Cigar Geeks

I swear I used the search, but couldn't find much about this discussed here....

I've been a serious hobbyist for a couple years, still lots of brands I have yet to try.  In your experience, what cigars have aged well/have the potential to age well? 

I deal mostly in the world of NC's, so I'd like to keep it limited to that.  I would like to set up a 2nd tupperdor specifically for the purpose of aging/prolonged rest (I know, I know, this is getting into that rest/age/acclimation grey area, don't want to open Pandora's box lol).  I'm talking 2-5 years of intentional aging/rest/whatever we wanna call it.  I will store this tupperdor at my office where it is 70-72 degrees 365 days a year, with 65% bovedas.

Currently experimenting with aging the following:

CAO Amazon Basin

CAO Amazon Anaconda

CAO Fuma Em Corda

My Father Le Bijou

Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label 

Viaje Birthday Blend

Camacho Corojo 

Oliva V

Oliva V Melanio

Oliva Master Blends 3

Rocky Patel Decade 

Ramon Bueso Genesis Project

Padron 2000 Maduro

Arturo Fuente Anejo

Arturo Fuente Sun Grown 858 

Arturo Fuente Opus X

 

....Anything else that is worth experimenting with in your experience?

 

Thanks in advance!  :thumbsup:  

 

 

I would add AF Hemingway series Maduro.   I've had a short story with about 5 years on it and it was outstanding!

Also any of the padron 2000,3000,4000,

Le Bijou's age extremely well, as do any of the Padron 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000.

Pinar del Rio sticks age amazingly well, turns em into a completely different cigar for me.

Enjoy! :biggrin:

I would offer the HVC Vieja Cosecha No.2. and the Crowned Heads TAA Angels Anvil and/or Las Calaveras Edicion Limitada

Padron thousand series
Opus X (or any Fuente for that matter)

Hemingway's age beautifully, I smoked one with a bit more than 2 years and it was great.

Most Viajes tend to peak at 5 years, so plan on smoking that one in 3 or 4 years.  (They won't be bad, but just not as good)

QuoteBrlesq - 10/10/2017  7:10 PM  Most Viajes tend to peak at 5 years, so plan on smoking that one in 3 or 4 years.  (They won't be bad, but just not as good)

Roger that, thanks Brlesq.   

Set up the tupperdor last night and brought it in to work with me this morning.  So far I have all of the above in there marinating.  

Planning on scooping up some Short Story's to add to the mix.  Never tried the maduro, but I do enjoy the naturals.  I had one over the summer that was about 10 years old, it was smooth as butter.  I don't think I'll be waiting that long, but it sure was nice!

"The waaaiiitinggg is the hardest part" - Tom Petty  :shootme:  :shootme:  :shootme:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :beer:  :beer:  :beer:  :smoker2:

QuoteSilverstix - 10/26/2017  9:53 AM

"The waaaiiitinggg is the hardest part" - Tom Petty  :shootme:  :shootme:  :shootme:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :beer:  :beer:  :beer:  :smoker2:

15 days in already....wont be long now

Quotedanb6177 - 10/26/2017  11:14 AM  

QuoteSilverstix - 10/26/2017  9:53 AM  "The waaaiiitinggg is the hardest part" - Tom Petty  :shootme:  :shootme:  :shootme:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :whistle:  :beer:  :beer:  :beer:  :smoker2:

15 days in already....wont be long now

TICK....TOCK....TICK....TOCK.... 

I'm resting a box of MF Le Bijou petite robusto to smoke every year on my sons birthday.  so far so good, but im only a year and a half in... lol.  Great forum post!

Quotebstessl - 10/26/2017  3:22 PM  I'm resting a box of MF Le Bijou petite robusto to smoke every year on my sons birthday.  so far so good, but im only a year and a half in... lol.  Great forum post!

Congrats on the new addition, my son is a year and a half also.

They are a pretty lively cigar - I could tell they are made with quality tobacco but they seemed a little harsh for my tastes.  Very "in your face."  Did you notice any smoothness after a year? 

The 858 SG are superb with age.  Some spicy cigars lose their punch with age.  The 858 SG do not.  I was at the liquor store earlier.  Spec's had Eagle Rare for $26 a bottle and 858SG for a little over $6 each.  Bought the bottle and 5 cigars.  Cigars will sit in my stash for a minimum of 6 months, but probably longer.  The Oliva V lancero is also great with age.

Outside of your list, the Jiame Garcia Reserva Especials, The original Camacho Corojo's both age very well.  I could not say about the new blend...I agree wholeheartedly with the Le Petite Bijou...I am a huge fan of the Anejo's and while I think they age well...They are pretty darn good to start with and so I don't think aging adds too much.  It certainly doesn't take anything away...lol

QuotePETE314 - 10/27/2017  6:58 AM  Outside of your list, the Jiame Garcia Reserva Especials, The original Camacho Corojo's both age very well.  I could not say about the new blend...I agree wholeheartedly with the Le Petite Bijou...I am a huge fan of the Anejo's and while I think they age well...They are pretty darn good to start with and so I don't think aging adds too much.  It certainly doesn't take anything away...lol

Timing is important, I wanted to stash some things away now so that they will all be settled nicely in 6-8 months when the nice weather comes around....then the experimenting can begin!  Some of my aging stash I've already tried at 6 months, so those will nap longer.  But some of the sticks are new to me and those are the ones I'll try first at 6 months.   

I really enjoyed the new Camacho Corojo.....believe it or not it's the only cigar to give me the nicotine buzz.  Left that wasabi spice on my tongue.  Curious to see how they taste after a year.  I'm open to picking up an experimental 5'er of the Jaime Garcia's too...

Never had an Anejo but I bought a 5'er because I saw them for a reasonable price.  Figure if I buy them now, in 6 months time they will be settled nicely for "testing"  :biggrin: .  I have a Shark with 2 years on it, so I should have a good idea of what some age can do to them.  If no noticeable difference, then I'll smoke 'em up!!  :thumbsup:

Aging is the hardest part of this hobby for me. I'm doing good if only a few in my collection have over one year of rest. Good luck and be strong!  Following this thread..

I find that very strong and/or very spicy cigars are the best to age  as they tend to tone down a bit and the flavors meld much better with some extra time....... (2-4 years)

 Swag-Fierce and 601-La Bomba Napalms are great examples.......

Most  folks in the industry I talk to and I, agree that Nicaraguan and Honduran  cigars should not be aged much beyond ten years from rolling date (and less if the tobacco used already has significant age). They just don't get any better and, in fact, many tend to get weak and/or bland  over too much time while Dominican tobacco does much better due to the  drying methods used after harvesting. The amount of Dominican tobacco in a multi-country blend can add to this time limit in some cases.

Bad cigars will not become better,

weak cigars will almost always just get weaker,

and flavor profiles may change in along-aged cigar that may not be to your liking anymore........ :?:

Experiment~!

QuoteVroomp - 11/12/2017  5:38 PM  

I find that very strong and/or very spicy cigars are the best to age  as they tend to tone down a bit and the flavors meld much better with some extra time....... (2-4 years)

 Swag-Fierce and 601-La Bomba Napalms are great examples.......

Most  folks in the industry I talk to and I, agree that Nicaraguan and Honduran  cigars should not be aged much beyond ten years from rolling date (and less if the tobacco used already has significant age). They just don't get any better and, in fact, many tend to get weak and/or bland  over too much time while Dominican tobacco does much better due to the  drying methods used after harvesting. The amount of Dominican tobacco in a multi-country blend can add to this time limit in some cases.

Bad cigars will not become better,

weak cigars will almost always just get weaker,

and flavor profiles may change in along-aged cigar that may not be to your liking anymore........ :?:

Experiment~!

Thank you for sharing your experience!  One example I can think of that comes to mind regarding Nicaraguan cigars is the Oliva V Melanio.  After acclimating for a month or so, I just love these things. I could smoke them every day.  I know the tobacco used is already aged and I can definitely see how prolonged aging could cause them to lose the "it" factor that makes them so desirable to begin with.

I just picked up a few FFOX to put away for a bit. The experimenting will be fun, looking forward to it  :dancing:  

So it's been a year since I started this tupperdor for aging purposes. In the coming months, a bunch of these cigars will be coming up with 1 year of age on them and I will be giving some updates about my experiences.

Early on, the My Father Le Bijou seems to have rounded with 1 year of age but is still a pepper bomb for me. The same goes for the Camacho Corojo.

The Rocky Patel Decade is still a very rich cigar (medium-full in body). Hoping that by year 2 it will taste even smoother. 

The Viaje Birthday Blend seemed to taste flat compared to the one I smoked last year. Sweetness abound, but no pepper or spice to make things interesting.

Oliva V is still a powerhouse, Oliva V Melanio has been consistently delicious.

CAO Amazon Basin or Fuma em Corda did not exhibit any major differences with 1 year of age. 

Fuente Sun Grown 8-5-8 has been consistently good since the 6 month point. 

I have a Fuente Anejo 46 that turned 1 year old today (in storage time) and I will be smoking it tonight.

More feedback to come as the next few months roll around  :thumbsup:

QuoteVroomp - 11/12/2017  5:38 PM  

I find that very strong and/or very spicy cigars are the best to age  as they tend to tone down a bit and the flavors meld much better with some extra time....... (2-4 years)

 Swag-Fierce and 601-La Bomba Napalms are great examples.......

Most  folks in the industry I talk to and I, agree that Nicaraguan and Honduran  cigars should not be aged much beyond ten years from rolling date (and less if the tobacco used already has significant age). They just don't get any better and, in fact, many tend to get weak and/or bland  over too much time while Dominican tobacco does much better due to the  drying methods used after harvesting. The amount of Dominican tobacco in a multi-country blend can add to this time limit in some cases.

Bad cigars will not become better,

weak cigars will almost always just get weaker,

and flavor profiles may change in along-aged cigar that may not be to your liking anymore........ :?:

Experiment~!

 This just about covers NC resting....remember that "resting" is 1 to 5 years while aging cigars is 5 years and over.  NC's don't age well and become muted but CC's tend to age well as long as they are medium to full bodied.  Complex tasting cigars are the best as far as resting as they tend to balance and melt with time and it's all about YOUR tastes as to what you like in any cigar.  I have a lot of cigars that I've put away and the more complex and full bodied the tobacco the better the taste.

I can smoke a cigar today and buy it again a year later, or a week or a month inbetween later and have a different taste experience each time. I'm not sure how much the age had to do with it in this case and believe what I ate beforehand, what I paired it with, what mood I was in, was it the first cigar of the day or second. Seems like the experiment is interesting if your taste buds and all other variables remain the same after a year or two or three or five. Nonetheless, sounds like fun and I'm interested in the results.