Initial aging begins the moment the roller finishes rolling your cigar. In order for the roller to make your cigar, he need to work with a "wet" binder and wrapper. If he/she weren't to use a "wet" leave, it would surely crack and rip during manufacture.

Under normal conditions, the manufacturer will perform the initial aging for you. Normally the cigars will be held 3-6 months in storage prior to sending to distributors and then on to the shops. But don't count on it. Some of the in-demand cigars and most of the seconds and lesser brands won't age for longer than 3 months.

What this initial aging does for you is allow the cigar to expel excess moisture. Once the cigar reaches an internal RH that equals the external RH, it is considered stabilized. Depending how wet it was during rolling, the RH in your humidor, and the ambient temperature; this stabilization process can last up to 8 weeks after rolling. Once stabilized, the initial aging continue out to the 12-18 month mark.

Initial aging allows the tobacco to begin the marrying process. The oils will migrate throughout the cigar until they dry out. The marrying of oils allows for a flavors to blend and create a more complex smoke.

Intermediate aging extends from the 2 year mark out to the 4 to 5 year mark. Now it is my opinion that all cigars get better with age. In general, the stronger cigars with heavy oils. With that being said, many cigars start their down hill slide at the 2 year point. Lighter bodied cigars such as AVO, some Arturo Fuente, H. Upmann, Macanudo, and a few others won't age for the better after this mark. Once the all the oils evaporate, the cigar will be a bland lifeless smoke.

Long term aging goes from 5 years out to the 10-12 year point. Only the heartiest of cigars will age well for this long.

Ancient cigars have 12+ years of age on them. A lot of aficionados claim that cigars take on a different life altogether at this point. To the untrained nose, these cigars smell like anything but something you would want to stick in your mouth. These ancient cigars have a nose described as stinky cheese, sweat socks, and to top it off, a barnyard. The aficionados must be onto something, because at auction's, millions of dollars pass hands for these ancient smokes.