Years ago, back when I first started smoking cigars, I had this crazy idea that cataloging my cigar purchases would be fun and informative. I went out, purchased labels, and adhered them to the cellophane of any cigar I purchased.
The cataloging was tedious work but in my mind it would be well worth the effort to monitor how my cigars aged. After about a year I realized that it was far more fun to smoke cigars that to catalog them. My interest began waning and one day I simply quit.
From time to time I find myself rummaging through one of my coolers and an old cigar with a printed label surfaces. More often than not these cigars get reburied only to pop up again a few years later but, on a rare occasion, I’ll feel nostalgic and light one up.
This was just the case with a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight 1 that I purchased on on February 19, 2007. At the time I was a regular internet customer of JR Cigars so I can only imagine this particular cigar is the last remaining stick from a 5-Pack Purchase (I didn’t track price but I probably spent about $16 for the 5-Pack).
At the time, the HdM Excalibur Dark Knight was at the higher end of my preference for body. I would smoke something like it in the evening, after a heavy meal, with an adult beverage of some sort (probably a Stout or Porter at the time). The rich flavors, pepper accent, and smooth finish made for a great way to cap off a long day.
A lot has changed in the 8 years that this cigar has been tucked away. As I puff, between keystrokes, I find the cigar to be a pale comparison to how I remember it. The once full body is now mild at best. The pepper accent, a distant memory. Age has turned this once robust cigar into a shell of its former self.
Many long-time cigar smokers will tell you cigars only get better with age. While I won’t argue that point, humidors can be a place where flavor goes to die. Know what is in your humidor and revisit the those old favorites from time to time. If neglected, when it comes time to set flame to foot, the taste may be unrecognizable.
I have ran into this problem from time to time. I never cataloged my cigars but I do know I have smoked cigars a few years after buying them and found them to be a changed cigar, sometimes better, sometimes lacking what I used to love about them. Its a crapshoot!
Welcome back Walt! i was beginning to wonder if you would ever post again….!
I’m still very much around, just normally handling the back-end of the site. Getting back to a normal posting routine is long overdue.