Better with Age: Making a Good Cigar Great

For all the rookies out there, cigars, like wine, get better with age. It is a luxury that any man can have with a little patience and self-discipline. And most importantly, if done correctly a low cost luxury that will make your friends jealous and wanting to sit on your back porch after work. Here are some PRZman tips to guarantee your cigar flavors will ripen, mix and start to mellow, making for a rich smoking experience. And trust us, a well-aged cigar is worth the wait.

Most stogies are a young six months to a year old when you purchase them from the shop or online. After buying a cigar, you should store it in a humidor for an additional three to six months, in order for the cigar to age properly. This enables the tobacco oils to blend, or ”marry.” “Marrying tobacco enhances flavor,” says Jim Gray of Fader’s of Baltimore, MD. While after six months you’ll notice a change in taste, Gray says if you age it “even longer, you’ll notice a significant difference.”  It is all about personal preference. Serious smokers wouldn’t dare light up a cigar that hasn’t been aging for a few years.

Larger ring-gauge cigars typically age better, because the thicker a cigar, the more variety in its tobacco leaves, and the more complex the flavor will be once the tobacco marryies. Some cigars, like Maduros, won’t age that well because the wrapper has been cured to achieve a certain color and to create the strong sweet flavor they’re known for. The curing locks in the wrapper’s flavor, which dominates the cigar’s taste.

Whether you age your cigars three months or three years, it needs to be done in a humidor. A basic humidor is made of cedar with a 45 degree cut on the sides. Better ones have a lip, indicating a second layer of cedar, and better ones still are made of Spanish cedar with locks on the outside. “The lock seals the wood together better,” says Gray, “and maintains humidity better.” He recommends Manning humidors, and he’s not the only one. The Irish-made Spanish cedar humidors take 26 weeks to make and go for $1,250 for the smallest (holds 75 cigars).

Just as you need to store your cigars properly, you also need to store your humidor carefully. Follow the 70/70 rule; keep the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and your relative humidity at 70 percent. This will prevent cracking and insect infestations. PRZman also recommends rotating your cigars.

Vintage or anniversary cigars have been aged five to ten years, and cost a pretty penny. If you’re too impatient to wait, you can purchase one of those, or a cigar that’s been aged by the store. But if you savor a stogie on a regular basis, you should invest in a humidor. The anticipation of smoking a cigar you’ve let age will make the taste just that much sweeter.

Do you think cigars get better with age? And do you have the patience to age your cigars?