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How long should tobacco be aged before smoking?

newbiesmoker24newbiesmoker24 Posts: 94
in Cigar 101
This question came up in my other thread regarding a cuban montecristo.
Question 1: How long does tobacco need to be aged (after plucking from the plant until it is lit up) for it to be pleasing to the palate?
Question 2: What happens chemically to the tobacco that makes it more or less pleasing to the palate during aging?

discuss.....

Comments

  • RBeckomRBeckom Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭
    I grew tobacco for the first time this year. After air drying for A period of twelve weeks I rolled A small cigar that smelled great, had good tobacco flavor and A decent burn. Most people recommend A fermentation period of four to six weeks at 70% humidity and about 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This dissipates the ammonia in the tobacco as well as completing the curing cycle. Do A simple search like " tobacco curing chamber" and you'll find A wealth of knowledge on the subject.
  • The SniperThe Sniper Posts: 3,910 ✭
    Somewhere on these forums, kuzi (I believe, although it may have been Alex Svenson) laid out a nice timeline of how the entire process goes. Anyone hook this fine gentleman up with a link to that please?

  • LasabarLasabar Posts: 4,472 ✭✭✭
    I think it all depends on the climate, the type of leaf, the way it was grown etc. that can change how much "AGE" should be given. I believe that as long as the Ammonia is gone then it is ready to smoke, but ANY tobacco leaf for a cigar will get better and better as it ages more and more
  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521 ✭
    Hoping Alex will weigh in here, as he really knows his stuff on this subject.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    docbp87:
    Hoping Alex will weigh in here, as he really knows his stuff on this subject.
    have faith. i could step in with my old thread on this topic...
    oh wait.
    i just did
    EPIC LINK


    hope that helps.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • newbiesmoker24newbiesmoker24 Posts: 94
    kuzi16:
    docbp87:
    Hoping Alex will weigh in here, as he really knows his stuff on this subject.
    have faith. i could step in with my old thread on this topic...
    oh wait.
    i just did
    EPIC LINK


    hope that helps.
    Thanks Kuzi... that was absolutely an EPIC link!!!!!

    People were saying on other threads that sometimes the Cuban cigars are still "young" because the manufacturers shorten or skip some of the steps. . For obvious reasons, skipping curing and fermentation is an impossibility for the leaves to be smoke-able or even roll-able. I am guessing the only step they could realistically cut out would be aging, and therefore the only complaint you could have is that the cigar didn't taste as smooth because the tobacco didn't biologically break down or "settle" as long in it's rolled form.
  • newbiesmoker24newbiesmoker24 Posts: 94
    Diamondog also posted this on my other thread and this is the information I was looking for... response #6 by Alex Svenson....http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/49484.aspx
  • RBeckomRBeckom Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭
    A lot of good information has been posted here. I've also gained A great amount of knowledge from this post. I'm in the proses of building A curing chamber of which I'll post pictures of as soon as I learn how to post them. Any more information on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
  • The_KidThe_Kid Posts: 7,869 ✭✭✭
    I havent found the exact link I mentioned earlier but I found a couple others
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGN63RJCYHE&feature=related
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTtobtqOits&NR=1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uR0mQeJ7LA&feature=related

    BTW Cigar.com has the best customer service I've experienced from a premium cigar retailer..They have numerous links of info many of which can be found at

    http://www.cigar.com/podcast/index.asp

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