Don't be afraid to get old ...

Age thirty-five! makes half the way.
We are in the middle of life like Dante.
The gem in our young age,
To beg, to beg is futile today,
It goes without looking at the age of your eyes.

Perhaps we do not know these lines of Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı. Although it may seem gloomy to some, we have always remembered the poet at least once. Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı generally mentions in this poem about those who have disappeared over time, however the experiences gained with age, new acquaintances, other things we have learned and lived about life are all a plus for us and perhaps the beautiful aspects of "aging".

Why did I get into such a literary subject now? While we were smoking with friends a short while ago, "Should we age cigars, or which cigars, how much should we age?" we had a discussion on it. I used this analogy to express my opinion on this topic we are talking about. I think we can accept the positive aspect of aging, which highlights our gains, for the cigars we age. So, does this apply to every cigar?

Including what I have heard personally from cigar makers, aging the cigars we buy in general, for at least a month in our own humidifier, will have a positive effect on cigars. During this time, both the flavor and the texture will continue to ripen due to the continuing micro-fermentation inside the leaf. In addition, the general belief is that the cigars you aged continue to improve their taste and texture for up to 10 years. After 10 years, they do not undergo any significant change, even if they continue to rest. During the aging period, the flavors you get from cigars become more compatible with each other, increasing the pleasure you get from the cigar.

Is every cigar suitable for aging, or under what conditions should we age?

For one thing, as you can imagine, it is not necessary to age the cigars that are actually aged to the point of sale even longer. For example, Habanos' new Anejado series cigars are an example. These cigars are already offered for sale after aging for a certain period of time. In fact, these are a series that are aged after winding.

One of the first points I pay attention to in aging is the body and hardness of the cigar. Since the cigar will lose its unnecessary hardness due to excess nicotine by aging, it will reveal the flavors you will get. At the same time, cigars such as Ligero, in which leaves with a complex structure are used extensively, will increase the pleasure you get from cigars by harmonizing the flavors offered by these leaves with the correct aging.

On the other hand, with the same logic, large vitola cigars are, in my opinion, more suitable for aging.

Again, a common belief is that it would be correct to keep cigars below 70% humidity and around 68% during the aging process. These ratios reduce the moisture and enable the oils that the leaves have in their properties to penetrate more into the leaves. Another issue that should be kept low is contact with oxygen. To minimize the exposure of cigars to oxygen during the aging process, as much as possible, without opening the boxes too much, without removing the cellophane, if any. This will also make aging healthier as it will slow down ongoing micro-fermentation.

And the point where the calf breaks off. We have been patient for "years", we waited for the cigars to become beautiful. Is the result a positive shock that our lover gave us after he made us wait to get ready, or is it just the opposite, a disappointment? Will we like the flavors created as a result of this elapsed time, or will we look for the flavor when we first taste it? For this, it is useful to smoke one out of the box at regular intervals, personally, 2-3 months intervals will be appropriate. It is time for you to smoke the cigars that have the desired taste without wasting any time.

Enjoyable smoking ...