How long to wait?

[MangoMike]

Just received my first box, a 2003 Saint Luis Rey Series A. I know I need to let these sit for awhile, but I wonder how long do I need to wait. Is the wait longer for newer years, and less for older years? If so, what would you consider an older year.

Sorry for so many questions all at once, my curosity is running wild.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[kirscovitch]

being a newb myself the advice i got was go ahead and smoke one now, for a base line. let the rest sit and rest for about a month. they've come a long way and need to "sleep". try another after that and see if theres a difference.:smokingbo

 

[caudio51]

Since the cigars are from 2003 they are out of their sick period. You can let them sit 2 weeks to a month to stabilize the RH from their trip. In terms of aging, it's really all personal preference. Guys will pull a stick out every now and then and see how they are smoking.

So basically, you can smoke them in about 2 weeks to a month and then after that it is up to you to decide when they are ready to smoke.

 

[DocLogic77]

In general, you need to let them rest at least a week. I personally prefer a month. The problem is when you are first building your collection it's REALLY hard to wait. The compromise is to smoke one now and be a little disappointed, then smoke one at a week then one at a month. You will indeed see the difference. But, if you want all your smokes that you paid good money for to smoke like they should...wait the month.

 

[cvm4]

I'd wait about a month to smoke one so it'd be at the proper humidity. You can't really get a baseline for the cigar when it hasn't been humidified for a week or two, IMO.

 

[joshua]

if they shipped shrink wrapped with a humidipack i would light one up right now

 

[N2Advnture]

is the question "how long to wait before they have settled after shipping?" or "how long to wait before they are considered aged enough to start smoking?"

3 weeks

or

3-5 years

~M

 

[MangoMike]

Thanks for the info guys. Greatly appreciated. Since I have some other habanos that will be ready in a week or so, and some great NC's to tide me over till then, I'm going to try to wait a month. I'll give them at least a week before I even try one. Paid my money, want to max enjoyment out of the smokes.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[indyrob]

Smoke one when you feel like it. It's the best way to judge for yourself and your palate how long the wait should take next time. The accepted benchmark is anywhere from a week to a month, so it's entirely up to your tastes.

Go ahead and start a benchmark for yourself and keep notes/mental notes of how long it takes before you really find that "sweet spot" for a resting period.

Speaking of the Bovida pack, I wonder if having the packs in the shipment will help out with the sick period. I'm not sure if it's the transit that sparks another fermentation period that's making certain cigars produce all that ammonia.

Any thoughts on that???

 

[rpb67]

If thats all you got try a few and see how they are.

If you have other cigars to smoke. Try one and try one the next month and let the rest of them nap for a year or so and you will have a remarkable box of cigars.

 

[cvm4]

Paid my money, want to max enjoyment out of the smokes.

There ya go...Good deal

 

[vperlman]

... The problem is when you are first building your collection it's REALLY hard to wait...

What I do is keep a separate humidor (actually, a tupperdore with beads) exclusively for aging. I put it in a drawer that I rarely open, so I don't see them and I usually forget they are there. When I do remember, them I check the beads and, if necessary, add some H2O. Then I put them back in the drawer, close it, and go smoke one of the sticks from my ready-to-smoke humidor.

That reduces the temptation. Works for me...

 

[DocLogic77]

Let me add a note here. I think when someone a state or two away is mailing you something you can get away with the week wait. When a package is being shipped from halfway around the world you best wait the month. By the way, Vperlman that's a terrific idea. Out of sight out of mind.

 

[kirscovitch]

when can a guy expect his cigars to get "sick"?? i tried one of my cohibas the other night and it was actually pretty good. a little sour but not bad. the date on the box was FEB 06. so these are only about 3 months old. anybody give a guy a clue?? i was thinking about taking one golfing tomarrow. id hate to brag to the guys about its origin, light it up and then :barf:

 

[Fox]

Mike, as I said in my review, the '02 and '03 Series A are smoking wonderfully right now. However, that is assuming proper rest and humidity. As most have said here, they usually need to stabilize for a bit before maximum enjoyment can be had. Most vendors ship "wet". A month at 65% will do wonders for a wet smoke. Two months is even better. I typically let all of mine sit for 30 - 45 days, but as Doc said, temptation is often overwhelming. . .:grin:

I do agree with the baseline approach though. Smoke one now. It will reduce the temptation and still give you a good idea of what is coming. Do not be surprised if you have to correct the burn due to the higher RH. You may even get some swelling and splitting near the fire cone due to the high RH within the stick. . .:smokingbo

 

[DocLogic77]

The way I understand it is the sick period can happen between the first month and the first year. But, I could be wrong.

 

[Fox]

When sick periods happen, they seem to fall mostly between 6 and 18 months of age, in my experience. However, not all cigars go through a sick period, again, in my experience. One of the worst I have personally experienced was a box of BBF's that started tasting bad right at 7 months. I have never had any PSD4's go through a sick period and that is the stick that arguably has the most complaints. I believe a lot of things come into play here; the crop, the treatment of the tobacco prior to rolling, humidity, storage conditions, the factory and probably a host of others. I have had some sick cigars that are disgusting, including RASS, Bolivar Coronas and the BBF's. All are devine when they get past that stage.

I have noticed that a number of people on this board have also commented about "down" periods for very old cigars. It would seem that cigars go through highs and lows over the years, including those with a few to many years of age.

 

[indyrob]

I was about to make a really nerdy post, but decided that micro-analysis isn't really important.
That and usually by the 4th beer I feel smart...now working on the 6th so I am past all that.

 

[Rutkus]

Just received my first box, a 2003 Saint Luis Rey Series A. I know I need to let these sit for awhile, but I wonder how long do I need to wait. Is the wait longer for newer years, and less for older years? If so, what would you consider an older year.

Sorry for so many questions all at once, my curosity is running wild.

Cheers,

Mike

10-20 years :smokingbo

 

[Hot_Sauce]

When sick periods happen, they seem to fall mostly between 6 and 18 months of age, in my experience. However, not all cigars go through a sick period, again, in my experience. One of the worst I have personally experienced was a box of BBF's that started tasting bad right at 7 months. I have never had any PSD4's go through a sick period and that is the stick that arguably has the most complaints. I believe a lot of things come into play here; the crop, the treatment of the tobacco prior to rolling, humidity, storage conditions, the factory and probably a host of others. I have had some sick cigars that are disgusting, including RASS, Bolivar Coronas and the BBF's. All are devine when they get past that stage.

I have noticed that a number of people on this board have also commented about "down" periods for very old cigars. It would seem that cigars go through highs and lows over the years, including those with a few to many years of age.

Great post Fox

This is a very good rule to go by. I can't belive how many times I've seen people post about how terrible this cigar smoked when its only 14 months old, and most likely right in the middle of a sick period. And as you say some cigars while out of their sick period still need a little more age to come around. RASS is a classic example. Like others have also mentioned if they don't taste well wait 4-6 months and give one another try. I have given up on some cigars and sold off a majority of them. Then a year or so later when I decided to try one for the hell of it. It was what everyone told me it was supposed to be like.