Bitterness

christian1971

Can a cigar "improve" with a few weeks rest? I had a cigar the other day that was wonderful. Had that same brand rott and it tasted bitter. Was an Avo  Syncro Nicaragua. Didn't get the same sweet and toasty aroma. Does the bitterness go away?

0patience

yes

christian1971

now that I think about it, I had a Ramon Bueso Genesis that tasted bitter rott. After a few weeks it was a different cigar.

jarubla

Let them rest. In the summer they get hot and ROTT they are in a sick phase. 

During the cooler months, not so much of an issue

-Jay

christian1971

It is damn humid today. Cool temps do seem to make stogies smell better. I think I just needed some affirmation that the bitterness will most likely go away. 

Bob_Luken

I never smoke anything ROTT. I wait at least two weeks if they're shipped to me. But, if I bring it home from a B&M, it's ready to smoke. 

Albinfk

The let them rest part ROTT I get and makes sense. The part about aging them also makes sense to me. The part I don't get is how do you know they have not been sitting around in some warehouse for 6 months to a year or longer getting mellow. Don't see any "born on dates" on any of the boxes I buy.  

Lee.mcglynn

I'll be as polite as I can on this one...you have been a member of the forum for 6 years!!!!!! You have a few hundred posts and well I have said this to you before...have you learned nothing?! Or do you pop up every couple of monthes to ask questions that have been answered time and time again. And haven't you learned any of this from the last six years?! Do you think Gurkha is the rolls Royce of cigars?! Do you think cc's are the "strongest" cigars on the market?! I just don't get it,a six year vet with noob questions

Dark_Roast

Lee.mcglynn said:

I'll be as polite as I can on this one...you have been a member of the forum for 6 years!!!!!! You have a few hundred posts and well I have said this to you before...have you learned nothing?! Or do you pop up every couple of monthes to ask questions that have been answered time and time again. And haven't you learned any of this from the last six years?! Do you think Gurkha is the rolls Royce of cigars?! Do you think cc's are the "strongest" cigars on the market?! I just don't get it,a six year vet with noob questions

50 First Dates.

Yakster

Play this video every morning.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdJsrcWx7tM

christian1971

As I said before, I just needed some affirmation that cigars will improve. Its nice to get feedback from an online member. Maybe I had a bad day or something and just needed a reminder. I was bummed out that my cigars were tasting bad. I googled the topic. Just feels better to get a "live" response telling you its gonna be ok buddy. If the question drives you nuts, just avoid it and move on.

Bob_Luken

christian1971 said:

As I said before, I just needed some affirmation that cigars will improve. Its nice to get feedback from an online member. Maybe I had a bad day or something and just needed a reminder. I was bummed out that my cigars were tasting bad. I googled the topic. Just feels better to get a "live" response telling you its gonna be ok buddy. If the question drives you nuts, just avoid it and move on.

But,........ you ARE glad he was polite? Right?

Albinfk

Gotta love it @christian1971. I ask stupid questions all the time and sometimes get really stupid answers. Most of the time however I get what I need and more. Have a great day.

christian1971

It's all good. I'm not the brightest bulb. My wife can attest to that. 

Diver43

Being fairly new, I had this question myself.  Ordered some cigars online, had smoked one gifted to me and thought it was great. When my package arrived the cigar was extremely bitter and harsh. I felt bad thinking that I bought a bad batch or something. After they sat in my humidor from May till the first of Sept the one I had the other night tasted great.

raisindot

Yeah, I used to be a non-believer in the whole "let 'em rest" philosophy but after accumulating so many I have noted that rest does settle 'em down. Of course, what a lot of rest often does is "mute" the spiciness of strong cigars and make them milder, which can change their character. I've had plenty of cigars I bought for their spiciness become quite mild after as little as 3-4 months in my humidor. It's kind of a subjective notion as to whether age improves any given cigar. 

90+_Irishman

I'd say to "properly" age you need to know the smoke pretty well, as well as your own palate and a decent understanding of how age will affect that particular smoke. Meaning you have to know the profile you enjoy smoking best, the starting point of the cigar you're planning to lay down and how much they calm down and marry after X months. Once you know those things you can effectively age and mature a cigar in a way that you know will be beneficial for the profile and type of cigar you best enjoy. A clear understanding of the variables and how time changes them is key here. 

Brett

peter4jc

Great post, Brett.

It brings to mind, once again, the difference in the terms resting and aging, when you mentioned knowing the 'starting point' of a cigar.  Last year we were buying some old Camacho's that were buried in a warehouse - the card inside the box signed and dated by the roller - from '06.  So those could use some resting to bring them to the humidity/temp we prefer, but they've already been aged.  At the other end of the spectrum are the new releases, just arriving; they should be rested at the very least, and probably aged too.  The problem is, apart from the new releases or fresh-rolled, most manufacturers don't put the date on the boxes, so we never know the starting date.

90+_Irishman

Thanks Peter and I completely agree that a lack of box dating makes things difficult. Anything I buy unless I already know the age or release date of I just assume is 0 months and start counting from here after I date the box that day myself. 

Brett

GrouchoM

christian1971 said:

now that I think about it, I had a Ramon Bueso Genesis that tasted bitter rott. After a few weeks it was a different cigar.

Ok, so it wasn't me. I smoked two and found them slightly bitter, but also felt there was a good cigar in the blend. Think I've read they require a lot of rest. Thanks. 

Diver43

Being new to all this, I used to think that a cigar was at it finest as it came off the rollers table. First ones I smoked I watched get rolled in key west and they were smoked within a couple weeks.  Fast forward to recently and a friend got me started on the finer cigars, learned a little about humidors and cutters and even lighting sitting by his pool with a cold drink.  Well, the interwebs are full of information as long as you go through it and figure out was is generic, horse you know what and fact.  Prime example is cigars should be kept between 65-75% humidity. Well with the A/C running daily in South Florida, and the humidity doubling when you walk outside.  So allowing your smoke to sit a few minutes before lighting helps get things equal.  Yup I picked that up here.  This place is so full of cigar knowledge I don't think I will ever catch up, but thanks to all for sharing what you have already done the experiments on.