Many people wonder if aging cigars is always mandatory for the best flavors, and the answer is simply “no”. Not all tobacco will improve with age, and in the end it also comes down to a smoker’s personal preferences. While it is relatively easy to find pre-aged or vintage cigars from specialty vendors, it is also just as easy to age your own cigars at home. It does call for some basic management and organization, but can produce some wonderful results.

The first thing to understand is that you should aim at aging a full box of cigars and you may want to consider using a single humidor per variety. This is because all cigars are made differently and may require varied conditions to age in the best ways possible. Consider that most experts would point to the larger ring gauge cigars as ideal subjects for the aging process because they rely on a blend of tobaccos that will blend nicely and mellow with age in the controlled climate of the cigar box.

It is significant to note, however, that even the right choice of cigar will go bad if the conditions are not monitored closely. For example, wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity will cause the tobacco and the wrapper to expand and contract, which leads to cracking and spoilage. For this reason it is a good idea to decide upon the mix of humidity and temperatures to be used for the long-term storage process, and then monitor these settings as closely as possible. Most enthusiasts hope to keep cigars at seventy percent humidity in a seventy degree setting for at least one full year to get the best results.

Is there any special material that the boxes should be made from in order to get the finest results possible? Most would point to the unlined, cedar boxes. This is because the wood is already very aromatic and will allow the cellophane wrappers around the cigars to provide just enough opportunity for the fragrant oils and aromas of both items to come together. This is the essence of subtlety and is the exact type of results that the aging process should be aimed at producing.

Are there any varieties that should not be aged? Any cigar that has an overwhelming aroma might greatly benefit from an aging and mellowing process, but the Maduros types with their cured wrappers tend to be impervious to all efforts at aging and mellowing. It is always advisable to sample one or two fresh cigars from any box to determine whether an aging process might be of some benefit.