How long do you age cigars for?  Cello on or cello off?  Keep in the box (original packaging) or store in a humidor?  Each one of these scenarios will change the outcome of how the cigars will age and even taste over time.

Key point to know:

Nowadays cigars that come out of the factory have already been aged for a period of time, depending on the manufacturer anywhere from a few months to a few years.

It’s important to know that the majority of cigars you can buy don’t need to be put away to improve.  They are ready to go.

When a manufacturer releases cigars to stores, they represent exactly what they want you to experience when you light it up.  However, certain qualities of a cigar can change over time depending on the cigar such as flavor and strength.

So how long should you age cigars?

The right answer is that it depends.  It depends on the tobacco used in the blend and it depends on what you are trying to accomplish by aging them.  Cigars that are full strength can stand a lot more time aging than mild cigars with delicate profiles.  Still, I we have found that even some Connecticut shade wrappers can stand years of aging time with little effect on the flavor, it all comes down to the blend of tobaccos inside it.

Experimenting is really the only way to judge for yourself to see how long you like to age your cigars.

Cell on or Cell off?

Cellophane does act as barrier between the cigar and wherever it’s being stored and provides a bit of protection from fluctuating humidity and the entire environment the cigars are being kept.  Keeping cigars in the cellophane may not be as romantic when you open your humidor to look at all your prized cigars – but it will slow down the aging process.

We did a ten year aging experiment where we aged La Aurora’s original release Cien Años cigars with the cellophane on and the cellophane off.  The results were pretty drastic.  To see what impact aging cigars cello on vs. cello off can have, check out the article here: https://cigarpress.com/cigars-cello-on-vs-off/

Humidor vs Original Packaging

This can have a huge impact on the outcome of aging cigars.  Humidors come in all shapes and sizes, while that may not have the biggest impact – the type of wood that they were made with will.

Cigars are like sponges and will absorb characteristics of their environment.

Traditionally humidors have been made from cedar.  The point of that, traditionally, was because cedar is a natural deterrent to the tobacco beetle (Lasioderma serricorne), which will destroy countless cigars in no time.  Today you will find humidors made from cedar, oak and other wood varieties.  It doesn’t happen very quickly, but eventually the cigars will pick up those characters of wood that can be noticed in the flavor when you light up.  After just a few years in a cedar (some cedar is stronger smelling than others) some cigars will have a dominating cedar taste.

Personally, I always opt to keep cigars in their original packaging/boxes if that’s an option.  Being able to store/age full boxes of cigars doesn’t even require a big expensive humidor if that’s not an option.  Even placing a box in a large zip-lock bag with a Boveda pack or making a coolador out of a cheap cooler will work great for not only keeping your cigars in ideal conditions, but aging as well.

Point of no return

There are no guidelines or exact times to know when your cigars will pass the point of no return  – meaning that they will start to lose their flavor profile and strength, eventually to the point where they taste like nothing.  I have found that does take quite some time, no matter the type of cigar.

I have some Nicaraguan cigars that are fifteen years old and still smoke incredibly well and taste a lot like they did originally.  The only difference noticed is that the blend, in essence has become one.  All of the tobaccos have melded together and the end result is that the entire smoking experience and characteristics of the cigar have smoothed out.  Some of the spicy traits that may have been a forefront in the profile, have blended in more with the other flavors and textures becoming more of a background note.

On the other hand, I have some Dominican cigars that have completely aged out and lost their original characteristics at the ten year point.  The best way to find out how cigars change over time, is to smoke one cigar from a box over a period of time.  Once every 6-12 months depending on how many cigars come in a box will allow you to taste them frequently enough to see what changes occur – that is if you are able to wait that long.

Aging cigars can be a lot of fun if you have the will power to wait it out.

While it’s not necessary to age cigars, there are a lot of changes that can happen.  Some cigars that you may not have liked right away can change certain characteristics where they become more palatable for you.  Aging some may have a negative effect and they can lose the characteristics you liked in the first place.  Some others may just taste incredible after years, better than expected or even from what they were originally. It all depends.  As mentioned before, the only way to tell is to give it a try for yourself.