Greetings,

I have a problem.....

some of you may be with me on this......

I hate to smoke HTF never to be made again NC cigars!!

So with that in mind I have a problem......

some of you may be with me on this......

How long before NC's are too old or are over the curve in thier profile....

I have several boxes of NC's that are now 3 years old. I want to smoke them but I just cannot bring myself to break the seal. I am afraid that if I wait to long then they will be way past thier prime and I would just be collecting tobacco...

What say ye.
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I may be in the minority, but NCs are for smokin' and CCs are for agin'!
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Smoke em!!!
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Brother. Great question. What are the sticks you're referring to? My thoughts are the stronger the smoke, Ashton VSG, Opus X, etc. The longer they can rest. The mild to mediums I think would loose the most in a shorter time.
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I've Heard Some NC's Are Past Their Prime After 1 Year, Others , It Depends On The Cigar. I Feel Your Pain, Brother!:-)
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:-)
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I agree with the Gator.

I held onto some Padrons for 3 years and the Law of Diminishing Returns applies.

The old adage is if they are too strong, as some Nics can be, the aging process helps take the bite off them but other than that IMHO smoke them within a certain window.
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IMO Mild to Mediums lose alot of their flavor after 1 year. I had a Carlos Torano 1916 Cameroon a week or so ago with over a year on it and it was flavorless. I had a Montesino Maduro with 10 years on it last year that was awesome. I guess it depends on the stick.
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Mainly Tatuaje. I have some singles of each that are in boxes so I know for now they are still good, I just need that push over the edge to break them open... I hear the SW MAduros are loosing some of thier profile so I think it is time to start smoking them again.... I have a few other boxes that when I open them it will be great but when I smoke the last one I may have to shed a tear.....

I think the statement about original strength is a good one....

Seems I need to stop being sentemental and smoke the dang things....
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I hate Illusione's when they get too old.
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I will volunteer and try these for you on a monthly basis and let you know when they are ready. Its a dirty job but someone has to do it. :-)
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Smoke them Bastards and enjoy every last second of them!
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Well with the NCs you get aged tobacco already so most of them are ready to smoke right away. I like to smoke one or two from a box and then revisit every six months or so. Once they taste too good to pass up I smoke them up. Now that being said I guess I never know what might have been however, what was had was great so really I loose nothing. Some mild smokes I have found still taste great after a few years while some of the NCs with more body and taste start to loose things after as little as 1 or 2 years. I had a box of VSG Tres Mystique that after a year or so I started to see the sweetness go away. I have one or two of those still around now that I think about it I guess I should give it a try and see how they are doing now. Bottom line is I would at least cut those seals and see what you are working with unless you just like having a full box. Your going to smoke them sooner or later any way so why not start now.
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Some cigars age better then others **shrug**

The Franks from 2 years ago are a shadow of what they once were, but I have a (half now) box of OR VSG that are astounding...

~brooks
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I have smoked some aged NC's and thought they were pretty good. Never had one that seemed past it's prime or flavorless.
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I know it depends a lot on the cigar, but I have cigars I bought 10-11 years ago that are still quite smokable. One of the aged brands has gotten a lot milder, but I still enjoy them.
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I don't see any reason why Cubans would get better with age and NCs wouldn't. however, lets keep in mind that age cannot make a diamond out of a turd.
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NC leaf has the privilege of being able to age all of it's leaf years before it hits the wrapping table. Mainly for the fact that NC primary market consists of only one country. Therefore, when we buy a premium NC cigar, the probability is high that the cigar is already at least 3 years old.

On the other hand, with the exception of the United States, B&M's in other counties base most of their cigar sales on Cuban brands. As a result, the overall demand for Cuban cigars is ridiculously high. Because of the high demand, Cuban factories would not be able to meet the demand if they aged their leaf as much as NC factories do. And since 90% of Cuba's total export relies on tobacco, they simply won't. Likewise, the culture surrounding Cuban's and their cigars is that they like fresher leaf. So a consumer buying a Cuban cigar will probably receive a cigar that's six months old, if not younger.

TL;DR When you buy a NC, it's been aged years before you even caught sight of it. When you buy a Cuban, the leaf was probably harvested mere months ago.

And yes, a cremosa that's been aged 10 years is still a cremosa, with dust on it.
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that's different for every stick, just like with Cubans. Some lose flavor after a couple of years, others will still be great after 30 or 40 years

only one way to find out. Break that seal and smoke one.
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Well said! Cigars are for smoking... eventually!
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