Can a CC ever be too old?

[K444HEP]

I have to agree with both your posts there BB. The wine & cigars are similar in many ways but where as a wine can be undrinkable & vintage like in old age, in my experience of smoking up to 100yo Havana's, cigars do not go 'bad' if well kept. But they certainly have their peaks & if you like them punchy & with a reasonable nicotine content, then vintage cigars probably aren't for you. But if you can appreciate more subtle flav's & a great deal of patience or deep pockets to buy cigars that others have aged, then it does open up another world to cigar smoking.
Main points to remember:
Like wines, not all cigars will improve much with age, say more than 3-5yrs.
The best cigars can & do need aging to reach their full potential, although you may still enjoy them younger.
The classic aging brands are Bolivar 5-10 fine 15-20 still going well, 20+ finally softening, but I had a cab of CX from the 70's 40yrs+ & they were still full bodied & strong in strength, Cohiba 5-10yrs, should still be good at 20yrs+ ERDM & LGC 3-5yrs but exquisite at 20yrs+, Monte's (5-10yrs, 15-20 will be too soft for many), Party's & RA 5-10, but 15-20 they are still going strong.

The last section of this post is especially useful, thanks Simon, I knew you would have experience of some nicely aged cigars! A 100 year old stick is very impressive!

[Kickback]

That's not the issue, it's having a wife who would go ballistic if she knew I smoked cigars occasionally.

Can't keep them where they'd be discovered.

Looks like you need a scuba or a few large tupadors.

www.themysterywhisky.co.uk

[7kingsguy]

That's not the issue, it's having a wife who would go ballistic if she knew I smoked cigars occasionally.

Can't keep them where they'd be discovered.

Far be it from me to tell you how to live your life but i get the odd 'why dont you quit' from the other half and my response is always the same.. go f**k yourself. Tends to work quite well. We are painfully honest with each other all the time though.

Theres always the time for compromise but theres also the time to put the foot down and say 'its my life too'. Its served me well so far.

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[Kickback]

Such a response from me would end in divorce and being unable to see my young girls.

[Simon Bolivar]

Such a response from me would end in divorce and being unable to see my young girls.

Sad statement indeed. My wife hates me smoking too, cigar smoke has given her migraines in the past but as long as I don't do it in the house she puts up with it. Difficult to see how she has never noticed, even after I have had a shower & brushed my teeth & then go to bed, my wife still claims I stink of cigars, even when I smoked at lunch. Perhaps its one of those things in a marriage which is tactically ignored as long as it's not in the open. I know some worry that smoking in sight of the children might encourage them to start later but it certainly didn't tempt my daughter to smoke.

[ha_banos]

Cigars is the least bad of common vices! Work hard, play hard, relax hard! What we don't need is stress.

Regarding aged smokes. Most of my collection is new sticks. The older sticks and boxes I might find are the exception and the curiosity. And it's a damn site cheaper to buy regular production.

I like the variety.

[akyprianou]

When cigars are ready to be smoked enjoy them, i generally find 7-10 yrs are when cigars are at there peek in flavors, don't waste a good box of smokes, with the hope that they will mature further, in my experience you will be let down. I'm not as experienced smoking vintage cigars like some of you, but out of the 20 to 30 vintage sticks I've had, i have honestly only found 3 of them to be good......but not great may i add.

I've generally found over the years, that the heavily aged cigars with oil content on the wrappers are the ones you want to be smoking. More often then not, the 20yr smokes that have become very brittle and grey with no oil content have lost there prime, to my tasting.

Definitely age your cigars, also age your sticks long term (20yrs+) i am, but only with a handful out of each box, unless there for investment...........enjoy your cigars fellas!

[akyprianou]

Far be it from me to tell you how to live your life but i get the odd 'why dont you quit' from the other half and my response is always the same.. go f**k yourself. Tends to work quite well. We are painfully honest with each other all the time though.

Theres always the time for compromise but theres also the time to put the foot down and say 'its my life too'. Its served me well so far.

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haha i can picture this being said with a classic East London accent to brilliant!

[Cubist]

Yes, particularly with light, mild cigars. After 8-10 years the flavour profile is on the downward slope. I smoke mostly light to mild cigars and thats what i have found. Not saying they are bad, but starting to lack flavour.

[Specialized_j]

Cigars is the least bad of common vices! Work hard, play hard, relax hard! What we don't need is stress.

Thats the attitude my wife takes towards my cigar smoking, she's surprisingly supportive considering she's very anti cigarette smoking. I tell her exactly what I've spent as well, better to be open about it.

She does comment on the smell but I freshen up after a smoke.