Aging Cigars

I have been trying to age a few boxes of cigars. I say trying because the temptation to smoke these cigars is great. I've done a lot of reading on this subject, and every source seems to have a different opinion on the subject. Some say open your boxes periodically and rotate and dust the cigars off. Others say do not open or touch your cigars while they age. Are tubos better than cellophane wrapped or unwrapped cigars? Who knows. If I had the money I would conduct my own test, buying a box of each type and age them together.

What type of cigars do you think qualify to be aged? Cubans for sure. What about Padron Anniversary or Fuente Opus X? Does the wrapper color or size of the cigar matter? Lately I've noticed that Cigar Aficionado has been tasting some aged non-Cubans in their magazine, with fine results.

I had the opportunity to smoke a few Sancho Panza Molinos and Rafael Gonzales Lonsdales that each had about six years in their boxes. Each smoke was fantastic. I was particularly impressed with the Sancho Panzas. When new I do not care for these cigars. But with some age, the smoke was almost magical. It was woody with a great mellow tobacco taste. I think I will be aging some of these myself!!

So, if I can hold out and not smoke all of my cigars, I should be enjoying a decent selection of aged smokes in the years to come!