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Aging
cigars is a long, slow and complex process that only seems to end when you
smoke it.
It begins
when the torcedor (artisan who makes the cigars) moistens the filler, wrapper
and binder leaves to make them more manageable and make the binding, the name
given to the process of joining them to make the cigar. After binding, they are
left to rest for a time, and later the cigars are ringed and placed in boxes to
be marketed. The boxes are sealed and marked with the month and year of
manufacture, the date from which the age of the cigars contained in the box
begins to be measured.
Although
before reaching the table of the torcedor, the tobacco has undergone
long processes of curing, fermentation and aging that last at least two years,
after binding a process begins by which the leaves will continue to undergo
micro-fermentation processes that will gradually improve cigars, provided they
are kept in the correct conditions.
Like many
other issues in this vast world of cigars, their aging is also the subject of
great controversy among connoisseurs, so it is not possible to reach
conclusions or issue decisive opinions on whether or not to leave them aging
once they have been acquired. However, some of the issues to consider are worth
knowing.
First of
all, it is necessary to know that not all cigars improve their taste and aroma
over time. Only premium cigars -though not necessarily all- expertly crafted
from carefully selected and processed high-quality leaves, are perfected with
aging.
Many people
wonder how long would be an appropriate period to age the cigars once they have
been bought, and that is another issue where there are no unique truths,
because it will depend on the curing process that the leaves used in their
preparation have received. But some connoisseurs say that tobacco flavors often
tend to become milder over time, because both some of its components and
moisture travel through the leaves and are distributed more homogeneously in
the cigar, which induces a more uniform combustion that produces subtle changes
capable of bringing out flavors that would otherwise be hidden by stronger
ones.
To age the
cigars once they have been purchased and make these processes occur, humidors
are used, which are nothing more than a wooden box, made expressly to store
cigars. The humidors provide ideal environments of humidity and temperature so
that the cigars do not get wet or dry, in order to preserve their essential
aroma and flavors. Many experts agree that they should be left there for at
least six months to experience the new flavor combinations that may emerge.
On the
other hand, there is a general opinion that cigar boxes with less than two
years old in the manufacture should not be bought, but it is important to know
that, today, most of the premium cigars from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
and Honduras, are ready to be smoked as soon as they arrive at the retail
stores because they are the right age and excellent conditions to be smoked.
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