Best Cigars To Age
Aging cigars is one of the main reasons cigar lovers eventually buy a humidor and start a cigar collection. You can buy your favorite cigars by the box, now that you’ve got a place to store them, and experience the difference in the way they taste as they rest. Not all cigars mature the same. Most will mellow out if you’re wondering if cigars get better with age. The best way to find out is to lay them down to rest in your humidor for several weeks, months, or years. Here are five excellent full-bodied cigars that age wonderfully over both short and long periods of time.
1. Ashton VSG
Ashton VSG has been the reigning full-bodied Dominican smoke since its debut in 1999. A dark Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf glistens over a magnificent core of Dominican long-filler tobaccos blended by legendary cigar-maker Carlito Fuente. Ultra-smooth notes of cedar, espresso bean, earth, and black pepper culminate throughout a long, leathery finish. This 94-rated classic grows silky and a touch sweet with subtle hints of raisin as it rests over the course of months. The oldest VSG cigars in existence can be found at the Ashton Cigar Bar in Philadelphia. A handful of cigars from the very first batch ever rolled, twenty-five years ago, are still available for purchase.
2. Fuente Fuente Opus X
Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars have been among the most coveted rarities for nearly three decades thanks to a prized blend of premium Dominican long-fillers tucked under an oily Shade Grown Dominican wrapper harvested on the Chateau de la Fuente estates. This robust rarity unfolds with powerful notes cedar, leather, coffee bean, Turkish fig, and spice. Opus X cigars are remarkably complex off the shelf. Aging them underscores Carlito Fuente’s precision in blending premium tobaccos that harmonize perfectly over time. The tangy, meaty profile of Opus X evolves with an undercurrent of baking spices and wood as it matures.
3. La Aroma de Cuba Reserva
World-renowned cigar-maker José ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends La Aroma de Cuba Reserva from a hearty and oily San Andrés Oscuro wrapper leaf and premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Notes of hickory, espresso bean, dark chocolate, and leather layer the palate with a profound spice. Patiently waiting for Reserva cigars to grow old in your humidor reveals a dense and succulent smoke with a mellower spice and a sweet, woody finish. Add this potent, 94-rated smoke from one of the top-selling Nicaraguan brands to your collection today – and wait for a while to enjoy it. You’ll be impressed.
4. San Cristobal
A Cuban-seed Oscuro wrapper leaf, harvested in Ecuador, embraces a bountiful blend of vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers grown and blended by the Garcia family in the original San Cristobal blend. Commanding notes of black pepper, chocolate, espresso bean, black cherry, and walnut blossom into a deep, uniform profile that resonates with unrivaled flavor and aroma. The smoky and earthy taste of San Cristobal maintains an excellent foundation for its bold character to achieve extraordinary levels of smoothness as it ages.
5. My Father Le Bijou 1922
My Father Le Bijou 1922 earned a 97-point rating with ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ honors from the critics in Cigar Aficionado in 2015. Pronounced notes of black pepper, leather, earth, espresso bean, and dark cocoa mingle throughout a strong and zesty smoke that matures into a savory profile of spices and wood with a hint of molasses emerging as the blend rests. A thick Oscuro wrapper, grown in Ecuador from Cuban seeds, harbors premium Nicaraguan long-fillers blended by Pepin Garcia. The intensity of My Father Le Bijou 1922 settles after several months, allowing greater emphasis on the cigar’s deep, malty potential.
