Cigar Aging Article

[beyonder]

A while back I saw a link to a lengthy article on cigar aging that covered the science behind cigar aging and impact on flavor of storing in closed boxes versus storing out as singles, temperature, humidity, etc. Discussed chemical processes, etc. and the different flavor profiles that could be brought out by storing or aging in cabs, boxes, versus loose, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm dumb and didn't bookmark it, and I've searched this site and on google and for the life of me can't find the article. If anyone knows which article I'm referring to or has some ideas, please let me know or provide a link.

Thanks in advance.

[M1903A1]

Originally Posted by beyonder

A while back I saw a link to a lengthy article on cigar aging that covered the science behind cigar aging and impact on flavor of storing in closed boxes versus storing out as singles, temperature, humidity, etc. Discussed chemical processes, etc. and the different flavor profiles that could be brought out by storing or aging in cabs, boxes, versus loose, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm dumb and didn't bookmark it, and I've searched this site and on google and for the life of me can't find the article. If anyone knows which article I'm referring to or has some ideas, please let me know or provide a link.

Thanks in advance.

If it's the article I'm thinking of, it was in a Russian cigar magazine that is now defunct. Try Googling "Queen of Aromas"; I think that was the name of the article. And yes, it was an amazing read.

Originally Posted by M1903A1

If it's the article I'm thinking of, it was in a Russian cigar magazine that is now defunct. Try Googling "Queen of Aromas"; I think that was the name of the article. And yes, it was an amazing read.

The magazine was Cigar Clan. "Queeen of Aromas" was in Volume I of the 2005 English supplement. The article was penned by Willy Alvero; however, I have not had any luck tracking it down.

[nick2021]

Thanks for sharing will check this out for sure

I'll let you know if I can find it. If you find it let me know. I would like to read it as well.

[markem]

It would be great if that article could be found. Until then, I think that we just need to stick to Nickerson's Rule of 3*


* - j/k. Anyone with a specific set of rules that claim things like "no cigar gets better after 3 years" is known, at least in some parts of the cigar world, as a "Nickerson". This is not a term of endearment.

[Bill86]

If three years was the peak of a cigar then a Sir Winston would never taste good. After 2 years they are still plenty harsh and need much more age. But I bet that extra year would turn that harshness for 80% of the stick into completely non existent

I'll try to check this out.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by markem

It would be great if that article could be found. Until then, I think that we just need to stick to Nickerson's Rule of 3*


* - j/k. Anyone with a specific set of rules that claim things like "no cigar gets better after 3 years" is known, at least in some parts of the cigar world, as a "Nickerson". This is not a term of endearment.

Nobody bad mouths the Rule of 3! Nobody!

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

Nobody bad mouths the Rule of 3's! Nobody!

The Nickerson Rule #3 rules!!!

[MiamiE]

I remember this!

[d'am]

Originally Posted by Nathan King

The magazine was Cigar Clan. "Queeen of Aromas" was in Volume I of the 2005 English supplement. The article was penned by Willy Alvero; however, I have not had any luck tracking it down.

I love me a good challenge...and damn this was hard! Turns out that yahoo search has the article cached. Here you go:

http://74.6.238.254/search/srpcache?...6I4NRhG4.bzw--

[sam a]

Originally Posted by d'am

I love me a good challenge...and damn this was hard! Turns out that yahoo search has the article cached. Here you go:

http://74.6.238.254/search/srpcache?...6I4NRhG4.bzw--

thanks!

Thanks for find the article. Very interesting read.

[rgrecco]

Marking for a later read

[TheRiddick]

Time to buy a 5er, stick it in a large empty humi and voila, 4 months from now you have perfectly aged "5+ year old" cigars. Who needs years of careful aging? Pass that crack pipe, please...

FWIW, seems the writer read or attended some wine related courses/literature as many of the assumptions, and I can't call them anything but that since some of the "findings" presented directly contradict common knowledge/experience, are dead wrong. Anyone who has worked with wine barrels will tell you that there is no mechanism for tannins to "vanish/escape" even with years of air drying the wood, they "soften" oak tannins by burning the staves while assembling barrels, the greater the burn the softer the tannins in the assembled barrel. Also, many of the flavor characteristics described belong to wine world mostly, I have yet to taste a cigar with a "mushroom" taste, yet plenty of older FRENCH wines display that trait, just one example.

And that "10 year" over the hill limit is also a big pile of BS, from personal experience as well as from plenty of others'. Plenty of cigars taste great with 30-40 years on them (one wouldn't age Garcia & Vega, though).

This article comes from a nation that pretty much doesn't smoke cigars and what's sold there is 99% fake. But, hey, impressive charts/graphics and all that...

[toasterhead]

Excellent article, thanks. Similar to MRN's thoughts on aging.

Dave

[beyonder]

That's the article I was looking for. Thanks for the find!

[T.G]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Time to buy a 5er, stick it in a large empty humi and voila, 4 months from now you have perfectly aged "5+ year old" cigars. Who needs years of careful aging? Pass that crack pipe, please...

FWIW, seems the writer read or attended some wine related courses/literature as many of the assumptions, and I can't call them anything but that since some of the "findings" presented directly contradict common knowledge/experience, are dead wrong. Anyone who has worked with wine barrels will tell you that there is no mechanism for tannins to "vanish/escape" even with years of air drying the wood, they "soften" oak tannins by burning the staves while assembling barrels, the greater the burn the softer the tannins in the assembled barrel. Also, many of the flavor characteristics described belong to wine world mostly, I have yet to taste a cigar with a "mushroom" taste, yet plenty of older FRENCH wines display that trait, just one example.

And that "10 year" over the hill limit is also a big pile of BS, from personal experience as well as from plenty of others'. Plenty of cigars taste great with 30-40 years on them (one wouldn't age Garcia & Vega, though).

This article comes from a nation that pretty much doesn't smoke cigars and what's sold there is 99% fake. But, hey, impressive charts/graphics and all that...

Greg, thanks. I was wondering what your take would be on some of the points in that article. I started having a hard time taking the author seriously when he went off on the flavors/aromas marrying bunk and some of the other stuff started sounding a bit "off".

I don't think that everything he says is without value/merit. but gospel it's not.

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Time to buy a 5er, stick it in a large empty humi and voila, 4 months from now you have perfectly aged "5+ year old" cigars. Who needs years of careful aging? Pass that crack pipe, please...

FWIW, seems the writer read or attended some wine related courses/literature as many of the assumptions, and I can't call them anything but that since some of the "findings" presented directly contradict common knowledge/experience, are dead wrong. Anyone who has worked with wine barrels will tell you that there is no mechanism for tannins to "vanish/escape" even with years of air drying the wood, they "soften" oak tannins by burning the staves while assembling barrels, the greater the burn the softer the tannins in the assembled barrel. Also, many of the flavor characteristics described belong to wine world mostly, I have yet to taste a cigar with a "mushroom" taste, yet plenty of older FRENCH wines display that trait, just one example.

So like a fine whiskey as I have been told, in the wine industry they burn the oak barrels as well?

Not a be fan of ether, but I can have a little whiskey on the rocks. Wine is defiantly not my cup of tea.

And that "10 year" over the hill limit is also a big pile of BS, from personal experience as well as from plenty of others'. Plenty of cigars taste great with 30-40 years on them (one wouldn't age Garcia & Vega, though).

This article comes from a nation that pretty much doesn't smoke cigars and what's sold there is 99% fake. But, hey, impressive charts/graphics and all that...

So like whiskey so I have been told, wine producer burn the oak barrel?

I am not a big whiskey drinker but I can have it on the rocks every once and a while. As far as wine I can not stand the stuff.