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.

[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.

[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...

[knightnorth]

Thanks for the info. I think the best advice I got was from an old friend who said to fill a humidor and take one out every month. Write down each experience and see where the peaks and valleys are.

I've dipped for too many years and I'm new to the cigar world. I'm just tring to jump into it with as much information as I can get and this site has been very helpful. Look forward to hearing more from you guys.