Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 3/22/2009

Question
I have many different cigars in the humidor, which I would like to age. I was told it was a good idea to keep the cigars separated by wood, if not wrapped in plastic, to prevent flavor mixing. At the same time it was suggested that the ones in plastic be opened at the end to allow oxygen to the cigar, assisting in the seasoning.  Is this correct, or is it better to keep them closed.
  Also, if you don't mind another question, should I keep very fine cigars in the sealed cardboard package? Theres no plastic seal, but its pretty tightly closed. Will the humidity of the humidor benefit the cigars in a closed pack?
    I also am trying wrapping my Martinez (NYC) rubustos in cedar sheets to age them will in contact with the wood. Is this an okay idea, or should this seasoning be left to the pros?  How long can nice cigars age to unfurl the taste?
  Hope this is not too many questions.   Thanks! Gil


Answer
Gil,

First, I like to keep my cigars in their original cellophane tubes when storing in my humidor. This helps protect them from damage. It is not necessary to leave the ends open as cellophane is porous and allows moisture to be absorbed at the same rate it allows cigars to lose their moisture.

Second, if you are storing cigars with very different characteristics in the same humidor, they will eventually "marry" flavors from one brand to the other, regardless if you keep them separated by wood. The change will be slight, and happens less quickly if they are separated, but it does occur slightly. If this is a big concern then you should probably store them in separate humidors.

Storing cigars in Spanish cedar is always good, and as long as you are using Spanish cedar you don't have to worry about messing them up. Any other cedar is too strong and will adversely affect their taste.

Length of time to age cigars depends on the cigars. Most good quality cigars are well aged and ready to smoke when you receive them, so aging doesn't do much for them. If you have some cigars that were made with tobacco that needed a little more curing, or cigars that were made and shipped without at least a couple of weeks of aging, then give them a month or 2 and try them. If you don't notice a change, then they are not going to change after that.

Hope this helps.

Bill