Noob Question about aging cigars

[coopsdeloops]

Hi Folks,
First time I've posted a question so I hope you don't all flame me at once.

I've been reading a lot of forums that mention "potential for aging" or "tastes young".

I did a search on "aging" and came up with this link discussing cigars being better when aged, which of course I know. But it didn't answer my question.

What does a "young cigar" taste like? How can you tell it being young? How can one tell you're getting a well-aged cigar?

How can you tell if a cigar has "aging potential"? Seems like any cigar has "potential" since they never get worse with age, granted if you store them correctly in you humidifier.

Are there certain flavors that are more prevalent in a young or un-aged cigar that are less so in an aged cigar? Are there visual clues that can give you hints?

Thanks for the help, and sorry if I am repeating a thread, but I honestly did look for a thread on this topic.

Best,

Cooper

 

[Kid Montana]

If you want to know what young tastes like, sample some Johnny-O! If you want to know what aged tastes like, sample a Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro. Both are superb cigars but are wonderful in different ways.

 

[LarryH]

Hi Folks,
First time I've posted a question so I hope you don't all flame me at once.

I've been reading a lot of forums that mention "potential for aging" or "tastes young".

I did a search on "aging" and came up with this link discussing cigars being better when aged, which of course I know. But it didn't answer my question.

What does a "young cigar" taste like? How can you tell it being young? How can one tell you're getting a well-aged cigar?

How can you tell if a cigar has "aging potential"? Seems like any cigar has "potential" since they never get worse with age, granted if you store them correctly in you humidifier.

Are there certain flavors that are more prevalent in a young or un-aged cigar that are less so in an aged cigar? Are there visual clues that can give you hints?

Thanks for the help, and sorry if I am repeating a thread, but I honestly did look for a thread on this topic.

Best,

Cooper

If you buy a box of cheap cigars that taste like crap from the Devil's Site and age them for 3 or 4 years they will still tase like crap.

 

[The Black Cloud]

I can only relate this to good beer, as I still haven't experienced it with cigars.

Young: harsh, incongruent, overwhelming at times.
Aged: Smooth, subtle, "harmonious".

Also, aging a Bud Lite ain't gonna turn it into a fine wine.

 

[souldog]

Nothing wrong Coop, we're here to help. Aging a cigar takes time and patience. Like TBC said, you can't make a Bud Light taste better after 5 years of rest, so keep that in mind.

Buy yourself a box (or 5'er if on a budget) of Padron 2000 Maduros. Smoke one, then let it sit in your humidor. Why I recommend a box is because every couple months, pull one out and smoke it and see if you start realizing the change in taste. After a couple years of age, those suckers will be AMAZING. Trust me.

Also, have good storage conditions. You can't put a refurbished 1960s hotrod in a leaky termite-eaten rat infested garage. If you do, your car wont be as nice in a few years. Make sure you have a good humidor with a good seal that can hold well.

 

[lherzolite]

I'm certainly no expert, but here's my two cents:

Fermenting tobacco produces ammonia (breakdown of ammonium nitrate in the leaf). If the tabacco used to make a cigar has not been fully fermented, you'll get an ammonia taste. Aging these sticks allows the fermenting process to complete.

You will also hear about aging letting the different flavors of the different leafs meld and/or become less harsh. From my experience (not much) this can result in either better more distinct flavors, or loss of flavors. For example, one of my favorite sticks are J Fuego Corojos. For my tastes they just seem to lose the flavor that I really like in them as the age. Another example are LG Diez sticks. When these are young I find them sort of harsh and lacking any real distinct flavors. As they age they become wonderful flavorful sticks. I'm guessing that it all depends on the particular tobacco, and how long the tobacco has been aged before rolling the sticks.

I don't think there are any tell tale visual signs that can tell you much about aging potential. At least for me the only thing I've been able to go by is whether or not the flavors are sort of harsh. Its also just trial and error. If I don't like a particular stick, I'll let them sit for several months and try them again.

 

[bluue13]

Buy yourself a box (or 5'er if on a budget) of Padron 2000 Maduros. Smoke one, then let it sit in your humidor. Why I recommend a box is because every couple months, pull one out and smoke it and see if you start realizing the change in taste. After a couple years of age, those suckers will be AMAZING. Trust me.

This is seriously great advice on learning about aging. Prob the recommendation to everyone for their first aged box is a box of Padron 2000 mad. I took the advice of everyone here and did this same thing and you truly can notice a difference from the first one to the last a year later. You just have to be willing to be patient. Its a great way to learn about what changes in the flavor, intensity, etc. Keep a dated log each time you try one and take notes.

Good luck!

 

[coopsdeloops]

Nothing wrong Coop, we're here to help. Aging a cigar takes time and patience. Like TBC said, you can't make a Bud Light taste better after 5 years of rest, so keep that in mind.

Buy yourself a box (or 5'er if on a budget) of Padron 2000 Maduros. Smoke one, then let it sit in your humidor. Why I recommend a box is because every couple months, pull one out and smoke it and see if you start realizing the change in taste. After a couple years of age, those suckers will be AMAZING. Trust me.

Also, have good storage conditions. You can't put a refurbished 1960s hotrod in a leaky termite-eaten rat infested garage. If you do, your car wont be as nice in a few years. Make sure you have a good humidor with a good seal that can hold well.

Hey, thanks for this advice! I'll do exactly what you said. I love Padron Maduros as it is. This just gives me a good reason to buy more!

I'm certainly no expert, but here's my two cents:

Fermenting tobacco produces ammonia (breakdown of ammonium nitrate in the leaf). If the tabacco used to make a cigar has not been fully fermented, you'll get an ammonia taste. Aging these sticks allows the fermenting process to complete.

You will also hear about aging letting the different flavors of the different leafs meld and/or become less harsh. From my experience (not much) this can result in either better more distinct flavors, or loss of flavors. For example, one of my favorite sticks are J Fuego Corojos. For my tastes they just seem to lose the flavor that I really like in them as the age. Another example are LG Diez sticks. When these are young I find them sort of harsh and lacking any real distinct flavors. As they age they become wonderful flavorful sticks. I'm guessing that it all depends on the particular tobacco, and how long the tobacco has been aged before rolling the sticks.

I don't think there are any tell tale visual signs that can tell you much about aging potential. At least for me the only thing I've been able to go by is whether or not the flavors are sort of harsh. Its also just trial and error. If I don't like a particular stick, I'll let them sit for several months and try them again.

I'm not science genius like yourself, but that's really good information. I've never heard of cigars LOSING flavor with age, but I'm glad to hear that it's possible!

I can only relate this to good beer, as I still haven't experienced it with cigars.

Young: harsh, incongruent, overwhelming at times.
Aged: Smooth, subtle, "harmonious".

Also, aging a Bud Lite ain't gonna turn it into a fine wine.

Thanks buddy. I'll try to stay away from the Bud Light cigars. I remember trying a Factory 59 the first time and being like "this is interesting!". Gone are those days, and my time is worth more than the time it takes for one of those duds to burn!

 

[tomthirtysix]

How can you tell if a cigar has "aging potential"? Seems like any cigar has "potential" since they never get worse with age, granted if you store them correctly in you humidifier.

That's not necessarily true. Some cigars are "better" fresh, and some that you age "peak" at a certain age, and head downhill. The reason I use the quotes is that it's all according to your tastes. The method Jon mentioned is one I recommend, too. Get yourself a box, smoke one every 2 months. That box will last you ~4 years. Hell, might want to get 2 boxes for this experiment, because sometimes 4 years isn't enough.

 

[Aussie Shaun]

What John ( Souldog ) said about the Padrons is a really good example, because I had a dozen Palmas sitting in my Humi and smoked them over time and each one was different and better than the last one.

 

[coopsdeloops]

If you want to know what young tastes like, sample some Johnny-O! If you want to know what aged tastes like, sample a Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro. Both are superb cigars but are wonderful in different ways.

Sorry again for a noob question, but I've never heard of a Johnny-O, and when i googled it I didn't come up with anything. Can someone tell me what it is or where I can get one?

 

[tomthirtysix]

If you want to know what young tastes like, sample some Johnny-O! If you want to know what aged tastes like, sample a Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro. Both are superb cigars but are wonderful in different ways.

Sorry again for a noob question, but I've never heard of a Johnny-O, and when i googled it I didn't come up with anything. Can someone tell me what it is or where I can get one?

Take a look here