So, newbies and good smokes don't go together?

spectrrr · 12-10-2008, 12:02 AM

I am a relative noob. But the one thing I have learned is that over time, lots of time, tastes evolve as much as a cigar. they become more refined, less tolerant of crap, AND able to discern subtle nuances of a stick that would be hidden from a less experienced smoker.

I went back and revisited some of the sticks that I got started on and couldn't even stand smoking them. I have learned to discern the crap, and moved up in the world. But I can't say that I've learned to fully appreciate the subtle nuances of some cigars. sure, i'll enjoy the cigar, but I'm still a little green. So although I have a few very nice sticks in my humidor... I'm still waiting a little longer for my palate to catch up with the level that I know those sticks will smoke at.

so whats that got to do with aging sticks? simple. start collecting the good stuff now. put it away for a bit, you don't need to start off your smoking career on the high end stuff, it is in my (very inexperienced) opinion, a waste of a good stick. Why smoke a $15 stick and enjoy it when you could have gotten the same enjoyment from a $10 stick? put the $15 ones away for aging, and wait for your tastes to mature. by that point, maybe a lot of those $5 sticks will be tasting rather boring and flat. GREAT. move on up a level to the sticks you've been aging. now you have nice aged stock AND the palate to fully appreciate them.

bobarian · 12-10-2008, 01:15 AM

As the others have said, most NC's are good with just a bit of rest. They are made with aged tobacco and many are aged in warehouses for a longer periods to help flavors develop. Cubans are a different animal all together. Once they are rolled and go through their first fermentation, many are good to go. 06 and 07 Siglo II's were great fresh. Many others are also very good fresh, RASS, RASCC, Party Shorts, Party Short Churchill's, Hoyo Short Robusto's were all very good fresh. But almost all CC's will get even better with age. It is not that difficult to find aged CC's, even your B&M may have smokes with a few years age, just ask. As you collection grows, you will have a good assortment of reasonably aged smokes to consume. At the same time if you keep building your stock of fresh boxes to age you will always have aged stock to smoke. 20yr old smokes? Only had a handful, But this is a hobby to enjoy, dont stress that you dont have any 70's Monte's in your regular rotation.

WyoBob · 12-10-2008, 06:42 AM

Quote:

most NC's are good with just a bit of rest.

And a bit of rest is a long way from aging.

It seems from reading cigar forums and my own experience, letting cigars sit in your humi/cooler for several months is almost always beneficial. A lot of mail order cigars (CI/CBid) seem to be shipped wet and letting the acclimate to my 65% coolers for several months seem to improve how they smoke quite a bit.

WyoBob

macpappy · 12-10-2008, 08:45 AM

I have a single B&M that I shop at regularly and I would not hesitate to smoke anything purchase right out of the box. But then this particular B&M not only keeps his walk-in Humidor properly maintained but he rarely puts anything on the shelf until they have sat in his humidified storeroom for a month or two.

I have both a 50 cigar humidor maintained at 65% and a large cooler also kept at 65%. The humidor are my ready to smoke cigars. The cooler is where I keep all my new purchases and about once a month I'll refill my humidor as needed and add to my humidor. This has allowed me to smoke different cigars at different "resting points" to discover how much time my cigars have to rest to reach MY OPTIMAL taste point.

Volt · 12-10-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macpappy

....

I have both a 50 cigar humidor maintained at 65% and a large cooler also kept at 65%. The humidor are my ready to smoke cigars. The cooler is where I keep all my new purchases and about once a month I'll refill my humidor as needed and add to my humidor. This has allowed me to smoke different cigars at different "resting points" to discover how much time my cigars have to rest to reach MY OPTIMAL taste point.

I'm kinda liking your way of thinking.... I may have to try this setup.

12-10-2008, 12:02 AM	#1
spectrrr Back in the midwest! Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Frank Location: Ohio Posts: 5,596 Trading: (20)	Re: So, newbies and good smokes don't go together? I am a relative noob. But the one thing I have learned is that over time, lots of time, tastes evolve as much as a cigar. they become more refined, less tolerant of crap, AND able to discern subtle nuances of a stick that would be hidden from a less experienced smoker. I went back and revisited some of the sticks that I got started on and couldn't even stand smoking them. I have learned to discern the crap, and moved up in the world. But I can't say that I've learned to fully appreciate the subtle nuances of some cigars. sure, i'll enjoy the cigar, but I'm still a little green. So although I have a few very nice sticks in my humidor... I'm still waiting a little longer for my palate to catch up with the level that I know those sticks will smoke at. so whats that got to do with aging sticks? simple. start collecting the good stuff now. put it away for a bit, you don't need to start off your smoking career on the high end stuff, it is in my (very inexperienced) opinion, a waste of a good stick. Why smoke a $15 stick and enjoy it when you could have gotten the same enjoyment from a $10 stick? put the $15 ones away for aging, and wait for your tastes to mature. by that point, maybe a lot of those $5 sticks will be tasting rather boring and flat. GREAT. move on up a level to the sticks you've been aging. now you have nice aged stock AND the palate to fully appreciate them. __________________ ¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨ "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right..." -Thomas Paine

12-10-2008, 01:15 AM	#2
bobarian Cranky Habanophile Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Wine Country Posts: 8,869 Trading: (51)	Re: So, newbies and good smokes don't go together? As the others have said, most NC's are good with just a bit of rest. They are made with aged tobacco and many are aged in warehouses for a longer periods to help flavors develop. Cubans are a different animal all together. Once they are rolled and go through their first fermentation, many are good to go. 06 and 07 Siglo II's were great fresh. Many others are also very good fresh, RASS, RASCC, Party Shorts, Party Short Churchill's, Hoyo Short Robusto's were all very good fresh. But almost all CC's will get even better with age. It is not that difficult to find aged CC's, even your B&M may have smokes with a few years age, just ask. As you collection grows, you will have a good assortment of reasonably aged smokes to consume. At the same time if you keep building your stock of fresh boxes to age you will always have aged stock to smoke. 20yr old smokes? Only had a handful, But this is a hobby to enjoy, dont stress that you dont have any 70's Monte's in your regular rotation.

12-10-2008, 08:45 AM	#4
macpappy Rider on the storm. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Slidell, LA Posts: 851 Trading: (0)	Re: So, newbies and good smokes don't go together? I have a single B&M that I shop at regularly and I would not hesitate to smoke anything purchase right out of the box. But then this particular B&M not only keeps his walk-in Humidor properly maintained but he rarely puts anything on the shelf until they have sat in his humidified storeroom for a month or two. I have both a 50 cigar humidor maintained at 65% and a large cooler also kept at 65%. The humidor are my ready to smoke cigars. The cooler is where I keep all my new purchases and about once a month I'll refill my humidor as needed and add to my humidor. This has allowed me to smoke different cigars at different "resting points" to discover how much time my cigars have to rest to reach MY OPTIMAL taste point. __________________ WARNING: I am a Southern White Male. I have a brain and I know how to use it.