It's kind of a slow evening, so I'd thought I'd share this with you guys. I've smoked quite a few cigars since I got into the hobby a few years ago, and have a pretty-good sized collection now (think in the hundreds). Like everyone else, I've tried just about everything out there, from the-company-that-shall-not-be-named house blends to fan favourites. It's funny, but the best cigars I have however are affectionately referred to by me as those that have "been through he ll". Let me explain.
When I first got into cigars, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. I'd buy sampler packs of the good, the bad, and the ugly to see what I liked. But what those early cigars went through! Let's see, first I would remove the cellophane, then keep them in a "humid" environment of 80%+. Found out that was too wet, so I panicked and went the other route, two months in the low 50's. When I found out that that was way too low, I tried to (quickly) re-humidify them by keeping them naked in the bathroom during showers. This caused wrapper damage on a few, but surprisingly most still looked o.k. Well, I got them too wet again, so I laid them out in front of a fan for a few days to dry. Things kind of went on like this as I learned more about the hobby. New purchases were handled properly, but those early ones I was trying to get in a 'smokable' condition, neither too dry nor too wet. I was scared they were ruined. They truly went through hell (did I mention the time I put them in a box with straight-out-of-the-oven kitty litter?)
Fast forward many, many cigars and a whole heap of knowledge and wisdom later. Now I use the proper equipment, digitals and resting time and proper rotation, but you know, those old cigars that "went through he ll" are the best smokes that I have. Even the cheaper ones are outstanding. I can remove the band, give them to a fellow cigar lover, and they are blown away when they find out what they are smoking and the story behind them.
There aren't many of these he llish cigars left in my stash and now they are strictly a special occasion smoke. The best thing I ever smoked was one of these, a Victor Sinclair Primeros. I've never been able to even remotely reproduce what I got from that cigar, but I'd pay $300.00 for a box of 19 more if I could. It was that dam good.
I know it sounds crazy, and I'll never be able to replace them, but those old cigars that were abused by my novice hands are really something special today. They say that the best wine comes from vines that have to be coaxed to live, that must struggle to stay alive. Well, those cigars certainly struggled.
They went through he ll
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