State of the Humidor - Jan 2011

New cigars to try in 2011: Tampa Sweetheart #85 (second to Fuente 8-5-8), Joya de Nicaragua Fuerte

Last cigar of 2010: OpusX
First cigar of 2011: CAO America

Best (new) cigar of 2010: Ashton ESG Churchill
Worst (new) cigar of 2010: Hand-rolled Guatemalans

New cigars I tried in 2010, that I would purchase again in the future: King Corona Ybor Handmades, El Sol Parejos 6X Sumatra, Cain by Oliva, Ybor City Plus, 5 Vegas Cask Strength, Don Pepin Series JJ, Cohiba Robusto (Cuban), Padilla Signature 1932, Private Stock, La Flor de Murias, Ashton ESG,

New cigars I tried in 2010, that I would not purchase again: Tio Pepe, Padilla Habano, Patel Brothers, Calle Ocho, Bucanero Red, G.A.R. by George Rico, Perdomo Lot 23, Quesada Tributo

My goal is to reduce my capacity to 2 humidors--a large one for 1-2 years' box aging and another for current smokes. Right now, I'm running 4 humidors, and here is an approximate listing of their contents from memory:

Box of La Herencia Cubana
Box of Flor de Allones
Box of Padilla Hybrid
Box of Boardwalk
Box of Saint Luis Rey
Box of CI Legends-Graycliff
Box of Gran Habano #5 Pyramid
Bundle of Calle Ocho
Bundle of Perdomo Slow-Aged
Bundle of JR Alternative - La Gloria Cubana
Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet (partial box)
5 Vegas Miami (partial box)
Omar Ortez Originals (partial box)
Don Kiki Brown Label (partial box)
Ramon Allones Reserve (partial box)
Tio Pepe (partial bundle)
Montecristo Media Noche (5-pack)
La Gloria Cubana Wavell (5-pack)
Bahia Blue (5-pack)
Gran Habano #1 (singles)
Punch Champion (single)
Fuente 8-5-8 Sungrown (single)
Leon Jimines (single)
RP Corojo (single)
Carlos Torano 1916 (single)

I've also converted the top tray of my large humidor into what I call the Lost Sticks Cemetary. I save the last cigar from each box and put it in this tray for long-term aging, just to see how some sticks will hold up for 3-5 years.

One interesting experiment to note is that the last two Ramon Allones Reserves I smoked were extremely bitter. Since the first few I smoked were excellent, I am pretty sure this is an indication these cigars are "turning". This happened to me years ago with a box, but I didn't know what was happening, so I just assumed the cigars weren't any good and I wasted them as 2nd-cigars-of-the-night or gave them to nonsmoking friends who couldn't tell the difference. This time, I'm letting the rest of the box age patiently, and I am excited about trying them again this summer.