Just like many fine wines can improve with the proper aging process, so too can high-quality cigars. This is not to say that all cigars will reveal an enhanced taste or flavor after a year inside a humidor, but there are many fine cigars that will mellow beautifully when put in the proper environment. This environment is known as the humidor, and is one of the most important cigar accessories available.
The first thing to understand is that you should aim at aging a full box of cigars and you may want to consider using a single humidor per variety. This is because all cigars are made differently and may require varied conditions to age in the best ways possible. Consider that most experts would point to the larger ring gauge cigars as ideal subjects for the aging process because they rely on a blend of tobaccos that will blend nicely and mellow with age in the controlled climate of the cigar box.
As stated, it all begins with a humidor. Now, you could feasibly argue that a regular consumer cigar box should be a good place to keep those that you have purchased, but they are not often made of aromatic wood or designed to prevent too much air or moisture from entering and leaving the individual cigars. While most will arrive inside of a box and in an individual cellophane sleeve, this is still not the right way to age them. Instead, a cedar humidor with its hygrometer (gauge to indicate the current level of humidity) and humidifier is often the only way to keep cigars at optimal conditions.
If the box of cigars does indeed seem like a good one for aging, the conditions should be geared at the standard seventy-seventy mix. This is a roughly seventy percent humidity at seventy degrees Fahrenheit setting for the course of the aging period. The process should last at least a full year for best results, and a closely watched schedule should be created.
Are there any varieties that should not be aged? Any cigar that has an overwhelming aroma might greatly benefit from an aging and mellowing process, but the Maduros types with their cured wrappers tend to be impervious to all efforts at aging and mellowing. It is always advisable to sample one or two fresh cigars from any box to determine whether an aging process might be of some benefit.
The first thing to understand is that you should aim at aging a full box of cigars and you may want to consider using a single humidor per variety. This is because all cigars are made differently and may require varied conditions to age in the best ways possible. Consider that most experts would point to the larger ring gauge cigars as ideal subjects for the aging process because they rely on a blend of tobaccos that will blend nicely and mellow with age in the controlled climate of the cigar box.
As stated, it all begins with a humidor. Now, you could feasibly argue that a regular consumer cigar box should be a good place to keep those that you have purchased, but they are not often made of aromatic wood or designed to prevent too much air or moisture from entering and leaving the individual cigars. While most will arrive inside of a box and in an individual cellophane sleeve, this is still not the right way to age them. Instead, a cedar humidor with its hygrometer (gauge to indicate the current level of humidity) and humidifier is often the only way to keep cigars at optimal conditions.
If the box of cigars does indeed seem like a good one for aging, the conditions should be geared at the standard seventy-seventy mix. This is a roughly seventy percent humidity at seventy degrees Fahrenheit setting for the course of the aging period. The process should last at least a full year for best results, and a closely watched schedule should be created.
Are there any varieties that should not be aged? Any cigar that has an overwhelming aroma might greatly benefit from an aging and mellowing process, but the Maduros types with their cured wrappers tend to be impervious to all efforts at aging and mellowing. It is always advisable to sample one or two fresh cigars from any box to determine whether an aging process might be of some benefit.
About the Author:
Dave Sabot is the owner of an online specialty cigar lighters store. With expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including torch lighters, Dave also owns a premier online humidors store.
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