Aging question

[jerseystepup]

As many of you know.. alot of cc's dont "turn on" until theyve aged significantly... Not so with as many NC's.... or is it?? What NC's do you age? My opus and anejo's are the only boxes im pretty adament about aging. What about you?

[hotreds]

http://www.gongs-unlimited.com/gongsonsale.html

Also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gong

[jerseystepup]

Damnit

[JJG]

personally, I've never understood why Opus and Anejo are the only NCs I hear about people aging. seriously, what makes them any different? They're supposedly made with tobacco that is already aged anyway. I don't see why any other premium NC wouldn't also improve with age.

and as far as CCs go, I think the traditional wisdom is that they need more time because they are made with very fresh tobacco, however I believe Habanos has been aging their tobacco for some time now.

That's not to say cigars, especially CCs, don't get better with age. They certainly do. It's also a matter of preference though. They gain a lot of smoothness and complexity with 6+ years but they can also lose a lot of strength. I've only smoked a handful of aged CCs, but i was really surprised at how mild they were.

...also

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13...et-it-on_music

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by jerseystepup

Damnit

I fixed it for you, Randy.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by pnoon

I fixed it for you, Randy.

Spoilsport.

[Patrick B]

I don't smoke a lot of CCs. I prefer NC's, and fresher ones to boot. I think they are perfect right after they are done with the sick period. I've had older DPG's, Oliva Masterblends, Padrons, hell even the Frankenstein was much better a month after the release versus the one I smoked over the summer. To each his own, but that's my findings.

The only exception to that in my opinion is Fuente stuff. Never had a young Opus/Anejo/Hemingway that was better than those with a few years on them. Who knows why?

What's up with the gong's?

In my experience, most cigars improve with age. Though it seems to me that the more aged the tobacco, the less improvement you'd see with additional aging--that would make sense, anyway.

With most NCs, a little extra aging will allow harshness to mellow out (too much "char" taste, ammonia, etc.) and flavors to coalesce. Sometimes the flavors become more pronounced, sometimes a creamy element come in that wasn't in before, and of course any cigar will get smoother with age. [NOTE--sometimes you might NOT want a cigar to smooth out, such as with a ligero stick that has a kick that you really like (Tat T110 maybe)].

Many manufacturers ship their NC cigars sooner than I'd like. Tats, for example, usually need about 6 months to "calm down" imvho. A Noella with a box date of Jan 2010 will not be as enjoyed by your's truly as much as one with a box date of June 2009, for example. Tats are usually shipped kinda young to me.

I had a Cubao toro with about 1.5 years in the humi and thought it was a LOT better than they are fresh (though I like them fresh as well). There was a caramel and vanilla type flavor in it that was just awesome, yet it didn't loose it's peppery goodness!

The issue of whether or not a manufacturer should ship their cigars so that they're smokable out of the box or not is another topic altogether. The issue at hand is one of cost (storing cigars for years would add a significant price to the stick--i.e. Padron Anniversary). Pete doesn't age his tobacco extensively before it's rolled (in his opinion, everyone likes different things, so he releases it when he does knowing people always have the option of aging them). I do like the Tat red label right off the truck, but a fresh Angeles tastes a LOT different than one with 2 years in the humi (seriously--do a comparison, it's really cool!).

But to each his own. I've heard some friends say that Padron regular lines are MUCH better with age (I've found that to be true as well), but the Anniversary blends can loose a little something with too much age. I'm not likely to have any on hand long enough to test that particular theory

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by mariogolbee

What's up with the gong's?

I think the original title was "Agong quesion".

Originally Posted by icehog3

I think the original title was "Agong quesion".

Thanks Tom. Reminds me of when I was asking for a "god" stick. I sure got some "god" suggestions.

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by mariogolbee

What's up with the gong's?

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by icehog3

I think the original title was "Agong quesion".

I guess I should have read further before posting.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Spoilsport.

If I can find someone who owns the place, I can have it changed back.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by JJG

That's not to say cigars, especially CCs, don't get better with age. They certainly do. It's also a matter of preference though. They gain a lot of smoothness and complexity with 6+ years but they can also lose a lot of strength. I've only smoked a handful of aged CCs, but i was really surprised at how mild they were.

Well summed up.
I don't know that they get better.
They most definitely get "different".
If that is better to one and not another, all a matter of preference and all can "party on" as they please.
As many know, what to some is "better" as aged, to my dad they are old cigars not worth smoking any longer as they have lost the strength he prefers.