Comments on: Aging Report: Camacho Havana Monarca

By: ibosmiley

ibosmiley — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:10:23 +0000

I think it really depends on the cigar… some cigars are great out of the box, some are better with age. I also find when some cigar lines are newly released, they sometimes tend to be a little young and need a little more age on them to really mature into their flavor.

By: Thomas Huxley

Thomas Huxley — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:44:39 +0000

I just opened a year-old box of Camacho Havana Nacionales. What a disappointment! Bitter and foul, with a finish that could only be described as roofing asphalt. And aging is supposed to improve a good cigar? These may be headed for the garbage bin. . . .

By: Mixed Filler: A Blog Sampler for 3.27.08 — The Box Press

Mixed Filler: A Blog Sampler for 3.27.08 — The Box Press — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:50:26 +0000

[...] are everywhere this week. Cigarfan at Keepers of The Flame had an aged Camacho Havana Monarca last week, and tries the Camacho 1962 Robusto this [...]

By: cigarfan

cigarfan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:08:07 +0000

It’s a little discouraging when Min Ron Nee says something like “very nice after five years” and goes on to recommend 20 for full appreciation. Sorry mate, it ain’t happening. I don’t have the facilities or the patience. (Or the wealth to acquire vintage cigars.)

Despite all this, I’m still curious from a theoretical POV. I can exercise a bit of restraint (a bit) and see what happens.

And if Dion is right, it’s going to be a shorter experiment than I anticipated. Can we can expect a really specially limited edition Illusione in 2011?

By: lucky7

lucky7 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:54:07 +0000

Of all things surrounding this wonderful pastime of ours, cigar aging do’s and don’t are the toughest to figure out. It just takes too long. I think, like many folks, early on I made the assumption prevailing discussion was correct. Age, for cigars, was a great thing … across the board. Like you, I am now of the opinion it is as much personal taste as most other parts of the cigar experience. The evolution of a smoker’s palette over time has a major impact as well.

George E has some interesting tidbits. I found this article titled “Cigar Aging” by Steve Saka interesting as well.

Been thinking about Pepin’s aging opinion since we read that CS thread. I don’t know I can trust the aging opinion of someone so close to the manufacture of cigars. They must evaluate and select freshly fermented tobaccos for their blends and quality control the smokes as they come off the line. They are so used smoking fresh it has become their preference … maybe. Just my opinion.

My oldest stick is one Hoyo De Monterrey Petit Robusto aging since May 2005. This vitola was my first ISOM experience and quite a little powerhouse it was. Had one from the same batch last summer and it still packed quite a punch but was much more balanced. I’m going to try to make my last one the first cigar to reach 5 years within my collection.

Just remember though … if Dion Giolito is right, none of us should be worried about aging anything past December 2012 anyway!

By: I am Jack's Brain

I am Jack's Brain — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:54:52 +0000

As someone who never smokes cigars quick enough I always end up smoking something with a few years age on it. My experience has been the majority of cigars don’t age well. Mild (in flavor) cigars only get milder, but medium to full flavored seem to fair better.

Now I want to find something older in my humidor.

By: cigarfan

cigarfan — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:20:43 +0000

Here’s a link to George’s article , a good summary of the current thoughts on cigar aging.

My experience so far has been that you’re right, George. In most cases long-term aging is not beneficial. But keeping in mind the opinions of vintage cigar smokers I’m hesitant to make a general statement to that effect. I’m going to keep at it for a while with my puny little collection of “aged” smokes and see what happens.

By: George E.

George E. — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:56:42 +0000

I’ve explored this topic quite a bit and written on it as well, primarily for the Doc at StogieFresh.com. And I still haven’t really reached any iron-clad conclusions. My general sense, though, is that most quality cigars these days are, like most wines, made to be enjoyed when they are produced and not after lengthy aging periods. In many cases, I don’t think aging will make a lot of difference and can, as you discovered, result in losing some flavor. Of course, that’s only my opinion.

By: The Stogie Review » Check this out - Week 9 (2008)

The Stogie Review » Check this out - Week 9 (2008) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:02:00 +0000

[...] of the Flame: Tom gives us his report of an aged Camacho Havana from [...]

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 06:49:03 +0000

Burnt rubber. Yikes. Thanks for the heads up, because I have about 30 Camacho H2s (exact same blend as yours, as I understand it, but packed in the round instead of the square press) that I should probably start smoking a little faster. They’re a couple of years old. When I last smoked one they were holding up fine, but better safe than sorry. I’m going to step it up.

And yes, I too would have expected the Camacho Havana to age gracefully.