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Resting fresh rolled premiums

havanaalhavanaal Posts: 155 ✭✭
in Cigar 101
I hit the Christmas gift jackpot. A friend has a son in law with family in Cuba. He flies back and forth from Havana out of Toronto. This year he came back with a factory fresh box of Montecristos, three of which came to me Merry Christmas. But they came with a warning that these were rolled less than 2 weeks ago. How much time do I need to give these before lighting up?

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    camgfscamgfs Posts: 968 ✭
    The longer the better, and by 'longer' I mean in years, not weeks or months. If you smoke these in a year, they might not be to bad. Any sooner and you can expect some sour, harsh, chemical sorta tastes that will turn you off Cuban cigars forever. Just my opinion, but I'm sure you will hear more of the same from the folks here with experience in Cuban cigars.

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    j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    If it were me, I'd smoke one right away and put the others away for a minimum of 2-3 years. A fresh rolled cigar is a unique experience that, imo, shouldn't be missed.
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    kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    camgfs:
    The longer the better, and by 'longer' I mean in years, not weeks or months. If you smoke these in a year, they might not be to bad. Any sooner and you can expect some sour, harsh, chemical sorta tastes that will turn you off Cuban cigars forever. Just my opinion, but I'm sure you will hear more of the same from the folks here with experience in Cuban cigars.

    agreed. if you smell even a hint of ammonia then you are in for a long resting period.
    id say 2-3 before they become close to what they should be.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
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    RhamlinRhamlin Posts: 8,913 ✭✭✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    camgfs:
    The longer the better, and by 'longer' I mean in years, not weeks or months. If you smoke these in a year, they might not be to bad. Any sooner and you can expect some sour, harsh, chemical sorta tastes that will turn you off Cuban cigars forever. Just my opinion, but I'm sure you will hear more of the same from the folks here with experience in Cuban cigars.

    agreed. if you smell even a hint of ammonia then you are in for a long resting period.
    id say 2-3 before they become close to what they should be.
    Curious Kuzi would you store them in your humi with other cigars or separately ? Just wondering?
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    Leon1072Leon1072 Posts: 48
    This brings a rookie question up from me. How long has a typical off-the-shelf cigar age before it's ready to smoke? I am not talking about the cigars you see in an aging room, just from time it's made until it goes into the humidor at the cigar store ready to purchase. Sorry for asking off the wall questions sometimes, it's just information I am curious about. Thank you everyone and merry Christmas.
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    asianbiker8asianbiker8 Posts: 551 ✭
    I was wondering about this, i'm getting a bunch of aj fernandez fresh rolled cigars and was also wondering about the waiting time with those. Anyone have info on those?
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    havanaalhavanaal Posts: 155 ✭✭
    "The longer the better" is good advice, but come on, I'm not waiting until 2014 to enjoy a cigar! I was thinking some time in March, but maybe not, huh.
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    camgfscamgfs Posts: 968 ✭
    In general, the time between rolling a cigar and ready for sale is about 1 year, but that's just a generalization. For a Cuban cigar, they are not made with aged tobacco unless it is a special release, like a LTD Edition which may have tobacco that's been aged for just 2 years. This means that the Cuban cigar may not be ready to smoke when you purchase it. That's why so many people who smoke a Cuban cigar say that it was harsh, or had an amonia taste or smell to it. That cigar needs to age for a year or 2 before it's even close to being ready to smoke. For me, Cuban cigars start to be ready at 3 years, better after 4 years and ready to be truly enjoyed anything after 5 years.

    That doesn't mean that you can't smoke it sooner, but it won't be at it's best.

    You have to remember that the Dominican 'cuban seed' tobacco is not the same as Cuban tobacco, and that tradition is different. One thing I've seen many times in regards to Cuban cigars is:
    "Five years of rest, to smoke the very best"

    Many would argue about the "very best" part, but the five years of rest does hold true if you want to smoke a cuban cigar that should be fantastic due to it's age.

    Of course I expect to see many different opinions, but in my 30+ years of enjoying Cuban cigars, this is something that I've grown to believe.

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    docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521 ✭
    camgfs pretty much nailed it. If you don't want to wait, then Cuban cigars might not be your thing. It's like buying wine, and laying it down for a decade. The tobacco really needs time to marry, and mature. I would hate for you to smoke these cigars, not enjoy them because they haven't had the time required for them to really marinate, and then think that CC's are a bunch of malarky as a result.
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    kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    Rhamlin:
    kuzi16:
    camgfs:
    The longer the better, and by 'longer' I mean in years, not weeks or months. If you smoke these in a year, they might not be to bad. Any sooner and you can expect some sour, harsh, chemical sorta tastes that will turn you off Cuban cigars forever. Just my opinion, but I'm sure you will hear more of the same from the folks here with experience in Cuban cigars.

    agreed. if you smell even a hint of ammonia then you are in for a long resting period.
    id say 2-3 before they become close to what they should be.
    Curious Kuzi would you store them in your humi with other cigars or separately ? Just wondering?
    it shouldnt matter too much at all. all the non cubans/properly aged cigars in my humidor have already been though that stage with good effect. unless there a bunch of em(so much of them that you get overwhelmed by the smell when you lift the humidor lid), it really doesnt matter.
    Leon1072:
    This brings a rookie question up from me. How long has a typical off-the-shelf cigar age before it's ready to smoke? I am not talking about the cigars you see in an aging room, just from time it's made until it goes into the humidor at the cigar store ready to purchase.


    HERE is a thread that you are going to want to read through.

    this will give you a better timeline on cigars in general. make sure you get more than 5 posts in.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
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    bandyt09bandyt09 Posts: 4,335 ✭✭✭✭✭
    asianbiker8:
    I was wondering about this, i'm getting a bunch of aj fernandez fresh rolled cigars and was also wondering about the waiting time with those. Anyone have info on those?
    The waiting time on these, in my experience, has been how long it takes you to open the box and light one up..........5 to 10 MINUTES should be good. Same thing with the MOW Puro's........................
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    docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521 ✭
    asianbiker8:
    I was wondering about this, i'm getting a bunch of aj fernandez fresh rolled cigars and was also wondering about the waiting time with those. Anyone have info on those?
    The AJF Fresh Rolled aren't actually, truly "FRESH" rolled. The cigars are kept at least long enough for the moisture from rolling to stabilize, and frankly, probably plenty longer, long enough for ammonia to not be a concern at all. I think the Fresh Rolled name is just that... a name.
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    asianbiker8asianbiker8 Posts: 551 ✭
    Cool, thanks for the info guys!
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    laker1963laker1963 Posts: 5,046
    docbp87:
    asianbiker8:
    I was wondering about this, i'm getting a bunch of aj fernandez fresh rolled cigars and was also wondering about the waiting time with those. Anyone have info on those?
    The AJF Fresh Rolled aren't actually, truly "FRESH" rolled. The cigars are kept at least long enough for the moisture from rolling to stabilize, and frankly, probably plenty longer, long enough for ammonia to not be a concern at all. I think the Fresh Rolled name is just that... a name.
    Either that or the tobacco's used are aged long enough prior to the sticks being rolled. I did find them better with a litte rest, and will see what they are like with even more rest in a few months. I was thinking that these don't sit around any warehouse for very long and that may be why the good price point and the name.
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