Aging -bad?

[ksnake]

Not new to smoking, but new to aging. I never had a humidor big enough to age cigars until a couple years ago (hence posting on the novice thread - I'm an aging newb!). Since then I've noticed that some cigars improve tremendously! But a couple have actually gotten worse. One example is the 5 Vegas Limitada '06. It seems to have gotten bitter when I expected it to get smoother. I will try a few more to see if I can confirm. But I used to love this smoke, but the last couple have been horrible. Could it be the aging? Or am I doing something wrong?

[ct2eng]

Some cigars age better than other in my opinion. Most dark wrapped cigars age well where light cigars do not need the ageing. But; it is all a matter of taste.

[TravelingJ-cl]

This will be a good thread, I'm just now starting to be interested in aging myself!

[dinoa2]

Originally Posted by TravelingJ

This will be a good thread, I'm just now starting to be interested in aging myself!

that is good because the alternative to aging is just no fun.

seriously, I hope the comment about the 06 limitada is not true as I still have some that have been sitting for a while and I have not smoked one of them in a while. some smokes do seem to improve with age and sometimes II wonder if the results are just the product of your wishful thinking.

[mc2712]

Aging works for most cigars and I prefering aging my cigars before smoking them, to me aging is also days and weeks. But to each thier owen.

[karmaz00]

very true. i know for a fact isoms taste better with age. but i think they need 2+ years.
as for the other non cubans,,im just not patiant enough

[Rah55]

What are the conditions in your humidor? Sometimes high humidity can cause bitterness and it may be worse in some sticks than others.

[ksnake]

Originally Posted by Rah55

What are the conditions in your humidor? Sometimes high humidity can cause bitterness and it may be worse in some sticks than others.

Humidor was around 65 all winter, but then kicked up to 70 in the summer. So that's interesting. They were good all winter, but the last couple I had, blah! I wonder if that is what caused it. Thanks for the reply!

[marquelcg]

I've noticed some sort of problem with mine, i had a don peppin garcia that i smoked yesterday and it didn't tasted good at all, my temp stays between 65-72, maybe something else is wrong, any suggestions??

[Mustang7302-cl]

Originally Posted by ksnake

Humidor was around 65 all winter, but then kicked up to 70 in the summer. So that's interesting. They were good all winter, but the last couple I had, blah! I wonder if that is what caused it. Thanks for the reply!

I find that cigar's flavor developes better with out being harsh with RH being between 63 and 65%. When I use to keep my RH between 68 and 70% I noticed muted flavors in some sticks and harshness in other as well as spuratic burn problems.

Food for thought.

[Phantom57-cl]

I consider ageing a year and up, and I don't do it. I like a strong edgy cigar, so try to smoke them no more than 3-4 mos. old tops. I do think they benefit from acclimatization of 45-60 days. I think blenders make cigars to taste the way they taste them when they are rolled. If I ran into a cigar that was too strong for me, I just wouldn't buy it. Don't have much experience with CCs, but in my opinion most NCs go down hill rapidly with time.

[Research-Colin-cl]

To add to what has already been stated, another consideration is this: cigars will be impacted by those around them. (just like people I guess)

For a pure aging experience, cigars should be aged in their boxes with like cigars. This will ensure that the oils of other cigars do not enter. Since many people do not age entire boxes or have the space to do so, this can be a bit of a challenge. I'm not sure that I have an inexpensive suggestion to counteract this issue.

Typically, if a cigar is aged in its box (ie not with cigars of another vitola/brand) it will not become bitter. If it does, it is probably because of either a bad underlying blend or some chemical interference. Sometimes after aging, I realize that the ammonia was covering a blend that was not perfectly harmonious. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It just tells me to smoke those younger if they are good that way. Other times age reveals an amazing set of subtle flavors.

[ksnake]

Update. I let one (5 Vegas Limitada '06) sit in a dry box for the past couple weeks. Smoked it last night and it was as good as ever. Humidity seems to be the key. Thanks for the info, this forum rocks!

[Moro]

Ye should also age several of the same at a time, in order for ye to smoke 'em one by one in order to find their best point (one every 6 months does it for me), since they can "over-age".

[DBCcigar]

It really depends on the cigar. Some cigars with too much age on them loose their strength. I used to be big into aging them - Roasting them slowly in the pressure cooker for a few years. Now that I like fuller-bodied smokes, I don't want them to lose that zip and that zang, if you know what I mean.

It really depends on your intentions of aging. If you have some "Green" cigars, then yes, by all means cook 'em.