After Tabcon's issue with the Tatuaje's and many members talking about curing them longer in the humidor, a nagging question resurfaced. When we get cigars through both on-line and brick & mortar locations, how can we tell or gauge the time they spent curing before we got them? It is dificult to resist trying out the new cigars especially when buying different brands and styles which are not currently in the humidor. When I smoke my regulars I try and rotate them. I worry that I don't get the full flavor and effect because I smoke them too soon. I also wonder if different manufacturers need different cure times? I mostly smoke natural wrappers.

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Assumption is the mother of all screwups.

I always let a cigar rest for a few weeks to months depending on the cigar. When I buy a box of Cuban cigars I let them sit for a year or more.

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Originally posted by Docbarry:
I always let a cigar rest for a few weeks to months depending on the cigar. When I buy a box of Cuban cigars I let them sit for a year or more.

While this may be ideal, I have not been in the game that long. What I do with ncs bought locally is to let them rest in my humidor for at least a week, because shops tend to keep the hunidity really high in their walk-ins. I find that the ncs I like (VSG, Opus, Tatuaje) seem to smoke best at about 67% RH, while all ccs seem to do better at about 63%-- this is just my personal opinion, though .

As for ccs, I try to obtain two boxes at a time. One box I put up and vow not to touch for at least a year. The other box, I usually try one stick after a week, and depending on what I taste, I keep smoking them, or wait a few more weeks or months, as the case may be.

If you read the various reviews, you will get an idea of what cigars are OK young, and what cigars need age as far as the consensus view goes. For example, I've found that VSG tends to be OK shortly after purchase, while Opus needs six months or more; ccs come with box dates, so it is possible to acquire aged cigars.

Hope this helps, but remember: part of the fun is experimenting for yourself. Don't let anybody else's opinion keep you from forming your own.

The B&M shop that I frequent, infrequently, keeps their wares in a perfectly acceptable condition. The immediate consumption of fore mentioned goods has yet to cause loss of satisfaction on my part. Cigars recieved by The Colonel through a common carrier, however, are stored in a climate controlled device also know as a humidor for a period of no less that two fortnight.

Good night suhs.

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Originally posted by ralphn8r:
After Tabcon's issue with the Tatuaje's and many members talking about curing them longer in the humidor, a nagging question resurfaced. When we get cigars through both on-line and brick & mortar locations, how can we tell or gauge the time they spent curing before we got them? It is dificult to resist trying out the new cigars especially when buying different brands and styles which are not currently in the humidor. When I smoke my regulars I try and rotate them. I worry that I don't get the full flavor and effect because I smoke them too soon. I also wonder if different manufacturers need different cure times? I mostly smoke natural wrappers.

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Assumption is the mother of all screwups.

Difference of opinion on this, mostly according to taste. Most the cigars I buy, either from locals, or online, are not properly humidified, so I put them in the humidor for a matter of weeks until they have reached optimum moisture content. Anytime after that, I consider them to be at their best because I like strong cigars with a bit of edginess.

Long term aging will mellow a cigar, and make it a bit milder. Unless you have a perfect storage system, it can be a risky business. I have smoked cigars aged from five to twelve years, and they were good, not any better than new ones. That is my opinion and taste preference though. In short, you really have no way of knowing how old a cigar is. You don't know how long the leaf was aged in piles, or how long the finished cigar was aged (if any), or how long it sat on somebody's shelf.

There are sources to decode the numbers on particularly Cuban boxes to determine date, but think they only indicate boxed date.