Can you age a $5 cigar

[knightnorth]

I love the H. Upmann and the Henry Clay for their taste and workman's price. I was recently given a nice humidor with about a 1,000 count capacity. Can I age these relatively cheap cigars for a couple of years and get any benefit out of them? Or is the best vintage cigar for me the year I buy them? Is their any $5-6 cigar you can age for a couple of years? I know I have the patience I just know if I have the money.

[ashauler]

Welcome to the board. Every cigar I buy gets aged, since I can't smoke them as fast as I can buy them.

I love the H. Upmann and the Henry Clay for their taste and workman's price. I was recently given a nice humidor with about a 1,000 count capacity. Can I age these relatively cheap cigars for a couple of years and get any benefit out of them? Or is the best vintage cigar for me the year I buy them? Is their any $5-6 cigar you can age for a couple of years? I know I have the patience I just know if I have the money.

[ggiese]

It's much like aging a 5 dollar bottle of wine... Why?

Although I have seen some circumstances where cigars have been significantly improved with age (typically it's because the cigar was actually a much higher quality cigar that was being sold at blowout prices), most cigars in that price range don't show dramatic improvement.

Bottom line - Smoke 'em while you got 'em.

[bigwhiteash]

The only instance I can personally attest to was a box of Indian Tabac super fuerte maduro...

Thay were horrible to start, so they got burried and forgotten. A little more than a year later, they were actually very good for the price.

Famous Nicaraguan 3000 also benefit from 6 or 8 months of rest.

Basically, any of the stronger inexpensive smokes will probably be harsh when young, but may even out over time.


Me? I don't buy them to age, they go right into rotation.

[alliaphagist]

It's much like aging a 5 dollar bottle of wine... Why?

There are 5 dollar bottles of wine?

[ggiese]

There are 5 dollar bottles of wine?

Oh yeah...

What's worse - a local Italian deli near me has 2 for 1 wine specials all the time. Most are fantastic deals - but occasionally there are 2 for $2.98. I've not yet been tempted...

[mrtr33]

There are 5 dollar bottles of wine?

Depends on where you live. Can anyone say Trader Joe's Charles Shaw? $1.99 in CA! "Two Buck-Chuck". Not unbelievably horrible.

There is a bottle we used to drink in CA and Oregon - I want to say it was Swan Lake, or Swan Ridge, or something like that. I remember getting it there for like $2.99. Good stuff. Especially for the price.

We drink a lot of wine. For our tastes, on average, the minimum cut-off is about $7-$8. Anything less, and it's a risk. Now, as far as aging, we won't even bother unless the bottle is from a region we particularly enjoy (my favorite is Alexander Valley outside of Sonoma, CA), and usually something we've invested in (over $40). We don't have too many of those, though.

[nhcigarfan]

Remember most not cubans go through a aging process both as the leaf and once rolled into the cigar.

I have found some cigars get a little lighter or loose some harshness but I wouldn't expect any great flavor change.

That being said give it a shot. Take a box of each and leave it for 6 months, try a couple compared to a new purchase, leave for another 3 months and repeat. Maybe you will notice a difference and maybe not.

[ggiese]

Depends on where you live. Can anyone say Trader Joe's Charles Shaw? $1.99 in CA! "Two Buck-Chuck". Not unbelievably horrible.

There is a bottle we used to drink in CA and Oregon - I want to say it was Swan Lake, or Swan Ridge, or something like that. I remember getting it there for like $2.99. Good stuff. Especially for the price.

We drink a lot of wine. For our tastes, on average, the minimum cut-off is about $7-$8. Anything less, and it's a risk. Now, as far as aging, we won't even bother unless the bottle is from a region we particularly enjoy (my favorite is Alexander Valley outside of Sonoma, CA), and usually something we've invested in (over $40). We don't have too many of those, though.

There's a PERFECT example - you can't age two-buck-Chuck...

[DeeDubya]

I love the H. Upmann and the Henry Clay for their taste and workman's price. I was recently given a nice humidor with about a 1,000 count capacity. Can I age these relatively cheap cigars for a couple of years and get any benefit out of them? Or is the best vintage cigar for me the year I buy them? Is their any $5-6 cigar you can age for a couple of years? I know I have the patience I just know if I have the money.

For a few years I smoked Henry Clays (Brevas Finas) exclusivley. I could never tell that aging changed them at all. For me they were the closest thing to a Cuban I could find. Not that I smoked Cubans you understand. The only complaint I ever had about a Clay was that they did not burn evenly, I'm sure due to the loose roll and heavy tobacco. Clays are good to chew on unlit. Kinda like Brown's Mule.