smoked 2001 stuff that was just plain weak and basically gone. But these 2001s were cigars I just bought, so storage conditions may well have played a role here (European stores tend to store cigars both too humid and too warm). I now tend to age my own and smoke between 5 and 20 years of box age.

[Mel]

Colt just keep your damn beer you selfish bastard.

LOL Jdouglas but I was refering to the age of the tobacco.

Claudias, well maybe I just like amonia.

I also like an arguement over these here cigars, cheers to ya all.

[Colt45]

» I also like an arguement over these here cigars, cheers to ya all.

Mel, In giving this a little more thought, maybe it is time to blow the lid off this aged

cigar thing. Maybe we should start calling cigars that are past their peak of flavor

what they really are - old cigars.

Of course, we'll have to come up with some definitions - fresh, young, on the upswing,

peak, going downhill, old, etc......

[Claudius]

» Claudias, well maybe I just like amonia.

I doubt that, but I know that a lot of people like young cigars. They're fresh and have a certain, not sure how to say, a tonicity, a kick to them. Just like younger wines with a nice punch due to tannins which are not ripe yet. I totally understand how one can like that, but it is also a "waste" in a certain sense as there is more to be had in the future. But then again, sometimes you just need something stronger or harder (eg Mojito, young RASS), and sometimes something nice and mellow like an old rum or a ERDM Tainos.

Just read your reply where you said you recently acquired vintage cigars and found them dull. IMHO, you should not equate these with cigars you age yourself, as vintage cigars often come from auctions or questionable dealers and storage conditions cannot be guaranteed. The (unfortunately very few) vintage cigars I have had from ideal storage environments have been outstanding.

[Mel]

» » Claudias, well maybe I just like amonia.

»

» I doubt that, but I know that a lot of people like young cigars. They're

» fresh and have a certain, not sure how to say, a tonicity, a kick to them.

» Just like younger wines with a nice punch due to tannins which are not

» ripe yet. I totally understand how one can like that, but it is also a

» "waste" in a certain sense as there is more to be had in the future. But

» then again, sometimes you just need something stronger or harder (eg

» Mojito, young RASS), and sometimes something nice and mellow like an old

» rum or a ERDM Tainos.

»

» Just read your reply where you said you recently acquired vintage cigars

» and found them dull. IMHO, you should not equate these with cigars you

» age yourself, as vintage cigars often come from auctions or questionable

» dealers and storage conditions cannot be guaranteed. The (unfortunately

» very few) vintage cigars I have had from ideal storage environments have

» been outstanding.

I have both kinds of purchased aged cigars. Most bought from collectors that bought them original. Some are old and way past it like sex in a nursing home and others are in great shape that look and smell good but smoke like sex in a nursing home. the good years were long ago.

I do have some 96 Sig V that are very nice along with the 98 Trinidad Fundy's that I like but I am lost on the old cigar thing for the most part. The good part about that is I can smoke a lot of stuff and don't have to spend a lot of time waiting for cigars to come around for me.

Colt I will speak the heresy and say some alot of aged cigars are just plain old and past it. I do believe that personal taste has the greatest influence on what people rate as top stuff. I mean **** I saw a special erotic site on the net set up for the enjoyment of fat women. Hell I bet we all wish our wife was twenty years older and 200 pounds heavier, then she would be the perfect vintage wife.:-D :-D

[Colt45]

I am going to leave the "vintage wife" idea alone, as I do not wish to tarnish my

unblemished FOH record........

But let's get started with some basic tenets of the "Mel-ifesto":

1.Young is good - old is bad

2.Ammonia is good - barnyard is bad

3.Sex is good - nursing home sex is bad (we can keep or delete this tenet as warranted)

[Mel]

» I am going to leave the "vintage wife" idea alone, as I do not wish to

» tarnish my

» unblemished FOH record........

»

» But let's get started with some basic tenets of the "Mel-ifesto":

»

» 1.Young is good - old is bad

» 2.Ammonia is good - barnyard is bad

» 3.Sex is good - nursing home sex is bad (we can keep or delete this tenet

» as warranted)

Unblemished record????? Your afraid the wife will read your stuff and throttle you.

All the above pretty close and my cut off is 70 years old.

In the nut shell I have heard so much of aged cigars and guys salivating over them like the holy grail and I just have been unimpressed. I do be lieve it is a matter of the palate and mine is that of a toad.:-D

I better hush now because my already tarnished record is getting pretty damn dirty. Apologies to all the ones who think I'm full of it. OH I am.:-P

[Colt45]

» All the above pretty close and my cut off is 70 years old.

»

70 is the new 50.

[El Presidente]

Nursing home sex?

70 is the new 50?

Mel searching for Mature Plumper Porn?

This thread has me written all over it

A cigar is ready when it is integrated and delivers flavour complexity with an absence of amonia or excess tannins.

I have seen cigars "ready" from a sub six months of age box and yet others not ready in a 7 year old box.

I have "lost" cigars which were ready at three years (great flavour, complexity and intensity) but due to a willingness (perhaps greed) to age them they were a shadow of themselves at 8 years. Conversely I have wasted a half box of 2 year olds which were good only to see the remaining half box become stellar at 5 years of age and kicked myself for not holding more.

I have had pre embargo Davidofs and Dunhills which left me shattered by their flavourless nature and have had others which have rocked my world. Yet few compared to a 2001 SLRDC which is still a benchmark.

The iny constant in my experience is that cigars will continually evolve for better or worse. I am a little like Mel that I have no tolerance for aged cigars which are "balanced and smooth" but lack any real flavour definition or complexity. A great cigar to me must make a statement which relects its Marque and do so in a manner which entertains to the point where it captivates. This can be a fresh box or an aged box and why it is imprtant to sample your cigar collection at least every 2 years.

[Mel]

» Nursing home sex?

»

» 70 is the new 50?

»

» Mel searching for Mature Plumper Porn?

»

» This thread has me written all over it

»

»

» A cigar is ready when it is integrated and delivers flavour complexity

» with an absence of amonia or excess tannins.

»

» I have seen cigars "ready" from a sub six months of age box and yet others

» not ready in a 7 year old box.

»

» I have "lost" cigars which were ready at three years (great flavour,

» complexity and intensity) but due to a willingness (perhaps greed) to age

» them they were a shadow of themselves at 8 years. Conversely I have wasted

» a half box of 2 year olds which were good only to see the remaining half

» box become stellar at 5 years of age and kicked myself for not holding

» more.

»

» I have had pre embargo Davidofs and Dunhills which left me shattered by

» their flavourless nature and have had others which have rocked my world.

» Yet few compared to a 2001 SLRDC which is still a benchmark.

»

» The iny constant in my experience is that cigars will continually evolve

» for better or worse. I am a little like Mel that I have no tolerance for

» aged cigars which are "balanced and smooth" but lack any real flavour

» definition or complexity. A great cigar to me must make a statement which

» relects its Marque and do so in a manner which entertains to the point

» where it captivates. This can be a fresh box or an aged box and why it is

» imprtant to sample your cigar collection at least every 2 years.

Ok I accept all the arguements given, EXCEPT the 70 is the new 50???? Wait a minute does that mean 15 is the new 21? :-(

I'm thinking of rolling some of my "old" cigars in horse **** to refresh that lovely barnyard aroma, wish me luck.

[Van55]

» I have heard alot about well aged cigars, cigars that are on, mature and

» all that. On the other side of the coin are the fresh and brite, rough and

» ready and way to young.

»

» So what do ya'll think is the perfect age?

I think MRN answers this question perfectly: "There is no such thing."