Resting vs aging are two different things and when it comes to resting cigars I tend to advocate this process because it does balance out "some" of those brands that are medium to full. You'd have to know your own stock in order to practice this and it means you'd have to have enough time and experience in knowing certain brands. I've been a cigar smoker for 50 years so I know what those brands are..( for me ) and I tend to rest cigars for at least 3 months. When I buy a cigar brand that I don't know much about I'll buy 3 of them or a 5 pack depending on the reviews I read. The first one I smoke after 30 days to get a baseline then the next one I smoke after 3, 6, 9 months and then at a year. This gives me enough data to know at what point they smoke the best. CC's tend to do well with more rest while NC's tend to not need more than 9 months to a year of it. Remember as well that cigars go through a "sick period" where ammonia is present and that makes for those acrid smoking times where that cigar tastes like crap...when you light up you can tell when ammonia is present just by the flame.
Like Gray I like to let my cigars set about a week in my humi to get to the humidity I like. But sometimes I just can't help myself and just have to have it ASAP .
Not gonna touch the freezing part..nor the aging part.. As far as the resting goes, I will often consider the source, the type/ brand of a cigar and how long it was in transit.. I tend to rest the higher quality cigars more than the lower ,,, there are some cigar brands like Viaje that I wont touch for at least 4-6 months, Thats just because my experience tells me thats what works for that brand..If were talking a connecticut I usually just out of experience am not as concerned about resting those for any significant amount of time, though I do have some aged connies , kinda depends on a lot of factors,, longer shipment times,, longer rest.. If I get a stick from a brother who I know takes care of their sticks with a sticker on it saying it has been around 4 months or so,, and it was only 2 days in transit.. I may light that puppy up only after a couple days rest if Im eager to try the blend for one reason or another.. Ive smoked stuff rott just to get a baseline on the stick,, maybe I need to move on a deal or something and want to have a general idea of what its characteristics are or perhaps I am already familiar with that stick and dont feel a need for a long rest ,, I believe some sticks are just more tempermental than others,, funny,, but dont know another way to put it.,, Relax and Enjoy em
If it goes into a wineador IMO a week should do if just a normal humi I tend to wait a few weeks but as stated sometimes you can't help yourself!! But I find rest is really needed unless its winter when temps are down
If it goes into a wineador IMO a week should do if just a normal humi I tend to wait a few weeks but as stated sometimes you can't help yourself!! But I find rest is really needed unless its winter when temps are down
Exactly! I'm wanting to try all my new stuff an I can't help myself. I'm getting ready for a party where I'm gonna serve cigars and I've really stocked up lately. Everything should have at least couple of weeks rest by then but I can't help tasting the new stuff and I figure I'm not giving them a fair assessment by being impatient. What I'm really curious to know is would you (or anybody) put a number on the difference between rest and no rest. 50% better with rest? 20%? Maybe that's asking too much from a subjective judgement for someone to put a number on it. All blends being different and all. Thanks guys for all the replies so far.
When I buy stuff from a B&M, I smoke it right away. Sometimes right there in the store if it's cold out. When receiving a shipment, even if it's just a few days, I ALWAYS let it rest in my humi for a week. But a week, not 3 months.
A week allows the cigar to normalize when it's been shipped in varying humidity and temperature. The cigar burns better and in general tastes better after a week. 3 months is where we're getting into aging. And is 3 months enough time to properly age a full flavored cigar? I dont think so but do what you want.
I don't care where I bought it, I rarely smoke a cigar until it's been in my humi for at least a week, preferably two months. New releases or fresh boxes need a couple months to get rid of the ammonia taste. I cannot tell you how many times I have had a terrible experience ROTT or right from the shop. Some shops humidify so poorly I wait 6 months. Fluctuation is not a good thing, stability is. Does that mean I don't get excited sometimes and smoke something 3 days after I got it??? Of course I do... But I follow a strict rule for a reason. Too many bad experiences and not enough good ones. When I buy cigars, I wait 2-6 months in my humis before I smoke them.
Freezing is fine, and necessary if you do not have temp control for habanos. I also freeze NC's during the summer at times. I've seen my fair share of beetles in my mailbox, it's worth the peace of mind. I do 24 in fridge, 7 in freezer, 1 in fridge, and one room temp, then a month in humi. BTW...for what it's worth, I've heard from famous blenders that they prefer 30 days freezing off the rolling table.
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