Hmm, good points Jason. I never visit CW as the boards I lurk at are limited to say the least. I didn't know there was a group out there that are devoted to laying down n/c's. That is encouraging to say the least.
I agree that non-cuban manufacturers do not make it any easier on us collectors/hobbyists/smokers by not date-coding their boxes. I think this will change in the future, as some already do it and some are slowly changing by starting. The best we, as collectors and smokers, can do for now is stamp it when we receive it.
I'm glad you learned something from this thread, I know I have. I think it's important to share ideas and I really feel that cigar smoking and collecting is something much more expansive than it was 20 years ago. Expanding on that, if that information is true (limited to my experience and publications' dictation) than some of our collective information and experience is going to be limited compared to a hobby like wine collecting/drinking which has been popular for a long, long time by a large group of enthusiasts. This is one thing that can make certain aspects of this hobby frustrating at times. It's groups of brothers like this forum that make these frustrations easier. I truly appreciate everyone who contributed to this thread. I think we all have alot to learn about collecting/smoking cigars. I feel I will still be a student to the day I die. But I look foward to my future experiences and hopefully get to share them with all you fine brothers!
As a final note, in retrospect, I think the end result is that non-cuban cigars DO benefit from aging...if that retrospect is only limited to what you fine brothers have shared with me. My experience is with 1 year or less aged non-cubans and they did taste better about 8 months down the pipeline. It seems to be that there at least some agreeable notes that non-cuban cigars benefit from aging, but not to the extent of cubans simply because they are already 2-5 years ahead and therefore sometimes finished with their aging journey. This anectode is seen by hobbyists who have aged 64's for an extended period of time. They have noted that there is no significant change. Perhaps this is because it is already aged to it's maximum flavor profile. My Padron X000 I have talked about is not aged to the extent of the 64 and therefore DID improve after time. Perhaps after 2-3 years it would have maxmized it's flavor profile. Perhaps, in the end, this is the main difference. You can lay a CAO down for a year and notice a great flavor change as some here on the board have noted. After 3+ years perhaps not so much because of the pre-aging it may have only needed another year to fulfill it's destiny. Of course the opinion may vary, just look at CWS's post. This is a deep topic that will only truly reveal itself after more time in the hobby by all of us. I look forward to more aged non-cubans as well as aged cubans (yummmmy)..and I also look forward to more non-cuban cigar factories stamping their boxes. I truly feel the best is yet to come brothers!
Thanks for all of your input. I truly feel we can all learn from each other. I'm a student of the fine leaf, and always will be.