[quote=tonygraz]I prefer cigars that are good ROTT as there is much less annoyance trying to figure out how long the cigars have rested, particularly since CBID only lists a couple of years now in order history.[/quote]

Sharpie MM/YY of acquisition on the boxes or bundles (for example, you get a box today, mark it 3/18), and when you remove a single from a box or bundle and aren't going to smoke it immediately, just use a Sharpie and copy the box or bundle's date onto the cigar's individual cello. That way if you don't smoke the single and put it back, you'll still know its age.

I've done that since day one, and although I have thousands of cigars now, at a glace I instantly know the month and year I got each box, bundle or single, without need to refer to any records.

Beautifully simple, easy and effective.

Also, if you gift cigars to friends, they too automatically and instantly know, at a glance, how long you've aged them.

.

Done that, gave it up. I now keep a list of every cigar obtained and the date it arrived (close enough for me) among other details.

[quote=Whistlebritches]IMHO No.......hell no.You're right on the edge if not in the mold zone.I keep my sticks at 58-63% with zero mold issues,aged to perfection and smokable anytime I want one.[/quote]

There's another advantage to keeping our cigars in the lower ranges that you and I seem to prefer. If you are unlucky enough to get a cigar contaminated with beetle eggs, at the humidity levels we keep ours at, there is virtually zero chance of those eggs ever hatching.

David

[quote=Pudding Mittens]Sharpie MM/YY of acquisition on the boxes or bundles (for example, you get a box today, mark it 3/18), and when you remove a single from a box or bundle and aren't going to smoke it immediately, just use a Sharpie and copy the box or bundle's date onto the cigar's individual cello. That way if you don't smoke the single and put it back, you'll still know its age.

I've done that since day one, and although I have thousands of cigars now, at a glace I instantly know the month and year I got each box, bundle or single, without need to refer to any records.

Beautifully simple, easy and effective.

Also, if you gift cigars to friends, they too automatically and instantly know, at a glance, how long you've aged them.

.[/quote]

Been using the round Avery stickers and Excel forever.

Most people say Sharpie ink drys without odor, and doesn't bleed thru cello........and I believe them.

I just can't get past that initial smell........and the thought of all those cello wrappers with that ink...........8-[

[quote=Mrs. dpnewell]There's another advantage to keeping our cigars in the lower ranges that you and I seem to prefer. If you are unlucky enough to get a cigar contaminated with beetle eggs, at the humidity levels we keep ours at, there is virtually zero chance of those eggs ever hatching.

David[/quote]

Hi David, been a long time since seeing you around here. Hope all is well.

IIRC the humidity thing was disproven a number of years back by a research group out of Japan. They were getting reliable hatching down into the 30-40 RH range so long as the temperatures were within the tolerated range for the eggs. They were even getting limited hatchings in the high 50F area.

I'll see if I can find a link to the study. It's been years since I looked at it.

Looks like it was a Kansas state MS study where he was referencing other published scientific papers. The Japanese study was kill times for low temp exposure. Back to the humidity... Findings were that below 30% = no hatchings at any temp. 45% to 60% they hatch but larval and pupate stages are prolonged, 70%-80% is ideal humidity for them, above 90% they can hatch into larval stage (which is where they do all the damage) but won't pupate. He goes on to explain how he was growing and harvesting eggs, and it was all being done at 65%RH.

http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/945/ChunYu2008.pdf;sequence=1 

Make of it what you will.

^^^nice^^^

[quote=Thunder.Gerbil]Looks like it was a Kansas state MS study where he was referencing other published scientific papers. The Japanese study was kill times for low temp exposure. Back to the humidity... Findings were that below 30% = no hatchings at any temp. 45% to 60% they hatch but larval and pupate stages are prolonged, 70%-80% is ideal humidity for them, above 90% they can hatch into larval stage (which is where they do all the damage) but won't pupate. He goes on to explain how he was growing and harvesting eggs, and it was all being done at 65%RH.

http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/945/ChunYu2008.pdf;sequence=1 

Make of it what you will.

[/quote]

Interesting info, TG. From personal experience, several years ago, 2011 - 2012 (?), I won a mazo of PDR red labels for dirt cheap (big mistake all the way around). When I received them they where soaking wet and un-smokable. I threw them in one of my coolers that was in the high 50's, on a bottom rack. A couple months latter, I pulled one out, and to my horror, there where beetle holes and two dead, dried out beetles in the celo. I went through the others and found one more with holes and a dried out dead beetle inside. The only conclusion I could come to is that the low humidity of my cooler killed the beetles after they had hatched in the once over humidified cigars, saving the rest of my stash. Either that, or the tobacco used in those PDRs was of such poor quality, the beetles died from food poisoning, LOL.

David

[quote=Mrs. dpnewell]Interesting info, TG. From personal experience, several years ago, 2011 - 2012 (?), I won a mazo of PDR red labels for dirt cheap (big mistake all the way around). When I received them they where soaking wet and un-smokable. I threw them in one of my coolers that was in the high 50's, on a bottom rack. A couple months latter, I pulled one out, and to my horror, there where beetle holes and two dead, dried out beetles in the celo. I went through the others and found one more with holes and a dried out dead beetle inside. The only conclusion I could come to is that the low humidity of my cooler killed the beetles after they had hatched in the once over humidified cigars, saving the rest of my stash. Either that, or the tobacco used in those PDRs was of such poor quality, the beetles died from food poisoning, LOL.

David[/quote]

I'm going to chalk it up to the latter. LOL.

The mature beetles were under the cello, you say? A couple things come to mind as possibilities. I believe they have to fly to mate, and if they were stuck under the cello (they only eat in the larval stage, I'm not even sure they have "mouths" in the adult stage - they certainly can't chew though cello at that point) this could have prevented it. Another is that they never developed wings, below a certain temperature they won't develop wings during pupation, which brings us back to the must fly to mate. Other possibilities include they are not asexual, you could have had two beetles of the same sex hatch. Or they just died before they had a chance to mate. Again, this is all speculative and there are probably a few other possibilities, these are just the ones that come to mind first.

Or you just got lucky.

Well, being PDRs, I'm not so sure about that, but they died.

[quote=Mrs. dpnewell]Interesting info, TG. From personal experience, several years ago, 2011 - 2012 (?), I won a mazo of PDR red labels for dirt cheap (big mistake all the way around). When I received them they where soaking wet and un-smokable. I threw them in one of my coolers that was in the high 50's, on a bottom rack. A couple months latter, I pulled one out, and to my horror, there where beetle holes and two dead, dried out beetles in the celo. I went through the others and found one more with holes and a dried out dead beetle inside. The only conclusion I could come to is that the low humidity of my cooler killed the beetles after they had hatched in the once over humidified cigars, saving the rest of my stash. Either that, or the tobacco used in those PDRs was of such poor quality, the beetles died from food poisoning, LOL.

David[/quote]

This is why everything coming in gets a 72 hour frozen nap before meeting the humidor.It's worked for me the last 7-8 years.

[quote=Whistlebritches]This is why everything coming in gets a 72 hour frozen nap before meeting the humidor.It's worked for me the last 7-8 years.[/quote]

And there you have it, true genius.

If Ron can figure it out, then the rest of you have no excuse.

I have been reading various articles online regarding aging. I found one about the British aging Cuban cigars for 10+ - 20+ years where they spoke of nuances coming out with aging. But I also found an article where they blind tested a new Cuban Partagas against a very well aged identical stick. All the tasters preferred the new stick. I don't know who among us can be sure that our taste buds are sufficiently perceptible to appreciate these nuances if they are indeed revealed with age. I'd hate to purposely tie up a very expensive box of cigars for ten years and then find out I lack the physical attributes to even notice any resultant benefits. Any long term old cigars I have (10+ years) is purely by accident and probably because I did not like them when they were new or the stick held some sentimental value. I am however, a proponent of sitting on cigars that I feel may definitely have potential for a month or two at least. I think the greatest change should probably occur in the early months and then become more and more gradual with time. The internet is full of disagreement about ideal temperature and humidity ranges for both storing and long term aging. My two biggest concerns are being too humid and relatively sudden humidity/ temperature changes. I think a very gradual 10% RH change should not be an issue but that is easier done when the RH is going down then one is trying to gradually bring it back up.

I have to agree with SteveS, higher temp and higher humidity for aging.

I've read this said before here and have actually done some research on it, but alas all I really have is anecdotal evidence because I've never attempted to age cigars.

Padron Family Reserve are a fine, strong, full bodied smoke and are aged at the factory, and I have to assume at more humid / hotter conditions.

But I've had quite a few cigars that were stored at lower temp / lower rh that people sent me that simply dull and lost all their bite (obvious this is not true across the board for all such smokes).

With that said, taste is subjective, but I tend to prefer the well aged cigars that come from the factory than cigars that were stored at 60/65 for 10 years.

I spent a few years in the shallow end of the CI/cbid pool and I'd say maybe 5% of the cigars that could be had for $3 and under improved noticeably with age. (Years, not months...3 months is NOT aging.) In fact, off the top of my head, I can only recall maybe a half dozen. So, I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't worth the time/storage/effort to find those gems. Nearly all cigars that suck today will still suck years from now.

A few that I thought got appreciably better after one (or two) years buried in a cooler...and some of these examples were 6 or more years ago and may not age the same any more:

CI Anniversary

Don Pepin Blue

Ramon B - Genesis

Graycliff Crystal

CI Legend - RP

Perdomo Tierra del Sol - Corona Maduro (no other size/wrapper worth a dime)

Montecristo Serie C

Perdomo ESV 91 maduro

More than half dozen, but at least four there that I don't believe are made anymore

[quote=Thunder.Gerbil]And there you have it, true genius.

If Ron can figure it out, then the rest of you have no excuse. [/quote]

TG you know you can be a real tool most of the time.............the rest of the time you're just annoying,like a good case of hemorrhoids.

Lmao ^^^^^