Very interesting piece on CigarCyclopedia.com this week. Perelman pulls some interesting tidbits and observations from An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars from Hong Kong-based author Min Ron Nee.

Nee clumps the life of Havana cigars into 4 phases, the first of which is the sick period. This time is signified by the an awful ammonia aroma when smelling cigars newly manufactured cigars. One should be patient and put these away for a period of time (upwards of 8-15 years!) while they mature into a subsequent period. Proper ventilation can also be used to prevent this type of thing from happening to your Havana cigars.

This is born out by Rafael Gonzalez cigars that have carried the following message on the box:

"In order that the Connoisseur may fully appreciate the perfect fragrance they should be smoked either within one month of the date of shipment from Havana or should be carefully matured for about one year.”

This only seems to pertain to Havanas but it is a strong argument for grabbing a box of your favorite cigars from your preferred cigar shop and putting it aside (using proper humidification techniques of course) for savoring in the future.