phobicsquirrel:

Have you had an 08 maddy?

I've gone high tech.  I place the newer cigars on the bottom of the humidor, and then place a piece of paper on top of them with the date I recieved them written on it...

I might be just imagining things - but the burn just seems more even after they sit in my humidor for about a month.

Aging my cigars?

I agree witht he personal choice in how to "age" your personal cigars. I'm sure there is a proper system used by the different companies, but for my humi(s) I like to make sure any cigar I smoke has sat for at least 3 weeks.

Having said that, I do have quite a selection of smokes that are from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old from their "box date". Mostly Maduros and anything Cuban. I find that they age well as long as I remember to rotate the cigars once a month. By 'age well', I mean that the burn improves and they don't loose any flavour, but seem like they taste better.

I don't tend to age anything "vintage", like the Rocky Patel vintage 1990, which states that is is "guaranteed aged 12 years". I figure those are way overdue to be smoked.

laker1963:

I was looking at the oliva web page and found some interesting information regarding aging and storing of their different wrappers.

It would seem, according to them that maybe we have not been giving out such good advice in these matters. this is an excerpt from the page the link to the web page is at the bottom, makes for some good reading.

Aging ................................................................................................................ Aging is a complex process which requires special attention. While all cigars show some degree of maturity from additional aging, not all cigars age well. A common misconception is that a cigar which was rolled with “new” tobacco will lose its bite and harshness through humidor aging. No amount of humidor aging will mellow “new” or un-cured tobacco. “The best cigars for aging are those which were well balanced and enjoyable to being with.” Proper aging requires a designated humidor which will not be used for daily use. It should have a capacity that exceeds the amount of cigars to be aged by at least 20%. Cigars should be placed in the humidor without cellophane. Allow for space for the head and foot of the cigars evenly. The humidity source should be one that can exceed 70% humidity. Aging cigars should be kept at 70%-79% humidity depending on the thickness of the wrapper. Thicker wrappers require higher levels of humidity. Once desired age is achieved a cigar should be brought to 70% before smoking. Recommended Aging
High Primes (Thicker Wrappers) Maduro/Habano/Corojo/Habano 2000/Criollo/Sumatra/3-7 years
2-3 Primes (Medium Wrappers) Low Primes/Ecuador Connecticut/2-5 years
1st Cut (Thinner Wrappers) USA Connecticut/Cameroon/1-4 years

http://www.olivacigars.com/default.aspx