To Age or Not To Age?

[MAS_Puros]

I have heard mixed opinions on aging cigars. Does aging a cigar degrade its overall taste or improve it?

Certain articles I have read said there is no need to age an already 3 or 5 yr aged leaf, and aging it will just hurt the overall taste.

How long do you know is too long?


Mike

 

[riverratt]

I am under the impression that aging cigars for a period of time after they are rolled allows the cigar to mello and mature and allows the blend to "come together" because cigars go through a "sick" period. However I have also heard that it is possible to overage cigars. Then again I have heard urban legends about cigars that have been discovered in cellars of old homes and because the conditons were right, the cigars still smoked good. I smoked a cigar once that was a 1935 pre-embargo a friend from England bought at an estate aucton. I kept it for a couple of years then decided to smoke it. It was pretty bland. Overall I think aging young cigars for a couple of years is recommended.

 

[Ginseng]

That is the $64 question. One pragmatic answer is that if you buy enough cigars, the question of whether to age becomes moot. Stock will simply accumulate and the more inventory you have relative to your rate of smoking, the older, on average, will be the cigars you smoke.

As to whether smoking does anything good for the cigar, that depends primarily on your personal taste preferences. What aging almost always does, is allow the blend to harmonized and decrease the initial harsh characteristics. How do cigars respond to aging? I've smoked 6-month old cigars that I've considered expired and 30-year old cigars that I thought were still quite young.

Wilkey

 

[rbbrock]

The only way to know is to do it and see how it turns out. Like everything else, it's all individual taste. IMO, all cigars benefit from at least some aging (say around six months) to allow the flavors to mellow and marry. Whether you personally will like a cigar better fresh or with five years on it is something only you can tell, and only if you smoke the cigars.

 

[jabba]

I think it really depends on the cigar and your tastes... there are lots of cigars I just don't enjoy young but love with some age and there are cigars I like relatively young. The best thing to do is experiment.

 

[NullSmurf]

Hope all that answered your questions. :laugh:

 

[StinkiMonki]

I know that some companies age tobacco before blending them and the age is something that certainly improves the overall quality of the smoke.

Another thing some companies do is allow the "rolled" cigar to age awhile longer so the blend "marries" with the other leaves.
However, some companies simply ship it out as soon as it's rolled. I think these cigars are the one's that would certainly benefit from some extra aging on the part of the consumer. A few months in your humidor would pay didivends when you smoke.

Stinki


-Edited for spelling-

 

[bungpipe]

I think it really depends on the cigar and your tastes... there are lots of cigars I just don't enjoy young but love with some age and there are cigars I like relatively young. The best thing to do is experiment.

That about sums it all up!

 

[moki]

I have heard mixed opinions on aging cigars. Does aging a cigar degrade its overall taste or improve it?

Certain articles I have read said there is no need to age an already 3 or 5 yr aged leaf, and aging it will just hurt the overall taste.

How long do you know is too long?

Think about that same question in terms of wine... and you'll arrive at the right answer: it depends.

Just as with wine, it depends on the grape blend, with tobacco, it depends on the tobacco blend... and also your personal tastes. I might prefer the same cigar with 5 years of age on it, you might like it better with 3 years of age on it.

In general, bolder cigar blends will stand up to more age... but ultimately, only you can find the answer for yourself... by trying it.

Buy a box of cigars. Smoke one cigar from the box every 6 months... write down your tasting notes each time, and see how the cigar progresses. You can do this with multiple boxes at the same time (of different makes).