Ageing in the humidor twaddle .....

[TJCoro]

Thibnking, and wishing, and hoping, and praying...!

Do I now have a place in your Coro family?!

Keep dreaming, senor serious! Keeeeeeeep Dreaming!

BJ, BJCoro

Hell, the lad wouldn't even know where to start looking for SoM, MX!

What are you talkin' about Pappy? I can't find it either

(Hrumph!) A couple of lost idiots! You can't make this stuff up!


I know where it is, senor stupid looking dawg smiley!

[stephan]

I was flicking through the latest cigar aficianado today and James Suckling has an interesting article about aging cigars.

He did a taste test in the Partagas factory in Havana. A 1998 8-9-8 vs a 2008 8-9-8 and guess what...









The 2008 won!

However, it's not quite that simple and I only skimmed the article. Has anyone else read it?

---

tippexx, deano: I knew I was in good company! YNWA!

[Lee Nub]

Is that in the catherine zeta jones issue or the new december issue?

[Stevieboy]

There was a period during 1999 to 2002 when CCs were released well before they were ready to smoke, supposedly to take advantage of the so-called cigar boom that was happening in America at the time ( That's strange...I thought CCs were banned in the US). The tobacco was rushed to market and tasted like it.

TJ's right for once ....cigars from these years are pretty rank IMO ie dry, plugged, bland....avoid if possible. If you look at any cigar site selling vintage/aged cigars, you'll notice they're from these years...there's a good reason why no-one bought them.....

[Stevieboy]

Is that in the catherine zeta jones issue....

LOL!! Strange how she stuck in your head dude

[Lee Nub]

Umm humm

[G-man]

They

Are released way before they are ready! and their leafs are not stored nearly as long as NC. Just My Opinion!

ok so what is different about a Cuban that it most of the time gets better with age?

Are released way befor

[TJCoro]

Let 'em be, Let 'em be.....

I was flicking through the latest cigar aficianado today and James Suckling has an interesting article about aging cigars.

He did a taste test in the Partagas factory in Havana. A 1998 8-9-8 vs a 2008 8-9-8 and guess what...

The 2008 won!

However, it's not quite that simple and I only skimmed the article. Has anyone else read it?

tippexx, deano: I knew I was in good company! YNWA!

Yeah, I read the article and found it somewhat interesting, if not surprising. Sounds like senor Sucking does not agree with Ron Min's theory on aging.

I respectively disagree, however. From personal experience, I find that most Fine Habanos age beautifully. But for some reason, I don't find that many N/Cs benefit with age, and I have quite a few N/C growing old in my humi that smoke no better, and sometimes worse, then the day I bought 'em.

Regarding the CA article on the 10 year old Partagas, a Partagas official acknowledged that the quality of the tobacco in the most recent puros is far superior to the ones from 1999, which supports the notion that puros produced during the "cigar boom" were poor quality.

As me pappy, Pappy Coro sez, "A Habano puro is only as good as the tobacco it's made with, and the better the tobacco, the better the aging."

BJ, BJCoro



I said what?

Something about going to see a man about a horse


(Ahem!) I rest my case --- Idiots!


Alls I knows is that me ball get better with age.

[stephan]

Is that in the catherine zeta jones issue or the new december issue?

The new one. No Catherine Zeta Jones! Hugh Grant, I think.

[TJCoro]

CA Sez Aging Don't Work!

The new one. No Catherine Zeta Jones! Hugh Grant, I think.

Senor Stephan is correct, CA Issue December 2009 with senor Hugh!

It's the same issue that rated the Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro a whooping 94(just on point less than the Padron Maduro 80 years, which received a 95 from CA early this year ).

BJ, BJCoro

[Lee Nub]

Yes i went into borders for that last night, but they wont get it for a couple of weeks

[cbob]

ok so what is different about a Cuban that it most of the time gets better with age?

It's a CUBAN cigar.

Just as a very good wine can develop with age, so too Cuban tobacco. There is no particular reason, I suppose why Non-Cuban cigars can't age as well but then I don't find that Cheap Chilean wines, most US wines and all of the wines made in Canada don't want to be laid down either.
And English wine?

English wine! Oops, sorry; channeling an episode of CHEF.

The French say "terroir" and I'll go with them. It's something in the soil (and maybe the air) but no matter how a non-Cuban producer may tout his "Cuban seed" and "soil just like Cuba", the cigars don't taste anything the same and they don't age as well.

I've been making careful tasting notes as I have aged Cuban and non-Cuban cigars over the past 12 years and while there have been ONLY one or two non-Cuban smokes that have not gone totally flat after 2-6 years (and both brands are now discontinued, more's the pity) I have never found a Cuban smoke, including ( perhaps especially including) some of those poorly made specimens from the late 1990's that has not improved with humidor time.
Granted, I do age more Cuban stock (about 120 listings) but my current notes include over 20 vitolas from the Dominican Republic and another dozen or so from Honduras and Nicaragua.

I'm prepared to "take heat" over this but I call 'em as I see 'em.
If you smoked up all of those tasty 2003 Habanos when they were "fresh" you are now missing out on some amazing developments as those puppies are getting into prime smoking condition now and show no signs that they won't continue to improve. I'm also looking towards great things for the 2008 production.
.

[monkey66]

I am going to put my little experience/thoughts to this discussion.

For something to age and improve (as I understand it ferment/decompose/blend/change chemical construction) there are a few factors that are required

1. Good raw ingredients that benefit from age
2. Correct storage conditions

I have experienced a little more with wine than smokes but I think there are a lot of parallels. 2 years ago I 'discovered' a great 2005 Burgundy. We drunk the first bottle xmas 2007 to universal praise from some serious wine drinkers on what a 'great young wine'. Being such a find I laid down the rest but cracked open another on xmas 2008. It was ok but lost it's fruit and general sparkle. This is common in good burgundy and referred as the 'flat period'. It can last up to 10 years but at some point a good wine will usually come 'back up'. The only way to know is by you (or someone else) periodically sampling a bottle and reporting back (gotta love forums for this).

So, for instance, if in 2010 I crack into one of my 2009 Dukes I will report back and say 'these are OK but need another year' or 'these are smoking great now'.

We could start a list of fine puros, year and maturity, for example:

Romeo and Julietta - Duke EL 2009 - Smoking now but will benefit from 1-2 years - Lay down
Cohiba - Piramides EL 2006 - Ready - Smoke now


Perhaps too much like hard work but it's how they do it in the wine world.

[whisky77]

Spot on!

It's a CUBAN cigar.

Just as a very good wine can develop with age, so too Cuban tobacco. There is no particular reason, I suppose why Non-Cuban cigars can't age as well but then I don't find that Cheap Chilean wines, most US wines and all of the wines made in Canada don't want to be laid down either.
And English wine?

English wine! Oops, sorry; channeling an episode of CHEF.

The French say "terroir" and I'll go with them. It's something in the soil (and maybe the air) but no matter how a non-Cuban producer may tout his "Cuban seed" and "soil just like Cuba", the cigars don't taste anything the same and they don't age as well.

I've been making careful tasting notes as I have aged Cuban and non-Cuban cigars over the past 12 years and while there have been ONLY one or two non-Cuban smokes that have not gone totally flat after 2-6 years (and both brands are now discontinued, more's the pity) I have never found a Cuban smoke, including ( perhaps especially including) some of those poorly made specimens from the late 1990's that has not improved with humidor time.
Granted, I do age more Cuban stock (about 120 listings) but my current notes include over 20 vitolas from the Dominican Republic and another dozen or so from Honduras and Nicaragua.

I'm prepared to "take heat" over this but I call 'em as I see 'em.
If you smoked up all of those tasty 2003 Habanos when they were "fresh" you are now missing out on some amazing developments as those puppies are getting into prime smoking condition now and show no signs that they won't continue to improve. I'm also looking towards great things for the 2008 production.
.

Completely agree with cbob on this topic.Leave them in the humi and give them some age in order to fully appreciate them.I am currently enjoying a box of 2003 JL No1, and they are a completely different smoke to the last couple of years releases.You would not think you were smoking the same cigar at all.

[mb55317]

We could start a list of fine puros, year and maturity, for example:

Romeo and Julietta - Duke EL 2009 - Smoking now but will benefit from 1-2 years - Lay down
Cohiba - Piramides EL 2006 - Ready - Smoke now


Perhaps too much like hard work but it's how they do it in the wine world.

I think this is a good idea. We could have a central list of cigars which could include information such as vintage/ box code, a rating, tasting notes/ reviews, and maturity. This would be a really good resource wouldnt it?! Think Wine Advocate for cigars - Cigar Advocate??