Resting Cigars Upon Delivery - Q&A Series with Rob Ayala

I am an impulsive individual. Many of us are and so it is bloody difficult to receiving a new box of cigars from overseas or interstate and putting them down for a rest period. This is especially true for cigars that we haven’t tried before or old favourites that we have simply run out of.

To be honest, I don’t always. I will sometimes try one cigar from the box within a few days to enable a baseline tasting profile. Generally, the cigar will be good or slightly closed in terms of complexity. Let’s say that the cigar tasted ROTT (Right Off The Truck) hits the 88-89 point mark. As I said, it is a good cigar. I will then put the rest of the box away for 90 days for the next tasting. If that next cigar hits the 88-90/91 point mark, I will put the box away for a year minimum.

What am I looking for in a cigar? Crikey, if I am smoking sub $15 cigars, I am looking for consistent 90-92 point experiences.  If I am paying more than $15, and in Cubans these days you generally are, then I am looking for consistent 92+ point experiences.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

However, what if that first cigar I taste upon arrival hits a 93 level?  It does happen!

Well, I will still put the rest of the box away for 90 days and try again. If the next is 93+, I will take the box and put it into my general rotation until I hit a back-to-back pair that is sub-93. Then I put the remaining box away for a year minimum.  I would be shithouse at playing a game show where offered the $250,000 now or the potential $1000,000 if I pick the correct slot/box. God, give me the $250K every time! I am happy smoking 93+ cigars regularly. I am not ageing for the elusive 98 pointer. Keep in mind that what goes up will come down (blokes know this). I have overaged many boxes in my time believing in the 97/8/9 miracle only to see them go in reverse.

Resting is not ageing so we will keep the discussion on ageing for another day.

Why is resting cigars even an issue?

Well, freight travel anomalies are real. Temperature and air pressure fluctuations over weeks can cause havoc. Hell, it causes havoc on me and freight doesn’t travel business class!

Generally, the minimum accepted rule is 30 days to acclimatize in your humidor. 60 better. 90 is ideal.

How do I know this isn’t all “hocus pokus?” Well, that is why I don’t mind trying a cigar upon arrival. It provides the tasting baseline for the follow up cigar in 90 days. You will learn “grasshopper”.

Give your cigars 90 days in your humidor if you can. However, no need to whip yourself (unless you enjoy that), if you have that burning desire to try a cigar ROTT.

Remember, it is not a failure in discipline. It is a carefully regulated experiment.