Optimum best guess age for Cuban Cigars

[monkey66]

Having smoked several 10 year plus aged CC's I am beginning to wonder if this is too old for most sticks. I know there are some that just get better but in my experience not many.

My feeling is all sticks benefit from 2-5 years on them. After 5 years some benefit from a few more years and some start mellowing out to a detrimental point (ie loosing punch, body, vibrancy and complexity).

In my collection I am trying to plan that I have a running supply of 2-5 year old sticks. A few will be older or younger but the target is there. To put this in perspective if I smoke 50 sticks a year then I need a 250 count ageing humi with a rolling stock (of course there will be some issues for the first few years). This isn't intended as an exact art (this is a hobby after all) just a concept.

I am interested on what you guys think about average ageing period so check out the poll and lets see what comes out.

[Lascaux]

In my very limited experience... upmanns can easily age for 10+ years and get better and better

the best partagas ive had have been between 5-10 years. the few lusitanias I had from 97-99 were incredible.

hoyo ive had multiple bad experiences with cigars over 7-8 years, the hoyo DC and epi 1 in question... but ive only tried them aged from 2 different cabs, i had some old band hoyos that were beautiful

the few 7 years+ cohibas ive had ive definitely enjoyed more than more recent.

I havent smoked enough of anything else to give a good opinion!
For that reason I've said 5-10 years. i love the taste of an aged cigar... that incredibly light start and a really subtle evolution, i think i like some of the punch taken out of certain cigars through aging too

[bigbarneyhotdog]

They're all different, smoke 'em if you got 'em :41:

[eggopp]

I cant store them, i just couldnt resist the temptations, ive tried, i end up smoking them :smoke:

[tippexx]

I'm guessing that if there is an average then it is a variable dependent on the tobacco type and vitola.

Something which interested me earlier this year, and which I think was a Monkey66 'heads-up', was to see a retailer selling off aged cubans as SALE items. It made me think WHY?. My conclusion was that some cigars on reaching ten years or so become 'Vintage' and premium priced whilst others do not, which may have something to do with normal, general desirability although I don't think so. As in this instance, it might be best to follow what retailers do ..... or seek their advice.

[Simon-JG-hr]

I think the problem with 10yo cigars at the moment is that they come from the 1999-2001 period when cigar production was ramped up. The increase in production was over one-third (from 150 million to 200 million plus - a huge increase in cigars made). To achieve this increase there were a lot of less skilled workers involved. Therefore, cigars from those years have a bit of a reputation for being less consistently made than others (that's not to say that they are bad, per se, just that you might get five duff ones in a box rather than one...) The increased production might also explain why there are so many still around.

All of that said... a lot of people report that the ten years of ageing helps to loosen them off a bit (as many were too tight) and make them perfectly acceptable. Indeed, the only cigar I've had from 2000 was quite nice.

:849:

[rollzst]

I havent had much experience with cigars aged more than 5 years but i can certainly tell an improvement. I would say 2-5 years is a good time to age for. Improvements are very noticable and i just couldnt resist temotation if i tried to age them for any longer :smoke:

[daverave999]

The only sticks old enough to consider that I've smoked have been in the 1998-2001 period that Simon mentioned, so I don't feel this would be a true picture.

Something to consider is whether they have been stored adequately while aging. Opinions vary on the best conditions for this, but I'm starting to get the picture that lower humidity and temperature (preferably wrapped) than that for ready-for-smoking storage is preferred. I would be surprised if this is how the vendors commonly used on these forums store them, so if they happen to get old through slow stock movement rather than deliberate aging then you may find buying aged stock a pointless exercise. Buy new and age yourself if you want to guarantee it's been done properly.

Also, your tastes will likely differ from so-called experts, so who is to say how cigars taste best?

[LukeBird]

I'm too impatient....!! So smoke 'em!
I am trying to keep some of the Siglo Vs I bought last year to age though. Think I have around 15 left, so will try and keep some!

[RogMcDodge]

The oldest smokes I have are some Cosaco's from 98 - pretty much all the box so far have been plugged. That may be a one off though.

In my opinion, it takes 2 years for them to really settle down - some 07 Montes are smoking really nice now.

[Robert747]

I know that cigars sold by most merchants up to the 1980's were at least a year or so older than cigars sold today - this was a different era in cigar terms with stock being matured for far longer before being released. So ageing is quite natural really. That said a great cigar is a great cigar no matter what age.

[joeray]

One of the best smokes I've ever had was a 10 year old Hoyo (at the time I smoked it was 10 years old).

[jkim05]

I voted 10+. I prefer well aged cigars, though there are many younger cigars I gladly smoke, I would say for my tastes, nothing beats a really well aged cigar.

[monkey66]

interesting stuff, only one person thinks more that 10 years is a good think on average (of course there are always some exceptions).

so can we conclude that most 'vintage' cigars currently sold by the various vendors en-masse may not be anything more that a crap shoot?

[Jimmeh]

interesting stuff, only one person thinks more that 10 years is a good think on average (of course there are always some exceptions).

so can we conclude that most 'vintage' cigars currently sold by the various vendors en-masse may not be anything more that a crap shoot?
I think some people are taking into account that they dont want to hold on to cigars for over 10 years until they are aged?

[ACMCC]

interesting stuff, only one person thinks more that 10 years is a good think on average (of course there are always some exceptions).

so can we conclude that most 'vintage' cigars currently sold by the various vendors en-masse may not be anything more that a crap shoot?

It really depends on Brand/Vitola... you could more or less equally space all Cuban's available between 3-40ish years :biggrin1: take Boli's for instance Gold medals are far superior with upwards of 10 years (all boli's are! imo) this is a common concensus, a copy of MRN's book is a must for guidance on ageing, also the longer they are kept, or the older they are brought, the more chance there is for it to be stored in less than optimal conditions..... yes, could be a crap shoot, a little like vintage wine.

If you don't have a copy of MRN's book Monkey, It needs to go on your birthday/xmas list! :smile:

[Vision]

3-5 years is considered a good starting point.

[Lascaux]

Give me the choice of smoking any cuban cigar with 10+ years age on it or a current production and I would always go for the 10+, I just haven't had the chance to smoke a wide variety of aged smokes.

i'd make a guess that if they were more readily available, more people here would be voting for age 10+ cigars, there is something so special about a cigar with age on. id like to make it habbit to buy double of anything I want and keep the extra to stash away for a decade.

also whilst i'm not happy to buy current production cigars at UK prices, I'll happily pay for aged boxes. that's the joy of UK stores, every once in a while some great aged cigars surface, often for not much more than regular price and they're worth every penny.

[Kdot]

guess it depends on the brand. i love 5-10 yr old hoyos, cohibas, bolis and upmann over the same stick current sticks, however I prefer my partys and JLs with only a couple of years on em.

[voltion]

It all comes down to the original flavour of cigar and size format. I'd say that assuming they are stored correctly for aging, 65% humidity in a cab of 50 then you're nearly always going to benefit from 4 years of aging regardless of the cigar.

Some cigars will keep getting better after the 10 year mark even, Monte's tend to take age well, especially No2's. However cigars with quite a mellow flavour such as Trinidads can often lose their taste.

[Lascaux]

and then on top of that its whether you actually appreciate that milding/loss of taste.

ive been smoking my way through some very old trinidad fundadores and they are incredible smokes.

[68TriShield]

I'm guessing that if there is an average then it is a variable dependent on the tobacco type and vitola.

Something which interested me earlier this year, and which I think was a Monkey66 'heads-up', was to see a retailer selling off aged cubans as SALE items. It made me think WHY?.
If this was a Swiss vendor,a whole warehouse of 1999 to 2001 cigars were bought at pennies on the dollar.Between the dodgy years and sheer volume is why they were sale cigars.There were a few gems amongst them but most have been average at best.

interesting stuff, only one person thinks more that 10 years is a good think on average (of course there are always some exceptions).

so can we conclude that most 'vintage' cigars currently sold by the various vendors en-masse may not be anything more that a crap shoot?
It is a crap shoot if you aren't sure of the provenance of the cigars you are buying imo.

[tippexx]

It is a crap shoot if you aren't sure of the provenance of the cigars you are buying imo.[/QUOTE]

Yes I think that is true. Some year's crop will be better than others.
But, cigars, ie rolled-dried tobacco leaves, are if looked after correctly almost immortal.

There is a theory that the ageing process creates 'best' taste peaks .... and that these occur then disappear only to re-occur again a few years later. But I guess we need someone from H&F to explain how long this can go on for.

[El Greco]

IMHO cigars may not age for ever.

Depending on tobacco, production, vitola, fermentation, harvest and many other things, they will age+change until they will change no more. From that point on, ageing is simply maintaining them in "smokable" conditions.

I had some late 80's smokes that were as incredible as those of late 90's.

One of the things that I have noticed is that cigars to be aged, are better off with lower than usual humidity maintained. I can't really remember but I was reading somewhere that H&F reduces the humidity by 1% for every 3-5 years in aged cubans. Not sure if memory serves me well with the humidity over years ratio.

[Robert747]

There are certainly no exact rules about storing cigars for a prolonged period (one to fifty years!) - it depends on so many factors, but I completely agree that aged cigars do not require the same level of humidity as we are generally used to. Essentially enough to stop them becoming really dry but not enough to take the aroma of a musty cellar!

[seanbeer]

i like aged stuff, 10+ for me everytime if I have to choose.

[Puff Scotty]

IMHO, just to many variables to consider and of course peoples own tastes, if your into ageing make sure you have deep pockets as nothing can be relied on.
Personal case in point.
Box Trini Fundi's 2001. I put down the whole 24 & smoked my way through a sister box which were fabulous. The 2001 I put down (have now tried 4) are almost impossible to draw on as they are so solid, nothing I can do about it.
Box of Monty Platinum Havana 1999 opened last year, nothing left to write home about, can only hope more ageing will help!
The list goes on.
My recommendation is to try a stick on purchase & make up your mind then wether to age or not. There's nothing to stop you trying a stick from a laid down cab every year & when they 'hit' your taste, smoke 'em! Don't do as I did in the 2 examples & trust that 2 boxes from the same batch/ supplier/ year etc. will be the same!
Sorry rambling now!:smile: Could go on forever -so much stock- so little time.....:(

[cesara valverde]

Really depends on your tastes and the cigar involved.

But for me- Don't smoke before 2 years. Ideally between 4-10. Beyond that they kind of need to have been stored absolutely perfectly.

[monkey66]

Beyond that they kind of need to have been stored absolutely perfectly.

This is key to older sticks, not just their age but how they were stored. I am getting less and less likely to buy an old box unless I am really confident in their storage history.

Talk to me in another 20 years and I should have some really nice smokes :41:

[JimJamYaHa]

Bringing this one back to life if I may given there's been a few new additions on the market also just wondering what the recent find at sautters with the 100+ years smoke will fair looking at the pics they look yummy but just have an awful feeling they'll disintegrate once lit

[monkey66]

I think the 100 year old cigars are fairly irrelevant to this discussion and most likely unsmokeable.

Sent from tappy tap tap.