Quote Originally Posted by The Master View Post
In general all Cuban cigars need to be aged. Cuba does not age their tobacco or age their finished product. In contrast mfgs. like Fuente and Padron age their tobacco for years and then age their finished product for many months and even years in some cases.

Cuban cigars also taste different depending on how long they have been aged. A 2 year old Cuban will taste very different from a 5 year old one.
All Cuban tobacco is aged a minimum of 2 years before it is considered to be rolled. This process of fermentation relieves more than 90% of both nicotine and ammonia, the only two natural chemicals in tobacco. Cohiba and Trinidad tobaccos are aged for a minimum of 3 years. This extra aging has always been one of the reasons Cohiba is more expensive than other Cuban brands.

Although it is true that the aging process of Cubans and so-called "domestics" are not the same, it shouldn't be said that Cuba doesn't age their cigars.

With the release of the Edicion Limitada line in 2000, Habanos S.A. offered 3 cigars made only for that year. They were rolled in a dark wrapper and had been aged for 2 years. Every year since then Cuba has released 3-4 special cigars with 2 years of age.

Very recently we saw the release of the Cohiba Maduro 5 line from Cuba. One of it's main features is the Maduro wrapper which hasn't been officially used on a Cuban cigar since the revolution. Not only that but it was originally grown in 2002, making it over 5 years old. This cigar has brought about a new era in Cuban tobacco where pre-aging is being adapted.