Resting Cigars
I'm about to get my first humidor tomorrow. I know that I will need to season the humidor for at least a few days before adding my newly purchased cigars; but I'm thinking that I'm going to leave the cello on all of the cigars and I am wondering if that will increase the time that I would need to allow them to rest. I'm thinking that it should take longer for the cigars to get acclimated with the cello on, then if they were naked. Also, this will be my first time seasoning or owning a humidor and any advice would be welcome.
Comments
As far as the cello goes that just comes down to preference and some prefer removing it while others leave it on. I'm one who leaves them on because the cello does breathe and it also helps protects the cigars from damage while shuffling or moving them around. Last thing you want to do is damage a stick while fondling it.
As far as leaving celo on or taking it off its alll personal preference. Whatever way you go it is best to give your cigars a rest of at least 4-5 days if not 2 weeks before smoking just to allow them to acclimate to your humidity and conditions.
Now once you get your 2nd larger humi and it is stable then do some naked for aging, you won't be moving them around as much.
“Cigars should not be consumed during the sick period.”
That’s the clear and unambiguous advice from Nee in An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post- Revolution Havana Cigars. It’s worth noting, because the taste of a cigar changes over time. Nee defines four different stages of aging:
Sick period;
First Maturation;
Second Maturation;
Third Maturation.
The “sick period” is marked by the unpleasant smell of ammonia when smelling the cigars. Nee notes that this is due to the continuing fermentation of the leaves once rolled into cigars and will go away as the cigars are ventilated. He believes that for most cigars, “the ammoniac smell will be over 90% gone in a few months, 95% to 99% gone by the end of the first year and practically all gone by the end of the second year.” This instruction is carried by only one cigar we know of: Rafael Gonzalez. Originated in Cuba in 1928, it has long carried the following notice on the box: “In order that the Connoisseur may fully appreciate the perfect fragrance they should be smoked either within one month of the date of shipment from Havana or should be carefully matured for about one year.”
Nee is concerned exclusively with Cuban-made cigars and does not comment on any differences in manufacture between Cuba and other cigar-producing countries. But among manufacturers for the U.S. market, in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and other countries, the length of time between when leaves are harvested and when they are rolled into cigars is longer, sometimes much longer (like in years). This helps reduce the ammoniac element. And there are manufacturers who hold their made and boxed cigars for weeks up to months to provide some in- the-box aging that will further eliminate the ammonia problem. Thus, most – but not all – cigars on U.S. smokeshop shelves have already passed through the problem stage. The question is then, how will aging improve cigars. The answer can be quite a bit, if you’re willing to be patient.
The legendary cigar merchant and brand icon Zino Davidoff always maintained that cigars should be stored in their original boxes because they “keep working” over time. Nee agrees and he’s willing to be patient:
“Cigars continue to generate pleasant aromas and flavors as a result of the continuous fermentation. These flavors thus increase in intensity with time. And bitterness, believed to be the taste of nicotine, becomes less and less as fermentation causes nicotine to be broken down into simpler molecules.”
While noting that Nee does not claim to be a chemist by profession, he offers the following guidelines for aging cigars into the first maturation period:
For mild cigars, about 2-3 years in standard boxes and 4-5 years in cabinets!
For medium-bodied cigars, five years in regular boxes and 6-8 years in cabinets.
For full-bodied cigars, 7-8 years in standard boxes and 10-15 years in cabinets.
I only know of one guy on here that buys cigars just to age them for years and years. There are probably more but one who really works at it.
I am just too old to make those kind of plans so I guess I will never know.
If I were younger I would probably give it a whirl and build a walk in.