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Aging a cigar?

mattshellmattshell Posts: 34
in Cigar 101

How does one generally decide what cigars to age?  In wines, there are plenty that don't benefit from aging.  Is this true of cigars?  Can/should you age all cigars, only the expensive ones, only the full body ones, etc.?  I've quickly filled my humidor and am wondering which I should make a point of leaving and which I shouldn't.

Thanks!  Okay, now I really thihnk I'm done with the questions.  At least for today :-)

Comments

  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    There are a lot of opinions and schools of thought on aging. Some will tell you that all cigars are better with a year of aging, in fact quite a few will tell you this. In my limited experience, I've found 90 days to be a good starting point, I cannot really speak to how much a year will affect a cigar. Some cigars will not be very good right away, but with additional aging they will mellow out and the flavors will blend, so if you try a fresh cigar and don't like it, let the others sit for a 3-6 months and then see how you like them. Aging will not make a bad cigar good, but it can help a good cigar get better.

    That is about as far as my experience goes, there are others here who have much more experience than myself and will have more thorough input. Though I will say that I personally do not feel that aging is a requirement, of course some would disagree strongly with that. The only way to know for sure is to try.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    stronger cigars age better.

    mild cigars will lose all their flavor if aged too long.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • rwheelwrightrwheelwright Posts: 3,296 ✭
    In my experience, aging made a huge difference in taste. There are some cigars that I didn't enjoy smoking when I first bought them but after 6 months or so I changed my mind about them.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    mattshell:

    How does one generally decide what cigars to age?  In wines, there are plenty that don't benefit from aging.  Is this true of cigars?  Can/should you age all cigars, only the expensive ones, only the full body ones, etc.?  I've quickly filled my humidor and am wondering which I should make a point of leaving and which I shouldn't.

    Thanks!  Okay, now I really thihnk I'm done with the questions.  At least for today :-)

    IMHO, you should decide for yourself on aging. However, what kuzi said is on the money. The stronger the cigar the longer it can be aged without losing too much flavor.

    Back to deciding for yourself, my opinion is that you should only age cigars that you have smoked fresh as well. Try smoking one immediately(or within a few weeks of getting it) then one at 6 months, one at a year and another at 3 years, etc. Keep notes and compare. Then you can determine which cigars age best on your own.
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