CC resting period

[CigarStone]

As I am now dedicated to stocking up on CC's I am curious to know what others have experienced in reference to the resting period upon receipt of CC's?

It's funny how tastes change, I have old boxes of Fuente cigars which I know would be amazing but I am focused on acquiring CC's for right now. It's always something!

I received a box of RG Perlas yesterday from November 2013 and they look and smell awesome! I plan to have one right away and then wait a few weeks before having another to see if I can tell any difference. These cigars came so well packaged, I seriously doubt if temperature or humidity extremes ever penetrated the box?

Being a bit analytical, I am curious what the transportation around the world may do to the smokability of a cigar? Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other? And is that opinion based on logic or based on experience?

Is it like opening a beer that just rolled down the steps, where you are wise to let that beer sit for an hour?

Or is it like asking your wife what's wrong when she is in a bad mood, where you are wise to wait until the black eye is completely healed before you do that again?

 

[kann]

I'll leave the definitive answers for those that have more experience than I, but if it is an eight year old box, I imagine they are ready to be smoked. I'd smoke one now, as you said, and then I think that a few weeks to acclimate would be sufficient. Dig in!

 

[Smbauer]

Due to my limited cigar budget being on a fixed income, I have neither the humidor space nor the money to buy boxes to stash away for years like many can.

Thus, I smoke a lot of Cigars right after getting them, but also have some after a few weeks to a year later and honestly can't tell any difference between them

As long as they are packaged properly for shipping, I see no reason why they wouldn't be just fine immediately.

 

[H. Vachon]

I’ll start by saying I’m probably one of the least experienced with CCs here on CigarPass. But for what it’s worth, I’d say 70%-80% of the time if I crack a box and some one ROTT, I’m usually disappointed with the draw. Perhaps that could have something to do with the supplier building a humidity buffer due to longer shipping times, but I couldn’t say for sure. Typically after three weeks or so I’ll revisit and I’m usually much happier. Mind you my cigars are typically 1-2 years of age maximum when I by them, so YMMV.

 

[CMontoya79]

Cigar should rest maybe 2 weeks after shipping. Look for boxes a minimum of 1 year age to be smokeable. Of my limited experience, there was only 1 CC that I thought was best young/fresh, less than 2 years age. A Por Larranaga Robustos de Larranaga Asia Pacific RE 2008.

 

[Smbauer]

I’ll start by saying I’m probably one of the least experienced with CCs here on CigarPass. But for what it’s worth, I’d say 70%-80% of the time if I crack a box and some one ROTT, I’m usually disappointed with the draw. Perhaps that could have something to do with the supplier building a humidity buffer due to longer shipping times, but I couldn’t say for sure. Typically after three weeks or so I’ll revisit and I’m usually much happier. Mind you my cigars are typically 1-2 years of age maximum when I by them, so YMMV.

Yeah, It's my understanding that most vendors store their stock at about 70%, whereas most people store them at 60-65%.
Habanos S.A.'s website actually recommends storing at 65-70%, which is higher than most people do, and being highly humidified does seem to have tighter draws in my experience

 

[BlindedByScience]

Yeah, It's my understanding that most vendors store their stock at about 70%, whereas most people store them at 60-65%.
Habanos S.A.'s website actually recommends storing at 65-70%, which is higher than most people do, and being highly humidified does seem to have tighter draws in my experience

Habanos is correct. Anything below 65% and over time, you run the very real risk of drying out the precious oils in the cigar that make them special. I try to run my big cabinet 68%-ish for aging CC's....which is why you need a small humidor to 'dry box' your cigars for a few days at 60-62% before you smoke them. I picked up one of these for just that purpose:

Artisan Outlaw Humidor

Signify your love of fine cigars with a stunning Artisan Outlaw Humidor humidor from Holt's! We're family owned and operated since 1898.

www.holts.com

It looks cheap but to my pleasant surprise, after seasoning, it holds humidity like a champ. Works fantastically with a tube of Heartfelt beads in it. I'm sure there are lots of other ways to dry box your cigars (I used to just put them in my desk drawer for a couple days) but this works great for me. Keep in mind the wrapper will dry out far, far faster than the filler will....which is why storage in a controlled lower RH environment for a week or so makes all the difference in the world.

 

[ATR1]

I think it depends on the box date stamp MHO and your preference on taste is. The understanding is 1yr. rest from the box date to get thru the sick period. I have a few boxes I picked up last couple of months that are stamped Oct. 20. I will wait to crack them open. You could smoke one then use that as your gauge for few months down the road. Cohiba Siglo & Behike may be different though. Meaning less time. I am not brave enough to buy those yet.

 

[tone-ny]

Aging CCs is a personal preference. There was a period in the early 2000's where the cigars had to be put down for the better part of a year to get rid of the ammonia taste from them. Current production cigars have been very good right away and don't need the sleep factor. Yes cigars do age well like wines. Like in all things YMMV