Intentionally aging cigars?

[Old Smokey]

I think buying an entire box and aging it for a significant amount of time is a bit perilous unless you're smoking a few along the way. Many, many cigars do not get better with years of rest. You might pop the top on one, and realize you missed their prime.

I purchased a bunch of sticks from a guy on another forum with many years of rest on them. He was a good BOTL, and took great care of them. Of the 10 or so different varieties I purchased, I'd say that about three of them really shined. The others were clearly over-aged. Not bad, but they just had lost their zing.

At the end of the day, everything is subjective. I'm someone who enjoys full-tilt Nicaraguans with lots of pepper and spice. These things are the first to go in the aging process. So I rarely want a cigar that has more than a year of rest. But someone else might really like the pepper to come down in a particular smoke to enjoy more nuances. Again, this is why I highly recommend smoking one every 8 months or so to see how they're changing.

Sean, I agree, a person should be selective on what they are buying to intentionally age. The boxes I am aging are Opus X and Anejos? Both of which I believe will age very well. I have smoked cigars that have aged well beyond their Prime and they were almost totally tasteless. CC's seem to be another good example of tobacco that seem to age well.

[Ciro]

I've never purchased cigars for aging, but because I'm constantly buying and not smoking as much there are a few boxes and sticks in my humidors that have 10+ years on them.