Would you age all NC's?

[apache]

What happens when you send a blonde to the store for a 100qt cooler? She comes home with a 120qt Igloo!!!!!!!!!!!! :smt058 :smt008 :)

So, now I am thinking about getting a significant amount of cigars for aging. I know that most, if not all, cubans do well with aging. Would you guys say that I would do well to age just about any NC that I like? I will most likely purchase CAO, Torano and possibly Padron to put away for a year or two, while smoking my current selection......I will try the rotation thing that was suggested in another thread for making sure you always have aged smokes. So, what do you think? Is it worth it or will they pretty much be the same as they are young? Thanks guys........

<takes aim with the over-under shotgun>
"PULL!"
boom...boom

[Matt Fury]

I often hear that aging domestics doesn't really do any good. At least not to the level it does for habanos. Can't speak from experience though, so I should probably keep my mouth shut.

[dbaranska]

If you put a year of age on them it wouldn't hurt.....Most of your stronger NC's (Antonio's, Diploma's, Serie R) could go through some aging...

[RiverRat]

Some N/C's age very well.


The JR ult cabs, for example. Even though they're aged for a year before shipping, Age them for another year and those babies come alive!

El Ricos are another one that I age for a while.

And the Serie R!

[Kurtdesign1]

I don't know exactly which lines of the brands you mentioned that you're planning on buying, but I smoke nearly exclusively Habanos at this point but I still have 5 or 6 boxes of NCs ageing. The thing I find is that the higher end quality leveled cigars age beautifully. I have PAMs that are just about 7 years old and they are better then almost ISOM I've ever had. Brazilias with just over 18 months on them are spectacular. Almost as complex as a good RA 898 or Corona. Perhaps one of the best to age are the Fuente Rolled Trinidads from the 90's. If you can find them, private collectors have them all now, they are the most complex and robust cigar I have ever tried. Very worth is.

The point is, experiment. Good NCs can be had for well under $100 for a box so it doesn't hurt that much to pick up a box or two and just forget about it.

Try to stay away from SunGrowns unless you're putting them down for 4+ years. I've found them to take much longer then Camaroons, Maddies or even some fuller Naturals. They just tend to take longer to come out of being sick. Which is very odd to be since many NCs are aged substantially before they leave the factory in order to make the flavor edible. What I'm aging now:
Box Opus (2000)
Box Brazilia (2003)
Box Ciello (2002) - Still not ready because they're sungrowns
Box Padron 1926s (2004)
Box CAO Xtreme Lancero (2001) - Wowser these are chocolate bombs
Box Avo Signature (2001)
Plus, I have MANY HIGH quality singles or 5ers of NCs just sitting in a drawer of their own in my Humi. Anejo, Opus, Trini (fuente rolled) PAM, 1926, etc

[Black Dog]

For what it's worth, an aged Don Carlos robusto was one of the best NC's I've ever smoked. I rushed out to the local and picked up some more and they didn't taste the same at all. So, I've stocked up and am just sitting on them hoping they will acquire the delicious taste of the aged one.

[Jwrussell]

Any body have a good source for info on what aging does and why it's so important with Cubans, but not NCs? Is it just because NCs are aged before they are sold and Cubans aren't?

[sucol]

Kurtdesign1 has his covered ... the better the NC, the more likely aging will improve the cigar. Opus and Anejo are prime examples. An Anejo with a year or two on it ... like the one I'm smoking RIGHT NOW ... oh my!

[mike toro]

If you can afford to have a stock of aged NCs, time certainly won't hurt them. I've smoked some Opuses (Opui ?), some 858s and some Buchaneros with 4-6 years on them. They were all smoother, better tasting smokes, especially the Opus Xs. Out of the box, they're too intense IMO, with 5 years A+++

[smokinafuente]

One of the best aged N/C I've had was a 3 year old Hemingway Maduro. MMMmmmmmmmm

[gvlagos]

Any body have a good source for info on what aging does and why it's so important with Cubans, but not NCs? Is it just because NCs are aged before they are sold and Cubans aren't?


you're right on...NC's are aged before being sold, but habanos dont go through an as extensive aging process before being rolled and shipped off.

[stogies&hoagies]

you're right on...NC's are aged before being sold, but habanos dont go through an as extensive aging process before being rolled and shipped off.

George, not all NC's are aged before distribution. I know the Camacho lines, CAO, and La flors are not. The higher end Padrons, Fuente, and Davidoff have some time on them. You really can't make a blanket statement regarding aging of the different manufacturers. All of them have their own policy. I asked Jorge Padron about aging their cigars and if he thought I should. He laughed and said their cigars are made to be smoked, and if I aged them to let him know how it turns out. I have found the Padron Anni's I have with two or more years on them don't taste a whole lot different then when "new". I am attending a lunch with Jorge at the end of the month and I plan on bringing him a 64 anni. maduro I have from '01 ( the ones made with the single band) to see what he thinks. I'll LYK what he says.

[Jwrussell]

Ok, so then do the non-aged NC's not go through a sick period?

[stogies&hoagies]

I don't think so.

[sb1396]

I think aging them for a year or two can definitely improve many NC's. I have read many opinion about aging PAM 64's for more than a few years can cause them to lose a little flavor but there are those that will refute that as well. I don't have any personal experience but there have been more than a few people who believe PAM 64's are better smoked within the first three years or so. For whatever it is worth.

[Jwrussell]

OK, so why is it that just Cuban's go through the sick period? Something in the soil?

[Bruce]

I feel that all GOOD cigars benefit greatly with ageing......not just havanas.
Aged Fuentes such as Opus and Don Carlos are excellent when well aged. Even some of the so called "milder" cigars such as non cuban Davidoffs are excellent with age.
I do know that the super-premium non cuban cigars are aged to a certain extent, either more time fermenting in bales as raw tobacco or are stored in ageing rooms as finished product......so they are more apt to be "ready to go" right off the truck.

I think with havanas, there is an urgency to get the product on the shelves as quickly as possible, as cuban cigars are a main source of revenue for the government.
Back in the old days, the tobacconist aged the cigars for their clients, with most cigars not being offered for sale unless they were ready to smoke.
One large tobacconist in Switzerland still does this to a certain extent.

As far as all cigars getting better with age......well the old saying is; "What do you get when you age a $hitty cigar?......An old $hitty cigar!"

[xrundog]

Age everything. Even if it doesn't change the taste, the cigars will burn better. How long? As long as you can. Some smoke okay right away. over time they will always improve in SOME way.

[Matt Fury]

OK, well, I got most of a box of WOAMs chillin' in the humi..I'll let you know how they are next year. :lol:

[MadAl]

I don't smoke all that much, but I have what was referred to on another board as O.D.O. (order dis-order), so I tend to buy more than I smoke. Age hasn't hurt any of the cigars I bought. Some that were ok (i.e. Trilogy, Cara Mia and Esquires) became excellent. None seemed to have become less than they were.

[avid toker]

Just my opinion but I feel all cigars, regardless of origin, can benefit from additional aging. I've smoked 2 yr old CAO Cameroon's that were more refined, more rounded and way smoother than when they're fresh. Fantastic smoke all around.

[tripp]

It is real hard to age the good ones, its the bad ones that are easy to smoke around.
I still dont understand the sick period thing.

[Jwrussell]

I'm with you John...

[Eric E]

It depends on what you want out of your cigar. An Opus X will become milder with time, but is that what you want? The Petite Lancero is in your face young, but three years down the road, it has been tamed. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what its producers tout it for. I "lost" a box of Avo #1s because I tried to age them years ago.

I believe age helps balance a cigar. By this, I mean it evens things out between the wrapper, the binder and the filler. It marries the qualities of these individual parts together. You get a better burning cigar with a better balance between the pieces. Think about humidy alone -- can a cigar, sitting in a closed box for a month, achieve equilibrium throughout its parts? IMVHO, I don't believe so.

As for Cubans, I like them aged. The difference between a RyJ Robusto El at delivery a couple of years ago versus today is indescribable. The cab of Partagas Lusitanias I have only gets better with age. I try (not always with great sccess) to age my cigars (Cubans).

Aging NCs? It doesn't hurt to try. Smoke one every month or so to get a feel for the cigar. If you like it, then smoke 'em like there's no tomorrow. Cubans? Let them sit. Trust me, it's worth the wait.

[mark5]

In my experience ageing does wonders on a lot of Nc's even just 6 months can make world of difference.

[Mr.OneNineDoubleDeuce]

From experience, cigars like the La Flor dom. Ligero's, and JdN antano's don't age very well. The reason is these cigars are meant to be smoked when they are at their strongest which is usually fresh out the box. With age, these turn into your average mild smokes.

However, I do agree that higher end smokes like Padron's Camacho's and Davidoff's can benefit from long term aging.

[Headbanger]

bumpage

[caudio51]

Good bump. I'm proud.

[MichiganM]

So from what I understand Cubans go through sick periods because they're rushed to the shelves. N/C's would go through sick periods as well if they weren't aged as long...is that right? I don't know if this has ever been explained very well anywhere. Maybe nobody knows. Hopefully when I get my copy of MRN from the group buy it will go over the sick period in more detail.

[cvm4]

That's about right Jason. Cuba needs money fast and so they don't have time to age cigars unless of course they will bring in triple of what the current version sells for, i.e. PSD#4 Reserva. Non-cuban manufacturers have the capital available to be able to age cigars and release them at their peak. Naturally this varies by manufacturer though.

[Seamus]

While I believe most cigars benefit from age I don't think all cigars are worth the time and money it takes to age them. Why age something that's going to be a little better in a few years vs aging a box that will be stellar in a few years. Age what you really enjoy as most of the time it will get better. Some, you may find, don't do well from aging but that's up to your own opinion.

Generaly speaking... I would only age NCs that I enjoy as much as Cubans. For me that’s: Opus, Don Carlos, Hemi Mads, Anejos and Padrons. Anything else... and I would rather smoke a Cuban, especially an aged one.