Aging Cigars? Why & How Do You Do It?

Cigar aging is probably the stage in which one has recognized although refined intricacies of smoking a cigar. It’s time when everything is about to become very pleasurable. It’s the stage where one can see why cigar storage is not just another name for cigar aging.

Cigar aging is not something you acquire overnight. You have to go through many hindrances and acquire that skill after gaining practical knowledge. Ashton Cigars have found some of the most loyal customers who do these experiments every now and then.

What is Cigar Aging?

Have you heard of wine aging? It is something similar. Just replace wine with tobacco. Cigar aging means creating an environment that evolves the blends of tobacco in a cigar. The full responsibility in the words “creating an environment”. That’s the skill to acquire.

Why choose cigar aging?

Now that's a question that many people have asked. The ingredients of a cigar are biotic. That means they breathe, grow and change continuously. Tobacco leaves are the main ingredients that go through continuous fermentation and it's the main reason why cigars evolve with time.

This evolution results in blending together of all the tobacco variants in a different way (if not better). Coming to the question of what benefits does a well-aged cigar brings, the following points will clear that out.

• It burns better. 
• It blends all the flavors well for an even experience throughout the session. 
• It brings out the best out of the combination of flavors. 
• It eliminates all the harshness and astringency in flavors. 
• The smoke coming out as well balanced with all the delicate complexities that a cigar smoker needs. 

Cigar aging can range from 1 to 15 years. It depends upon the type, conditions, and skill of the person taking care of it. Most cigars recognize their ultimate potential at around 15 years of age, provided, it has been preserved perfectly.

How to implement cigar aging?

As mentioned above, it's not something you acquire overnight. There are advanced techniques that might sound irrational but are quite effective. Some points might contradict each other as the techniques are quite diverse in nature. So let's start with them.

• A humidor for long-term projects

Sometimes, it becomes imperative to use a dedicated humidor for cigars aging. Also, if you choose to buy a humidor, make sure it is seasoned according to all the cigars that might be added in the group.

Remember, it is better to use the humidor for similarly characterized cigars that have similar blends. If you have the experience, go for the diverse categories.

• Basic storage features to ensure

The basic storage for a cigar does the job just as its name suggests. The following features must be ensured if you use their basic storage to age your fleet of cigars.

1. Humid air is not distributed evenly throughout the volume of the storage. For the cigars not to feel this uneven humidity, you need to rotate them after certain intervals. 
2. The humidor must have the Spanish cedar shelves.
3. The humidity level in the storage should be between 62-68 %. The storage should have variable temperature settings and humidity level meters. You should be able to set them whenever you want. Try and keep changing temperature levels as it benefits cigars' breathing and material blend. 
4. Even if you don't want to change the temperature, try and air out the humidor by opening it up for about 1 hour and every 3 weeks. 
5. Keep the basic storage bug free to let the cigars evolve by themselves without any beetles around them. 
6. Remove the cellophane wrappers from the cigars. It’s because you don't want to suffocate your cigar while it is evolving. Cigars ferment continuously and covering it may develop ammonia in it which isn't a healthy sign. 

• Be organized with the Storage

Maybe this is too much to ask. Although we mentioned above that it takes some skill to nail this technique of aging. You have to be organized in the way you manage the humidor. It can be done with some notes that you make on your pad or the phone along with a calendar.

It is always recommended to perform the aging function only on premium cigars. Remember, it's not something that increases the value but it definitely improves the experience in a premium blend. To evaluate your performance in cigar aging, use your tongue after some time to get the exact place where the peak performance can be reached.