Changing tastes

[BenMN]

I feel like I've learned quite a bit over the past few years- most importantly, the effect of rest if not outright age (I understand the utility of differentiating)

Our thread on age/rest

Even so, I still get the sense that I'm smoking a bit early.
Or perhaps on the upslope is a more positive frame. 2 months is good, but 6 is better. As is 12.

I find myself happy to have amassed a respectable collection of cigars since spring. I'm also grateful that I'm able to do this, and grateful to my teachers. I'm looking forward to next summer, when I'll have plenty to smoke with 1+ year of age.

More out of curiosity than anything else, I wonder how your taste in cigars has changed or evolved over the years. @'olbuzzsaw recently commented about such, with regards to a nice Davidoff, which it sounds like was #5 from a fiver.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Or perhaps on the upslope is a more positive frame. 2 months is good, but 6 is better. As is 12.

Definitely different, but not always better.

 

[dottlejockey]

For one, my preference in vitola has certainly changed. I started off with robustos and torpedos, and now my favorites are coronas and lanceros.
Another difference is that i now only smoke higher end Dominican sticks and favor Nicaraguan tobacco almost exclusively for mid-lower price points.
Some of the best aging cigars i've experienced are Opus, Padron Anniversary series, (Cuban) Partagas Serie P No.2, (Cuban) Bolivar Belicoso Finos, Tatuaje black (especially the early releases), and there are many others. But like all things pertaining to taste, to @Chasing Embers point - age simply causes changes and whether or not those are an improvement depends on each one's tastes. The cigars i've listed above are some that i personally appreciate with more time.

 

[pantsBoots]

I started smoking robustos and toros, mostly online-only brands and similar ilk from cigarbid (God, what a shady outfit they are - how are they still in business?). Gurkhas, Rocky Patel, Alec Bradley - a bunch of what I consider meme brands. I was able to secure a few Cubans and a few other premiums here and there and that's really what started educating my palate and preference in vitola. Within a couple short years, I was purchasing boxes of them and my preferred vitola got skinnier and skinnier; for years I simply did not smoke anything over 50 RG and 90% of what I smoked was Cuban with Fuente making up most of the rest.

I considered myself stocked up around 2018 and decided to leisurely smoke through what I had, replacing boxes as I had room. Then, COVID hit, supply dried up, so I started exploring all of the non-cuban options I had missed out from the previous 10 years. One of the problems I discovered was that many, many non-cubans simply don't improve with age; most Cubans need at least a few years to my taste, with many needing closer to 10 to really shine. A lot of Nicaraguans especially, but also from other countries, turn into an ashy-tasting mess after a couple years. If you've ever tried an aged Liga Privada, you may know what I'm talking about.

Another problem with non-cubans is you generally have to make do with cigars 46 RG and above (far above). I discovered that the Cubans mastered the skinny cigar, but whether it's leaf genetics, processing methods, or some other factor, non-cuban skinnies are usually NOT the best representation of any given blend. To that end, I no longer go for the skinniest vitola before purchasing a box to age - I'll try a few of the sizes (unless 60 RG or above) and select based on what I think has legs to improve.

What else? I found renewed love for Dominican leaf and a brand new love for Honduran leaf; I used to think I hated Honduran leaf, but now consider it the closest you can get to the Cuban flavor profile (if that's your thing). The Aladino Corojo line is not only a worthy continuation of the old Eiroa Camachos, but the tobacco is really top notch and I'm eager to see how they age. I still don't like Nicaraguan tobacco, excepting a few manufacturers because that "Nicaraguan twang" still is too sour and results in ham-fisted blends that lack finesse.