Max cigar age

**aomike** · 09-06-2005, 07:52 PM

Altought I consider my self new to cigars, I have had my share of great cigars. But in my curiosity I am wondering what is the MAX AGE a cigar can be kept even under perfect conditions, and still be smokeable????? So far the max i heard was from pre-WWII.

**TheSilentChamber** · 09-06-2005, 08:04 PM

From what most things say- infinatly. I'v heard there are cigars floating around that are upwards up 60 years. Most of them are said to peak between 5 and 10 years though.

**MMAB** · 09-06-2005, 08:12 PM

Not all cigars warrant aging.

Yes, many Cuban cigars can be found pre-embargo and pre-WWII. Would I buy one? No. Stupidly expensive for something you're going to burn

Would I smoke one if someone gave me one (an unlieky occurance) Sure!

It seems to me that the basic rule is that if you have a powerhouse cigar or a young cigar with alot of bite, it can be mellowed with aging. Generally a year or two.

Most Dominicans are not suitable for long term aging and should be smoked within two years. They're generally too mild or mellow for aging. Long term aging a Dominican cigar would result in a bland, boring smoke.

Google for "cigar aging". You'll find a lot of info out there.

**Island Epicurean** · 09-06-2005, 09:05 PM

Most Cuban's actually age very well. That is the draw for many Cuban cigar smokers. (Although I am told there are some really good Hon. aged cigars.) The oldest, still smokeable cigars I have ever seen/heard-of span back about 50 years. But those are few and far in between. Legitimate pre-embarge Cuban's can be un-godly expensive so I stay clear of them. Besides, there is no guarantee that they are worth smoking. Poor storage or other problems could make them terrible.

I guess theoretically a cigar can last in excess of a century, but for practical purposes, the oldest consumable cigars are about 50 years old and they are generally NOT worth the money. If you are looking for a good, old, cigar for a special occasion, try for the 5-10 year ages. They are aged more than enough and are often held in the same humidor for their entire life-span. Therefore you are likely to get a Cigar that is worth 50 - 150 Canadian. Dispite this however, there is no guarantee that even a premium cigar will age well. Sometimes a cheap cigar can turn into a gem with a few years age, (See my post on the $2 Cigars that I have had for a few years,) and sometimes a high-end cigar will not age well. There can even be sharp differences in individual production lines. It can be really hit or miss.

I guess I have given you a very subjective answer, ah well..... Thus is the cigar industry.

Good Luck

**8-5-8** · 09-07-2005, 06:44 PM

LONG-TERM STORAGE
Every so often, a stir goes through the cigar world, that several thousand pre-Castro Havana cigars are being sold at auction. Premier cigar purveyors like Alfred Dunhill, store clients' cigars in bulk for years, allowing them to age "like fine wine." The implication is that the older a cigar gets, the better it becomes.

Cuban cigar and tobacco people have told me, however, cigars have a shelf life of about one year, then decline irreversibly. They said, "No one in Cuba stores their cigars. They smoke them right away." Perhaps the American and British smoking gentry know something about cigars Cubans don't , but it seems unlikely. Be aware, also, that the Brits tend to favor drier cigars than most, too.

There is a scientific consideration that may shed light on this issue. Long-storage advocates would say that one could store cigars indefinitely as long as the humidity remains at a proper level (73%), so the cigars would not dry out.

But this is not correct, when one understands that cigar taste is not a matter only of whether the water content has evaporated. It depends upon whether the volatile aromatic oleoresins (the oils mentioned above) have evaporated. These are the saps, the resins which give the cigars their taste and aroma.

A little knowledge of the relative independence of partial vapor pressures with respect to each other's outgassing rates supports the theory that long-term storage is not always wise.

Even with humidity at a full 100%, creating a rain-forest environment for the cigars, the oleoresins will still dry out at the same rate as if the humidity were at desert-level! The evaporation rate for the oils depends solely upon the concentration level of those specific oleoresins in the container, independent of the level of water vapor. Unless the level of the tobacco oleoresins themselves remain at 100%, they will evaporate out of the tobacco. The cellophane that seals a cigar box will maintain this high humidity level for the aromatics for a few months. But after a while, the aromatics will be lost through tiny leaks and by passing through the cellophane membrane itself.

The answer to this paradox is that some cigars react favorably to aging, some do not. They may not actually taste better after aging, only different. With the loss of oils, they probably sacrifice richness for mellowed smoothness.

I can share a personal observation. I recently received a cedar box of double coronas that had been stored 15 years in a closet, without attention. After humidifying them gently for several days, I smoked them. They had sacrificed richness and full body for mild, mellow character. So my experience seems to confirm theory. Fanciers of aged cigars do recommend test-smoking a cigar every few months to determine if the stock is passing its peak.

Short-term conditions should be considered, too. Leave a cigar on the dashboard of a car, or on a table in the sun, and you've devastated it in less than an hour.

From Here

I found this to be informative.

**superman78** · 09-07-2005, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by 8-5-8

LONG-TERM STORAGE
Every so often, a stir goes through the cigar world, that several thousand pre-Castro Havana cigars are being sold at auction. Premier cigar purveyors like Alfred Dunhill, store clients' cigars in bulk for years, allowing them to age "like fine wine." The implication is that the older a cigar gets, the better it becomes.

Cuban cigar and tobacco people have told me, however, cigars have a shelf life of about one year, then decline irreversibly. They said, "No one in Cuba stores their cigars. They smoke them right away." Perhaps the American and British smoking gentry know something about cigars Cubans don't , but it seems unlikely. Be aware, also, that the Brits tend to favor drier cigars than most, too.

There is a scientific consideration that may shed light on this issue. Long-storage advocates would say that one could store cigars indefinitely as long as the humidity remains at a proper level (73%), so the cigars would not dry out.

But this is not correct, when one understands that cigar taste is not a matter only of whether the water content has evaporated. It depends upon whether the volatile aromatic oleoresins (the oils mentioned above) have evaporated. These are the saps, the resins which give the cigars their taste and aroma.

A little knowledge of the relative independence of partial vapor pressures with respect to each other's outgassing rates supports the theory that long-term storage is not always wise.

Even with humidity at a full 100%, creating a rain-forest environment for the cigars, the oleoresins will still dry out at the same rate as if the humidity were at desert-level! The evaporation rate for the oils depends solely upon the concentration level of those specific oleoresins in the container, independent of the level of water vapor. Unless the level of the tobacco oleoresins themselves remain at 100%, they will evaporate out of the tobacco. The cellophane that seals a cigar box will maintain this high humidity level for the aromatics for a few months. But after a while, the aromatics will be lost through tiny leaks and by passing through the cellophane membrane itself.

The answer to this paradox is that some cigars react favorably to aging, some do not. They may not actually taste better after aging, only different. With the loss of oils, they probably sacrifice richness for mellowed smoothness.

I can share a personal observation. I recently received a cedar box of double coronas that had been stored 15 years in a closet, without attention. After humidifying them gently for several days, I smoked them. They had sacrificed richness and full body for mild, mellow character. So my experience seems to confirm theory. Fanciers of aged cigars do recommend test-smoking a cigar every few months to determine if the stock is passing its peak.

Short-term conditions should be considered, too. Leave a cigar on the dashboard of a car, or on a table in the sun, and you've devastated it in less than an hour.

From Here

I found this to be informative.

very informitive,thanks

**TheSilentChamber** · 09-07-2005, 07:17 PM

Not to take away from the thread, but is there really a need to quote the person when you are replying directly below them?

**MMAB** · 09-07-2005, 08:05 PM

for digging that up.

I had read that info before and couldn't remember where I saw it. I like the comment about Cubans not aging their cigars, smoking them right away.

I agree. Who the hell wants to save a box of cigars!!!??? SMOKE EM"!