Aging - Can you age too long?

[sikk50]

Just don't age past 3 years and you'll be fine

[markem]

Originally Posted by sikk50

Just don't age past 3 years and you'll be fine

I'm such a nickerson


Most, if not all, cigars will eventually fade. When that occurs depends not only on the cigar itself, but the storage conditions as well.

I have some Rob't Burns from the mid-50s that are spot on. I have some very good CCs from the 70s that are like smoking rolled newsprint. Your cigar and aging may vary.

[Mr Edmundo]

No wonder so many cigar smokers are FOGs..

[ninjavanish]

I think I'm only going to echo what most have already said but here goes anyway.

The short answer is yes you can age too long. However...

Aging is an art.

If you are looking to enhance the flavor of certain cigars a lot depends on how long they sit and in what conditions.

For me personally I like the complexities that emerge from taking a full bodied cigar and allowing to age for months or even years. Aging almost always affects the body of a cigar the most. Take a LFD Ligero 250 Cabinet. Right out of the factory is a powerhouse of spiciness, body and flavor. Take that same cigar and let it sit in a cedar drawer in a humidor for a year or two and it drops to a medium bodied cigar or less, the factory peppery spice is dulled and it inherits the flavor of the cedar. This appeals to my taste. Some people may prefer the boldness of that cigar right out of the box.

On the other hand... I have taken say... Ashton VSG's for instance... and allowed them to age for a few years and found the flavor that was once present has all but vanished along with what used to be a medium to full body. The cigar then becomes almost a shell of its former self leaving MUCH to be desired in my opinion.

And not to make it even more complicated... but take the same VSG... allow it to age 3 months and it's noticeably more mellow and refined, yet retaining it's body.

AND 1 more thing... take a PSD4. At least this used to be the case... Smoke it right out of the box... awesome cigar... let it age 3 months and I wouldn't use it to wipe bubble gum off the bottom of my shoe. Let it continue to age for an additional 6 months (up to a Year total) and you've got yourself a great cigar that has matured and refined in flavor back to an AWESOME smoke.

All in all it really just comes down to finding an age on each cigar that appeals to your taste... and each year, and each new batch will behave differently. So many variables that can influence it you just can't account for all of them.

[Starscream]

I think this was mentioned in the "other" thread, and it's definitely a generalized statement, but I find it holds true in most cases. You can most definitely over-age an NC cigar, but it's a whole lot less likely to happen with a CC.

[Matt-N-Ga]

I've smoked a few vintage cigars, and have found both statements to be true...Some really can be aged for extremely long periods of time and will be finer with the age...while others have been lackluster with no flavor and a muted body...

My golden rule: if I like, I smoke it, if I do not, I don't.

[bobarian]

Aging cigars is much like aging wine. First of all you cant turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. If you are going to age you have to start off with premium product. Just look at the crap the Rothman is trying to pawn off as "vintage" in his recent catalogs. Bad crap from the 90's is still bad crap today, just 10 years older. But even when you start with good product, noone knows for sure if will age into something sublime or something just above average. You can make an educated guess as to which wines or cigars will be great in 20+ years, but its not foolproof. I think that's part of the wonderment of this hobby. Everyone is looking for the next 98 LFDC Corona or Fonseca Invicto's.

Smoke em fresh or smoke em aged, just enjoy whatever you smoke.

[poker]

Originally Posted by bobarian

Aging cigars is much like aging wine. First of all you cant turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. If you are going to age you have to start off with premium product. Just look at the crap the Rothman is trying to pawn off as "vintage" in his recent catalogs. Bad crap from the 90's is still bad crap today, just 10 years older. But even when you start with good product, noone knows for sure if will age into something sublime or something just above average. You can make an educated guess as to which wines or cigars will be great in 20+ years, but its not foolproof. I think that's part of the wonderment of this hobby. Everyone is looking for the next 98 LFDC Corona or Fonseca Invicto's.

Smoke em fresh or smoke em aged, just enjoy whatever you smoke.

So true. A current Guantanamera Cristales in 10-20 years will still be like a pigs ear

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by poker

A current Guantanamera Cristales in 10-20 years will still be like a pigs ear

That would be a vast improvement in taste.

[markem]

I think that the answer is 'yes'

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by markem

I think that the answer is 'yes'

I just had this vision of that guy running into a mosquito at 60 mph.

Sorry to thread jack.... ahem... let me say something about aging cigars:

Get a bigger humidor! You can use the space. Trust me.

[dwoodward]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

I just had this vision of that guy running into a mosquito at 60 mph.

Sorry to thread jack.... ahem... let me say something about aging cigars:

Get a bigger humidor! You can use the space. Trust me.

Give me yours.

[smelvis]

I say yes, I have some myself that is close to to long in the old cab, I sent a lot already in bombs and to the troops that were getting to mellow.

Many many years ago I bought way to many mellow cigars lol live and learn!