Did a search, read the posts, not much there as to my specific question.

My understanding is that it takes approx. 5 years to make a cigar from planting to sale, with the bulk of that time spent aging the tobacco. Further I understand that most premium cigars are aged by the manufacturer prior to shipping from 6 months to 12 years or more. That many are individually wrapped in cello, placed in a cedar box, and then wrapped in shrink wrap. Most reputable locals have good walk-in humidors that are kept at 70/70. What is "resting" in my humidor for an additional time period going to do for my cigar that is seemingly old already?

Not to mentiion I have read many postings where it was stated that a smoke was purchased were ever, the cello was stained brown, making this stick obviously old and the writer states that they most run home, put it in their humi for a while to let this ancient thing rest alittle while longer. Why?

If the gar comes wrapped in cello then placed into a spanish cedar box that only allows for some air exchange then is wrapped in shrink wrap all after it was constructed in one of the many humid contries that make these beauties out of aged tobacco what is resting going to do? What happened to the moisture content? Do they arrive from Honudras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Cuba Dry? If so I would question the quality since many of these contries, not to mention our great state of Florida where some gars are made, have humidity levels above 80% every day.

I think this is a good question.

I'd like to see SteveS reply, he seems to know his sheee-at.

I think different manufacturers might age their tobacco for different periods. Part of that might depend on available warehouse space. Costs of warehousing are probably passed on to smokers as special edition cigars. By necessity tobacco has to age a certain period before it's usable. Then once it's rolled, a cigar is warehoused some more. How much depends on lots of different considerations. Some cigars are probably great right out of the warehouse. I find that cigars fresh out of a sealed box have a certain ammoniac flavor I don't like. It's part of the breakdown or "aging" process in a box. So I let 'em sit awhile to let that dissipate. Now why let a cigar you've purchased as a single sit? My experience is that most retailers keep their walk-ins wetter than I keep my desktops (65%RH). I don't care for most cigars wet. So again I let 'em sit awhile.

That's the short answer. I want to maximize the potential for enjoying a cigar. Through trial and error, I've figured out what works for me. Lot's of people do the same for the same reason.

The long answer starts like this: A cigar will go through several maturation periods in it's lifetime. Significant changes will be noticed over the course of decades.

Me? I'll never know! 😃

Good answer, but leads to another question.

If ammonia is being released during the aging process at what point does ammonia stop being a by product of aging? It seems to me that if I put a cigar that I wanted to age in any type of humidor and it then released ammonia it would infect the rest of my cigars, or is that where the limited air exchange of the humindor comes into play?

by product

bye product

buy product

aaah hell

Another consideration is that even though tobacco may be aged before rolling, the various tobaccos used to blend a cigar can take time to "marry" after being rolled together, regardless of how long the tbacco has been aged.

As far as letting cigars sit for a while after buying, If

nothing more, it can allow them to stabilize after travel. As XRD stated above, many tobacconists keep their

cigars a bit over humidified, which can lead to burn problems, and to me, a grassy, sour flavor I just don't care for. Also as stated above, an ammonia smell/taste

usually means young or improperly fermented tobacco.

To age/rest or not to, is finally up to you.

sounds like blending a wine.

After the personal taste, it sounds that knowledge of what you are buying and where you are buying is really the key. If you trust the seller to maintain proper standards of aging, if the manufacturer is reputable in their descriptions that type of thing. So, realizing that there is not a manual, is there a good reference that anyone keeps on hand to answer questions about brands. As in wine there are many fine books that cover the new releases, as if were. These tell of the region, blending notes, etc. Is there anything similar for premium smokes?

I don't pretend to understand the chemistry of this stuff, but I know what I like.

I think the biggest issue is not the brand but the last retailer who had their hands on it. If a retailer keeps an inventory on hand that moves very quickly those cigars will not age in the store. If you buy a very popular brand from a retailer that sells lots of that product it is very likely that you will need to do all the aging. I have noticed this with discount on-line retailers.

One of my tricks if I want ready to smoke cigars is to figure out which retailer is lesser known and therefore cannot move their product quickly. It is great to receive a package that has yellow or brown around the edges of the cello because it has sat on the vendor's shelves for a long time. If you go to a brick and mortar store you should be able to figure out for yourself which cigars will be great smokes and which need to wait by the appearance of the cello.

My experience is that here on CBid generally the discontinued brands are already aged wonderfully while current hot sellers need to be aged by the buyer.

I find the taste of any premium cigar is greatly enhanced by sitting in my humi for as long as I can stand to keep my paws off them.

So you don't have to age them. But for me if I am going to spend cold cash for a stick I want it to be the best it can be--and that means sigificant humi time.

The ammonia byproduct is usually pretty slight. I guess the main reason for tasting it in a fresh box is because it's been in a pretty much sealed environ. Allowing them to "breathe" awhile(in your humidor) dissipates that. Won't affect your other smokes. The older the box, the less noticeable. In a significantly older box, it may not be there at all. Oldest box I've had is maybe 6 years. It's always been there. Some crappier cigars sometimes have a very strong ammonia flavor. Perhaps the tobacco was rolled too soon? Incomplete fermentation? There are a lot of variables.

What xrundog said! Ammonia is outgassed all the time, and in the threads about Coolidors, you will find cautions to open them at least once a week (as well as any other plastic humi) as there is little or no air exchange to dissapate the ammonia, so to keep it from settleing back in the gars you open the 'dor once a week to exchange the air. Some manufacturers rush "green" cigars to market, and this exacerbates the problem, but most premium cigar houses will age their product sufficiently to ensure a smokeable gar "right out of the box".

All that being said, many cigars will benefit from aging, others may acyually go downhill! It's a subjective thing, and the only way to know, is buy a five pack of somethin, and smoke one, and let the others rest, after six months, try another, six months later, try another. If you like them alot, buy more to smoke in the meantime, but let one or two sit up. You might be plesantly surprised! if they don't improve after a year, go ahead and burn 'em. If they ever seem to be lacking, burn 'em. If they seem to be improving, buy a couple of boxes, date one and put it at the bottom of your humi, and smoke out of the other , and periodically buy another box, so when your AGED box is gone, you will have some aged cigars to replace them. This is where some of us get such ungodly quantities of cigars, is having a smokeable stash, and others that we're trying to keep our paws off of for awhile. This is just one facet of the hobby that makes it so interesting and rewarding, and if you give aging a try, I say enjoy!

Best answer yet, it answers a few questions, one of which is a different thread.

Thanks, Happy smokin