Effects of aging?

[piperdown]

I know that aging can bring out great flavors but, as I indicated in the thread "What are you smoking right now", I have had this Hoyo de Monterrey excalibur for about 10 years and it's always had the best of care. It was one of a group of cigars given to me a long time ago that I placed into safe keeping and then didn't do anything with. I simply could not believe how outstanding this cigar smoked! I've had other HdM and they've been good to great smokes but, seriously, this was one fine cigar. I ended up putting my book down, ditching the drink I had and just concentrated for an hour on this fantastic cigar.
My question is: is it normal for a cigar to get that good after that long? I've heard of putting them away for a couple of years but 10???

Anyone else experience this?

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by piperdown

I know that aging can bring out great flavors but, as I indicated in the thread "What are you smoking right now", I have had this Hoyo de Monterrey excalibur for about 10 years and it's always had the best of care. It was one of a group of cigars given to me a long time ago that I placed into safe keeping and then didn't do anything with. I simply could not believe how outstanding this cigar smoked! I've had other HdM and they've been good to great smokes but, seriously, this was one fine cigar. I ended up putting my book down, ditching the drink I had and just concentrated for an hour on this fantastic cigar.
My question is: is it normal for a cigar to get that good after that long? I've heard of putting them away for a couple of years but 10???

Anyone else experience this?

One of the best cigars I ever smoked was from the 1940's

[Cigary]

As long as you take the kind of care you mentioned certain cigars are amazing after a year or two and others like you smoked are really good after 5 plus years. If you can wait that long for a cigar I say go for it. I have a few with about 5-10 years of age on them and will smoke them this year at some point. Conversely, some cigars after 10 years of age taste like they would after a month. Choose your cigars for advanced aging carefully,,,do a lot of research.

This is a pretty good standard to read that I saw in an article:


ssigning fixed blocks of time is impossible, each box of cigars is different, and it will respond differently to aging. With that said, here are some ballpark figures to use:

1 year - Cigars should be smoked within a few weeks of being rolled if you desire that "Chincales" type flavor, otherwise they should be allowed to rest for a year without exception. All cigars are better a year later in my opinion.
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1-2 years- This is a good time to start smoking those Habanos and Hondurans. This is also the peak period for many Dominicans, and most light bodied smokes.
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2-5 years- These are the peak years for most other cigars. Typically the stronger fuller bodied cigars age better over a longer duration of time. This is why Havana Bolivars, Partagas, and Ramon Allones are all considered cigars that age beautifully. The same logic applies to all countries of origin
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7-10 years - This is about the maximum aging time for me on almost all cigars. After this point, I find most cigars become too mellow and too pale in body for me to enjoy.
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10 plus years+- At this point we enter into the realm of "vintage" cigars in my book. Many of these cigars will be so flat and boring they are worthless to smoke, while others will take on unique characteristics that will make them enjoyable smokes. One such trait is a musty smell and a taste that is similar to snuff. Another rarer long-term aging trait is cigars taking on an odd scent that is commonly referred to as the "stinky cheese-like smell." This odd reference is due to their pre-light bouquet being similar in scent to a ripe wheel of Stilton Cheese. Though it may sound unappealing, these cigars are a delight to smoke and are highly prized by vintage cigar collectors worldwide. Many pay top dollar to secure these smokes. Regardless of the flavor characteristics of vintage vitlolas, very seldom do any of these cigars maintain any quantitative strength at this level of aging. Also, only the fullest bodied cigars have any chance of being worthwhile smokes after this many years.

[scottw]

I have several cigars from the 90's and one from '26 and I canot wait to fire them up.

[K Baz]

Going to have to argue a bit

I have a box of 1950s robert burns that are just the bees knees - they lack the kick they probably once had but they make up for it in flavour.

But as with everything to each their own

I am sure not every cigar ages gracefully just as not every wine does but I would believe as with wines great cigars can definately change (get better with some age)

[kuzi16]

i can tell you the VSG rounds from 1999 (original release) are starting to flatten out now. I had one recently, and i would actually prefer the modern VSG to the vintage ones.

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by kuzi16

i can tell you the VSG rounds from 1999 (original release) are starting to flatten out now. I had one recently, and i would actually prefer the modern VSG to the vintage ones.

Aging is a fine art where you are constantly looking for "peak" times. You have to become a student of the cigar to see when they are at their best which means you take copious notes at certain points in their aging,,almost like they do with wine. I know my inventory of cigars and over time I know what cigars that I like are at their "peak" and I smoke them before they get to that "flat" period.

[Jack Straw]

Generally, from what I've seen, the older people enjoy fine cigars no more than younger people, on average.