Post Your Experiences Aging Cigars

[pantsBoots]

@BenMN requested a thread about my thoughts & experiences aging cigars in the cigar WAYS thread. I posted a description recently of a setup I've been using for over 10 years now:

What’s Your Storage Preference? :: Cigar Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/what%E2%80%99s-your-storage-preference.102831/post-36966037

I've only been smoking cigars since 2005ish and pipes since 2020, so I don't have the decades of experience some folks have. My setup above is also not the most sophisticated, but I've been very happy with the results. It's also worth noting that at least half of my experience in smoking aged cigars came from purchasing them already aged.

That said, here's what I've pieced together:

There is a lot to be learned on cigar forums as people there have spent 20 years aging cigars and pooling their experiences. I've read about and conversed with people who use desktops, coolers, cabinets, and walk-ins. These experiences will give you ideas about what you'd like to try, what you want to spend, and what brands may pay out in spades down the road and you're smoking a cigar that is significantly better than it smoked when you first bought the box.

Good cigars that age well age much better than pipe tobacco appears to. I've purchased aged pipe tobacco and while a lot of it improves with time, it doesn't change much. Among cigars, on the other hand, there are cigars that are an absolute waste to smoke without at least 5 or 10 years (or more) of humidor time, because they need time to cure and for the blender's intent to take hold. Cuban cigars classically fit into this category, as do cigars such as the Fuente Opus X & Añejo. Smoking a Cuban Romeo y Julieta young reveals a harsh, earthy, and strong experience, whereas 10 years or more allows the stereotypical floral, chocolatey, and/or cherry/berry notes to develop.

Aging cigars is as simple as buying more than you smoke, and as complex as trying to figure out what is likely to age well.

Not everything gets better with age. Some brands are pretty reliable to me; I can put up most Fuentes (and spinoffs like Ashton), most Havanas, La Flor Dominicanas, Davidoff (and spinoffs like AVO), and other quality Dominicans to good results. A 20 year old Cuban Ramon Allones or Por Larrañaga is what keeps me coming back.

Similar to the above, some cigars age like milk (to my taste). Liga Privada, Rocky Patel, Alec Bradley, cheaper cigars in general, Nicaraguans in general, and very mild cigars have disappointed me time and again. They often just turn ashy.

There's not much more to it. In 16 years, I've identified cigars that time and again seem to age well, whether it's for 5 years or longer. I've tasted the results of other people's patience and found a lot of merit in buying certain cigars and then trying to forget I have them for years on end. Sometimes I visually inspect them - maybe once per year - to see if there's any mold or bug issues. So far, so good.

I and I assume @BenMN are curious to hear others' experiences and thoughts as well. And if any of the above is not clear, then let me know.

 

[GreatWhiteNorthPiper]

Very informative and helpful post here. Thank you! I've been smoking cigars seriously for about two years so do not have very many that I can age long-term. But I am slowly increasing my stock and it's good to know what might be better than today down the road. The main problem for me is that I live in Canada, where tobacco prices are prohibitively expensive. I always try to bring back some sticks from the US whenever I am there, so it is taking me a while to build up a nice collection. Thanks also for naming the brands that have aged well for you. I have a few sticks of some of those and will think about storing them away.

Thank you again!

 

[BenMN]

Thanks for taking the time to post this @pantsBoots.

While I've enjoyed cigars for the past 20+ years, it's only within the past few that I've become more serious and intentional about it.

Within that time, I've gone from buying singles at a lounge, to now buying at least fivers and sometimes boxes if it is something I know I like.

I thought I was doing good when I "learned" to let them rest, especially after shipping, for 2 weeks. What I couldn't reconcile was why a $10+ item (or more) was still unsatisfactory after this 2 week rest. I knew it was not simply a matter of taste or "preference."

I then learned that at least some reviewers believe that 3 and ideally 6 month's rest will allow your average "premium" cigar to show its stuff. Since implementing this practice my enjoyment has gone way up, and even if something is not a favorite I can usually say "OK, but that's good, and probably what they were going for re: flavor profile."

I am at a point in my journey where I am establishing some taste preferences, and have about 150 cigars- everywhere from "arrived last week" to "that was really good last summer with 6 months box time, really looking forward to having another soon now that it has 18 months."

That is where I am in my journey. Looking forward to hearing more about the experiences of others.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think dating Cigars age better than pipe tobacco is slightly misleading. Many Cigars are quite mediocre when young and only are worth smoking when aged 3 to 5 years. I've found many Virginia blends are good when young and get better with age.

Not all Cigars age well. Cubans and Nicaraguans mostly age nicely. The milder Cigars, such as most Dominicans, don't necessarily get better with age.

Nice aging info by the OP.

 

[pantsBoots]

I should have added another lesson learned above: cigars can absolutely age too long past their peak. To that end, I make sure to sample from boxes as they are aging - once they taste enjoyable the whole way down, I proceed to smoke through the box at that point.

Case in point, today I checked in on a box of '18 ERDM Demi Tasse. Wow, even before I lit it up, it tasted of sweet honeysuckle and tea with milk. I was just eating honeysuckle dew with my boys last week, so the flavor was fresh in my mind and unmistakable. For such a small cigar, it smoked in 3 distinct thirds. The first third tasted of tea with milk and vanilla, as well as exotic woods. The second third began with notes of lemon custard and the tea became coffee with milk. The last third began with the lemon custard morphing into a plain lemony, fruity flavor and the coffee became espresso.

It was a great cigar, and I intend on sampling another soon. If it is equally good, I may decide to start smoking through this box.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

This thread has made me realize that I have a BUNCH of cigars that have been unintentionally aging for up to, and possibly over a decade. I have a bad habit of buying a handful of things to try and forgetting about them as I move on to the next thing. Now I'm really interested in smoking through some old, forgotten cigars to see how they've held up. I've posted two observations in the "What Cigar Are You Smoking" thread, but should I post them here instead?

 

[Sig]

Like @Kilgore Trout , I have unintentionally aged a couple humidors full of cigars.
Before pipes, I smoked cigars.....by "smoked cigars" I mean went fanatically overboard and went all in....100%.
I smoked them, I bought them, I stored them, I traded them, I smelled them, I became intoxicated by them......they became my precious.
Then, I turned to the pipe and forgot all about cigars for about 15 years now.
But, over these 15 seasons, I have carefully tended my boxes. Ive kept constant 65% in one and constant 70% in the other.
Ive only got about 50 or so cigars, but they are all good brands that I liked then, and all are very oily and smell delicious when opened.
Most are Fuente Anjeo and Don Carlos. I have Pepin Garcia, Padron and several more. No Cubans, I live in America. I smoked my share of Cubans over the years but none in the boxes now.
Over the years I have smoked a few, maybe two a year. This Summer im planning on smoking through most of them..... Im really tired of tending the dang beads every month......for 15+ years......smoking maybe 20 of them over that time. Of course, I said this LAST year too.

 

[dottlejockey]

I got into cigars a couple years before pipes, about 21 years ago now. I started off with a small desktop humi, after filling a couple of those I graduated to a coolidor, after 3 of those were full i broke down and built myself a cabinet. I still use it today. And still have a cigar from the first box i ever opened. So i guess that'd be 21 yrs in the humi.

In addition to this, my oldest dated cigar is an old Cuban Espinoza from 1945. Other than that, the Cuban stash ranges from the '80-recent years. A few boxes of various high ends all the way down to daily smokers and cigarillos, and a few boxes in there are dedicated to long term aging. Various ages from many vintages throughout my entire smoking journey.

Here is a pic from today of the current set up:



The Cigarfest bag is from the event, which i attended in '06, but now stores many of my pipes, all nicely socked up and stashed on top of the humi.

 

[BenMN]

This thread has made me realize that I have a BUNCH of cigars that have been unintentionally aging for up to, and possibly over a decade. I have a bad habit of buying a handful of things to try and forgetting about them as I move on to the next thing. Now I'm really interested in smoking through some old, forgotten cigars to see how they've held up. I've posted two observations in the "What Cigar Are You Smoking" thread, but should I post them here instead?

If you're smoking them, I think we'd love to see them in the "what cigar are you smoking" thread.

If you've got more expansive thoughts to share, maybe add that here? Nothing wrong with commenting in both threads about the same smoke(s), I don't think.

 

[BenMN]

I got into cigars a couple years before pipes, about 21 years ago now. I started off with a small desktop humi, after filling a couple of those I graduated to a coolidor, after 3 of those were full i broke down and built myself a cabinet. I still use it today. And still have a cigar from the first box i ever opened. So i guess that'd be 21 yrs in the humi.

In addition to this, my oldest dated cigar is an old Cuban Espinoza from 1945. Other than that, the Cuban stash ranges from the '80-recent years. A few boxes of various high ends all the way down to daily smokers and cigarillos, and a few boxes in there are dedicated to long term aging. Various ages from many vintages throughout my entire smoking journey.

Here is a pic from today of the current set up:

View attachment 313869

The Cigarfest bag is from the event, which i attended in '06, but now stores many of my pipes, all nicely socked up and stashed on top of the humi.

Nice looking setup.
You built that?

 

[BenMN]

Like @Kilgore Trout , I have unintentionally aged a couple humidors full of cigars.
Before pipes, I smoked cigars.....by "smoked cigars" I mean went fanatically overboard and went all in....100%.
I smoked them, I bought them, I stored them, I traded them, I smelled them, I became intoxicated by them......they became my precious.
Then, I turned to the pipe and forgot all about cigars for about 15 years now.
But, over these 15 seasons, I have carefully tended my boxes. Ive kept constant 65% in one and constant 70% in the other.
Ive only got about 50 or so cigars, but they are all good brands that I liked then, and all are very oily and smell delicious when opened.
Most are Fuente Anjeo and Don Carlos. I have Pepin Garcia, Padron and several more. No Cubans, I live in America. I smoked my share of Cubans over the years but none in the boxes now.
Over the years I have smoked a few, maybe two a year. This Summer im planning on smoking through most of them..... Im really tired of tending the dang beads every month......for 15+ years......smoking maybe 20 of them over that time. Of course, I said this LAST year too.

Do it.
Post about it.
Have a great summer.


I think I am kind of plateauing on the newby-fanatical stage. I wouldn't be surprised if, in another year, my boxes are mostly Padron and Don Carlos. And a Connecticut in there for good measure.

For reference, with pipes I smoke pounds of Pegasus every year, and maybe 6 tins of other stuff.

 

[dottlejockey]

Nice looking setup.
You built that?

That i did. I styled it after the "Tower of Power" humi that CI used to sell back in the day. (Maybe they still do.) Anyway, it was just an old shelving unit that a neighbor had. I took it in - for free as she was moving - picked up a few pieces of trim for top and bottom, some 1x3 for the door, 2 piano hinges, a handle, and a large chunk of rough sawn spanish cedar from a local supplier and went to work. Milled the cedear lining down into 3/8" strips, removed the shelves, lined the box, lined the shelves, drilled holes for airflow in them and replaced them. Built in a power plug at the bottom center rear of the unit, to plug in the humi and used some scrap glass from a storm door that i had while doing a remodel on a house and that was that. I was able to stuff all the contents of my 3 coolidors in there and still had room, which - of course, sent me on a shopping spree at the time. lol

 

[kcghost]

Back in to 90's I used to somewhat age Cuban Cigars. I keep about 300 or so around and keep them in a vertical cabinet I had. Did this for a few years as I knew which would benefit the most. Then between the growing cost of them, increased scrutiny of the shippers, and the declining lack of quality I quit. Those were the good times.

 

[badbriar]

Most cigars benefit from a bit of rest. Take them out of the boxes & sleeves and let them get naked and happy for a few months to a few years. Even premiums, like Oliva V Melanio' and many others mellow and get a little smoother with a little snooze. I have hundreds that are 1-5 years old and all smoke and perform exceptionally well.
Humidity level is the key. Personally, I prefer my sticks at 64 - 65% humidity. No issues with them being too dry or too moist and burn perfectly. That "70/70" advice is pure BS.