Aging Cigars the wrapper way

Aging cigars is somewhat of an inexact science, which frustrates many cigar enthusiasts. We know that putting cigars away for a certain period of time often improves them, but there’s no way to quantify “certain period of time”. Or is there?

The folks at Oliva Cigars believe there is a way to determine aging time on cigars. Specifically, they go by the wrapper, and even more specifically, the thickness of the wrapper. Here’s what they suggest:

• Thicker wrappers (Maduro, Habano, Corojo, Habano 2000, Criollo, Sumatra) – 3 to 7 years
• Medium wrappers (Ecuador Connecticut) – 2-5 years
• Thinner wrappers (USA Connecticut, Cameroon) – 1 to 4 years

Remember that this is still a general guide, but given the source, it’s one to keep in mind. Also remember that while aging will put a desirable finishing touch on many, if not most premium cigars, it’s lost on cigars that aren’t all that great to begin with. As Oliva puts it “The best cigars for aging are those which were well balanced and enjoyable to begin with.” We couldn’t agree more.