The answer, I have to say, depends on you and your personal preference PLUS the kind of cigar. So how do you know whether you should age your cigar or not?

If you are a new to the cigar smoking world, you might not have an all time favorite cigar yet. Or perhaps you do – you never know. Here is a suggestion to help you determine if you actually should age cigars. I have to warn you, though, this will take a long time.

So here is what you should do. Get your favorite cigar and set it up for aging. The best thing you can do with respect to this is to get yourself a good humidor if you don’t have one. If you can’t afford it right now, then you might want to ask a friend if you could put your cigar in his humidor. Otherwise, you can’t really age a cigar properly and if you are planning on aging cigars in the future, you really need one.

Age your cigar for 6 months to a year and at the end of that time, purchase another cigar – same brand and flavor – and then compare how they both taste. See which one you prefer and you will have your answer.

Is this scenario even possible? Definitely! While you may not want to think about cigars going bad, it does happen – and it has happened. And the last thing that you want is to ruin your night with a bad stogie. Before you even light it, take a closer look at your cigar and make sure that it is worth lighting. Here are some tips to help you determine whether to light your cigar or not.

Is it dry beyond hope? If your cigar is drier than the Mojave desert in the middle of the day, I suggest not lighting it. This means that the cigar has lost its essential oils that give it flavor. Of course, you can opt to light it but the chances are that your mood will be ruined beyond repair. Here’s a better tip: avoid getting dry cigars by investing in a good humidor.

Does your cigar smell bad? It does not take a rocket scientist to know that, generally, some thing that smells bad tastes bad! If you do not like the smell of your unlit cigar, then the chances are it will taste just as awful when lit. Spare yourself. Throw it away.

Where did you buy your cigar? Let’s face it folks, buying cigars at 7-11 or grocery stores is not the smartest thing to do. While you can get them for cheap, they are probably of low quality. Worse, they are probably old stock – stale. If you bought those cigars from the local supermarket check out counter out of impulse, I suggest just going to a “real” cigar store or even buying online. Don’t waste your money.

But did you know that Spanish Cedar is technically not cedar? As a matter of fact, it comes from the mahogany family. If you look at it, you will see a salmon red tight-grained wood. The aroma is very nice and spicy, making you want to smell it more. 
Another piece of trivia – Spanish Cedar is used not only for humidors but also for other building materials as lining.

Another advantage of using Spanish Cedar for humidors is its natural ability to resist molds. This is very important as no one would want any mold formation inside his humidor! In addition to this, Spanish Cedar is also resistant to tobacco beetles! Anyone who has had an experience with these nasty little critters will know just how important this is.

In modern times, however, developments in technology have made the use of other materials possible. Electronics and plastic have been used to treat cigars without the need for Spanish Cedar. As such, you will find many humidors today that do not make use of this wood at all.

That is not to say that you cannot find humidors made of Spanish Cedar. While this wood may not be a require material, many still find humidors made of it desirable over those using modern materials.

First, why do you need to season your humidor? This is because the cedar that is the material used for the humidor also absorbs moisture. Brand new humidors and old humidors that have not been used in a while need to be seasoned because the cedar does not have sufficient moisture itself. What will happen is that the wood will actually GET moisture from your cigars if you use the humidor without seasoning it.

In order to season your humidor, you have to get distilled water. Remember, it should be distilled and not tap water. Get a sponge and wet it with the distilled water. Then you should wipe down the whole inside of the humidor. After this, put the sponge – which should not be too saturated – on top of a piece of plastic inside the humidor. Then follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to how to fill your humidifying device. Wait for 24 hours, repeat the sponging process, and then wait another 24 hours.

It should then be fine to use your humidor. Just make sure that the insides are not damp.

A hygrometer is basically an instrument which measures the level of humidity. How is this important for cigar enthusiasts? Humidity is the keyword here. You should know that when it comes to storing cigars, humidity is a key factor. That is where the hygrometer enters the picture. If you have a humidor, a hygrometer should also be present. There are many different kinds of hygrometer but the important thing for you to do is to calibrate it before you start storing your cigars. How do you do this?

About.com gives detailed and practical instructions:

1. Fill a milk bottle cap or other small container with salt, and add a few drops of water (not enough to dissolve the salt).

2. Put the cap inside of a baggie or plastic container along with your hygrometer, and seal the bag.

3. Wait 6 hours, then check the reading on your hygrometer without opening the bag (or immediately after removing). If the reading is 75%, then your hygrometer is accurate and no adjustment is required.

4. If the reading is not precisely 75%, then adjust the hygrometer to 75% by turning the screw or dial on the back. This must be done immediately after removing from the bag or container, before room conditions cause the reading to change.

Now isn’t that simple enough?

Now that I have got your brain working, let me help you out a little bit. Imagine yourself lighting up a cigar, excitement running through you…suddenly, when you inhale to take the draw, you seem to be having a lot of difficulty drawing the air in. What has happened? The chances are that you got a plug in your cigar.

So basically, a plug is a blockage that can sometimes occur when a cigar is manufactured. This is not the fault of anyone, really. These things just happen. There can be many reasons for a plug. One common reason, though, is that when a piece of leaf gets caught up with a stray stem and then they get pack too tightly before the cigar is rolled. The result is that this combination will block the air during the draw.

What can be done about this? The most common thing that seasoned cigar smokers do is that they massage the cigar which has a plug. Of course, this should be done very gently and very carefully. An additional suggestion would be to moisten your fingers a little bit before massaging the cigar. This would help keep the wrapper moist enough and not crack easily.

If it doesn’t work, then I suggest you get another cigar.

Anyway, another key difference when it comes to smoking cigars and cigarettes is the relighting of one. Cigarettes burn quickly and easily so it is rare that you would have to relight one. But in the event that you do have to relight a cigarette, all you need to do is flick the ashes out and put a lighter to the tip.

For cigars, however, you have to be more careful. Naturally, you also need to get rid of the ash at the foot of the cigar. It has to be done carefully by tapping the cigar or gently rubbing it on an ashtray. Relighting a cigar entails more than puffing – you have to blow out the smoke THROUGH the cigar. This is so that the ash and tar build up can be removed. However, this has proven to be disastrous for some smokers as sparks can blow out from the cigar.

Another option then would be to cut about one fourth of an inch from the foot of the cigar. That would leave you with unburnt tobacco.

How do you relight your cigars?

So is there any solution to really dry cigars? The answer is yes. You see, it works both ways. If moisture can escape from a cigar, then you can also reintroduce moisture. How to do it? It is simple enough.

Get a plastic bag – the sealable type – and place the entire box of cigars in it. Make sure that you do not seal the bag entirely because you want some air to flow into the bag. You can then place a sponge that has been soaked in distilled water in the bag. Now take note the whole process will not be finished overnight. It takes time – weeks or even months. You have to patient because if you introduce moisture too quickly, what you will have are fat, soggy cigars that are useless. One last thing – make sure that you rotate your cigars.

Expand your horizons.
What do I mean by this? As a new cigar smoker, do not try just one brand or flavor. After all, you do not have much experience with the different kinds of cigars out there. Though you may start with something that a trusted friend has recommended, I suggest that you do yourself a favor and try many different kinds. You can actually buy sampler packs, which contain many different cigars in one container. This way, you can find out for yourself which kind you really prefer and at the same time, you do not spend too much money buying a bundle of each kind. This also actually applies to the more experienced smokers as well. Sampler packs are a great way to discover new kinds of cigars without weighing heavily on the pocket.

Never put a partially smoked cigar back in your humidor.
Seasoned smokers know better than to do this but a lot of newbies have made this mistake. If you do not finish smoking a cigar, either put it in a cigar savor or just throw it away.

Puff but do not inhale.
I do not know too many people who, when they smoke cigars, inhale the smoke. Many smoke cigars for the flavor – this means that you do not have to actually inhale the cigar. Enjoy the draw and live longer!

Find a good companion for your cigar.
I am talking about a drink. Most people I know like to drink while smoking a cigar. There is no rule against this, of course and drinking is actually a good accompaniment to a good cigar. The idea, though, is to have a drink that will enhance the flavor of your cigar and not drown it.

Age your cigars before smoking.
If you buy a new bundle of cigars, do not immediately smoke them. Of course, you can do so if you want but you would not get the best out of the cigars. Rather, you should unwrap them and place them in humidors for a few months before smoking them. If you want a cigar that you can smoke immediately, go to your local cigar shop and buy individual sticks that they have already aged.