Aging rant, sorry. You guys don't know me, but I'm a FOG. Sorta.
I've been aging cigars for decades just to figure out what is best, what I like, etc... They make chocolate and vanilla for a reason, so much of this is personal preference. Ymmv and all has been probably said before, bit I have the day off.
I've smoked damned near everything. Likely 25,000+ cigars. Don't think about the number too much, it hurts.
Part of that preference come from paying attention to aging cigars and have led me to these random thoughts on aging both Cuban and non Cuban cigars (it doesn't really matter, the effects are the same).
- Connecticut shade and Cameroon deteriorate in flavor and elasticity quickly. If you're like me, CT shade only has grassy flavor to lose unless you're a kelner disciple and can use it correctly. Otherwise, I'm no help and it should never be used.
- All cigars benefit from a year or so of aging. No doubt. You may like the taste better right off the table, but the guy blending it probably put it to market before he wanted to. Gotta make a living right? Can't blame em. At this point when I buy a box of cigars, I'm not gonna likely open it for a year. Again, decades of doing this so yes, 1000s of cigars so no rush.
- All cigars reach the end of their aging benefit. It's a natural product. I've smoked my fair share of pre embargos, unique one offs and my own failures to know I missed the sweet spot for a particular cigar (they might be fantastic but maybe not it's peak if we're being honest?). Happens all the time (too many cigars, ODO is a different and real problem. lol).
- if you have the time and inclination, SHAT is the best way to age cigars. Two layers of cedar, no ventilation. No higher than 65 rh. Cold is your friend. I wouldnt hesitate to keep a box of cigars at 50/60 for a decade. Little dry, but it won't degrade as fast as 70/70 which is HORRIBLE for long term aging. Yeah, go argue plume/mold somewhere else. It's either crystallized oil (indifferent to quality at best if it's crystallized), minerals from your bad water (objectively bad) or mold. Think of the classic Cuban dress box or SLB. Nothing more is needed. Even if you have plume on a cigar (even!) it does nothing more than tell you it's old. It doesn't impart flavor because an oxidized oil. Quite the opposite! little C4H10s are flying off day by day creating fewer flavors (the chemical bits that we like) It is fun and Connecticut broadleaf does it better than any I've seen. Little chewy crystally goodies! But aging objectively REDUCES the flavor/aroma compounds in a cigar. You want the high VOCs like ammonia gone, but not the hydrocarbons.
- cello. Doesn't matter unless you're geeking out and want to. I don't undress my cigars or wrap them in cedar (I do have a stupid habit of bagging the last five cigars from a box and tossing them in cedar and in a Tupperware containers to age five packs. Thats a holdover from the early 90s and stuck.) - crappy cello turns yellow regardless. I have 20 year old cigars in shiny clear cello and yellow cello.
- length to age depends on the cigar and it's totes obv as you'd expect. Stronger, fuller, more complex tobacco will age gracefully. Broadleaf, old Cuban corojo, etc, and delicate tobacco doesn't. I've never opened a box of cigars after a decade and thought it was objectively better than at it's sweet spot and every cigar (imo) will hit it's sweet spot before year 10. (5-7 for me, but I smoke mostly fuller bodied cigars). I do like nic bombs on occasion, but thats not a guarantee of something aging well. I read above where someone said two years. I bet if you let it ride a year or two longer you won't see a drop off. I don't even consider a cigar "aged" unless it's five years old. Before that, it's just a cigar.
- quality, quality, quality. Crappy tobacco isn't handled correctly and doesn't age well. Most of the shit we buy is excellent quality so I wouldn't worry about it. It isn't the 90s and sites like this won't steer you too far wrong other than pushing fuentes, but the cult following isn't unique to here.
- blend. If you aren't aware or don't know who blended the cigar you're aging, don't sweat it. But it matters. Blending and talented blenders are the reason we have the Renaissance of cigar selection right now. It's never been better. Quality and options are higher across the board imo than ever before.
But don't be throwing down mass produced mediocre product and think it's gonna shine up. The general made punch diablos are still garbage and will be after five more years. Just less objectionable garbage (they're my vote for worst release of 2019, aging room pura cepa rondo or 2019 DE esteli lancero #1 on my list). Non one off, reg production.
I still act like I did when I first started smoking and aging cigars... I buy at a rate that outpaces my smoking and when I get to the end of a box, I'll pull off a five pack and see what another five years does if I'm inclined. Still learning. I was moving things around the other day and came across a couple of five packs of BRC and PSD4 so that's always fun. I'll probably sample them vertically with current releases for comp.
Smoking a fresh DE nica rustica brujito (2 years) right now... These do age nicely tho - very few get there however as these are like crack to me.