Expert: James Yee - 2/11/2008

Question
Is there any advice on what a person is to do when aging single cigars? This is what I usually buy and I'm starting to build up a collection that I want to age but I find it tough to keep track of the age of each stick.

Also should I ask how long the cigar store has aged the singles? It never occurred to me until now that cigars I'm buying might already be aged 1-2 years if they have sat in the store that long

Answer
Hi Mike,

When aging single cigars, what you can do is keep your cigars organized by age and assign them specific areas in your humidor (such as a specific tray, drawer or compartment.)  This can help you easily remember which cigars are of a certain age.  If necessary, record all your cigars and purchase dates in a notebook for easy reference.  For cigars still wrapped in cellophane, many smokers prefer to just write the aging info on the cellophane with a magic marker.  (The same can be done with cigars in cigar tubes with either a marker or a white sticker label with the info written on it.)

Aside from this, just remember to rotate your cigars periodically (once every 2-3 months is fine) to promote proper aeration and thoroughly inspect each cigar carefully during rotation to ensure that mold/tobacco beetles do not occur.

To answer your second question, it's always good to inquire with the cigar store as to how old are the cigars that you purchase.  Many serious collectors prefer to keep a notebook or dossier of all the cigars they are aging and include such info as when they purchased the cigar, where they purchased it, how old the cigar was when they purchased it, boxcode(s), price, etc.

Hopes this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James