Why Having a Fresh Cigar Might Not Be a Good Idea?

Cigars often get better with time so having a fresh cigar isn't necessarily a good thing. More often than not the concept of a fresh cigar sounds great however an aged one is usually much better.

A new cigar which is considered fresh is more likely to have a strong and bitter taste ruining your experience. Aging them in a humidor for a long period of time will make them more mellow and refined giving you a much more enjoyable smoking experience, especially in larger ring gauge cigars. There is also a high chance that a fresh cigar will burn unevenly due to the cigar not being rested.

Cigars with a bigger ring gauge tend to have a greater volume of tobacco of which is not directly exposed to the outside environment, this makes them perfect for aging and you can leave them in your humidor for as long as you want and they will not go stale as long as your humidor is keeping to the right conditions. However some cigars are not worth aging, cigars which have a cured wrapper or cigars of a lower quality do not massively improve with age however they won’t get worse either.

To correctly age your cigars you need to make sure the temperature and humidity is at the optimum levels which we consider is between 16-18 celsius with a humidity of between 65 and 72%. If the levels in your humidor keep changing then the tobacco will expand and contract which will damage the wrapper giving it a dry and cracked look and potentially making it seem like it's an old cigar which is not being looked after correctly. 

Cigars are extremely complexed and personal, one man's trash is another man's treasure. You may prefer the fresh cigar option with no aging, giving you a more bitter taste which you may enjoy or may prefer aging your cigar in the humidor giving you a more smooth experience if you have the patience to wait that is.

Written by Oliver Partington