What are the advantages to leaving a cigar to mature and how does it affect the taste?

When experts speak of the art of blending different tobaccos and the marriage of their flavours, they are referring to a process that continues after the cigar has left the factory. Even when cigar makers use matured tobaccos for their cigars, the flavour continues to develop over time.

Similar to good wines, long-term storage of most premium cigars leads to a positive change in flavour. Normally, it takes only a few months for cigars to travel from manufacturer to point of sale. Young cigars can still have a strong, unpleasant, ammonia-like taste, which usually dissipates within the first year after the cigar is rolled. During an extended storage period, cigars lose their tannin content and along with it, their bitter taste; aromas become more pronounced, the taste rounder, more harmonious, and the cigars lose any unwanted sharpness. The taste is enhanced too by the aroma and flavour of Spanish cedar whose influence is more noticeable over time.

If the tobaccos used had not been matured to perfection before rolling, a further aspect is added, which makes an ageing period after purchase seem more than reasonable. The taste of the recently rolled cigars could still seem somewhat rough or rustic. These are taste impressions which generally disappear during ripening. With very long storage, over decades, the strength of the cigars decreases. In this context, long ageing periods are often recommended for very strong cigars. In contrast to wine, storing for a few years more does not pose a risk of negatively affecting the taste of the cigars.

Just as experienced wine drinkers have a wine cellar, so long-time cigar-enthusiasts often have a cigar cabinet. The cigar smoker though, has the disadvantage that cigars that have been aged for any significant amount of time can rarely be bought on the market, making space for long-term storage even more important.