Stogie Tips: Time to Smoke THAT Cigar
1 Jul 2009
It’s a phenomenon that isn’t unique to cigars: Once you’ve got a good collection you probably find that some truly rare cigars sit in your humidor month after month, year after year.
Maybe it’s a limited edition Opus X with a few years of age, or that last highly acclaimed Cuban that’s been sitting in your humidor for half a decade. It’s like you’re waiting for a perfect cigar moment that may never come.
It’s a problem that isn’t unique to cigars. I’ve heard wine collectors express the same dilemma. With a cellar of thousands of bottles, the very best ones never get opened. Instead, they get passed over as some of them age beyond their peak.
Like wine, many cigars peak after only a bit of aging before going downhill. Other cigars are meant to be smoked soon after they’re released. After all, that’s why the master cigar makers who created them released them when they did.
So don’t wait forever for some perfect situation to smoke that extra special cigar. It might be getting worse, not better, while you patiently pass it over. Instead, make your own occasion to light up that special smoke. Maybe just invite a good cigar-loving friend over, grill up some steaks, and light them up after a dinner where you open that special bottle of wine.
If you’re worried this will leave your humidor without a special smoke, just use a trick that wine collectors do: Every time you smoke a truly special cigar, replace it with two of equal or better quality. Soon you’ll have a nice little collection of extraordinary cigars.
Personally, on the Fourth of July, I’m going to light up an Opus X Chili Pepper that’s been resting for two years. Why wait any longer?
photo credit: VisitingDC
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Just be sure to post a review on the Chili Pepper, Patrick!
That there is some mighty fine advice, Patrick S.
I couldn't agree with you more. So often, we pass over some truly stellar sticks thinking that a better occasion will present itself. Of course, this perfect occurence when the stars are in alignment usually does not come, or when it does, one is not near the humidor. I say smoke them sooner rather than later.
As for me on the Fourth, I will be lighting up a fairly young Cuaba Salomon while watching the fireworks in downtown Annapolis.
For some reason I always drag my feet when it comes to finishing off a box of cigars. If I purchase a special single cigar I have no problem putting it to flame. But when it comes to a box of cigars that I just spent a good deal of time working my way through, I am reluctant to burn those last three or four cigars. I eventually get over it, but those last few cigars in a given box hang around for a long time before I do. It's a weird sickness I know….
Thank you for the reminder. As an aficionado with some 3000+ cigars in my humidor, I sometimes feel more like a collector than a smoker. Waiting for the right moment to enjoy a 'special' cigar is such a huge mistake. I'll guarantee you…if you're gone tomorrow, the guy who ends up with your smokes at the estate sale, won't enjoy them half as much as you would have. Carpe Diem
Two of the WSJ's wine columnists have created a successful annual traditional of "Open That Bottle" night in which readers are encouraged to open a special bottle and send in stories about their experience. Maybe you guys should start the same thing with cigars, an annual "Light that Stogie" night. What do you think?
Each gathering of our cigar club results in at least one "heirloom" being torched. This is a good thing, of course.
Patrick, thanks for your quality info and great insight into one of our favorite pastimes (if not if not lifestyle)..I would humbly like to add that sometimes, all those flavors, hints of tastes, etc..just don't mean anything…many an afternoon I've sat in my backyard and pondered what I was tasting and how I would describe it…often times, I come up with..'I don't know..its just a darn good cigar!' Cheers to all and prosperous smoking…
I find the best time to smoke a special stick is "whenever I feel like it." This past week's typhoon (Haiyan) destroyed most of the surrounding communities, while my home remained miraculously untouched (despite being directly under the storm). There's absolutely no time like the present for enjoying one (or in my case, a whole weekend's worth) of those rare sticks from the humidor. Time to restock, I guess 🙂