It's an inevitability of life: age happens. We all come into this world fresh and new, only to leave old, used, and sporting a ceramic hip. With all the uncertainties of life, one thing is for sure: we are all growing old.

Cigars, like people, are also subject to this aging. Though they don't enjoy the benefits of older humans - the discount movie tickets, the Social Security, the absence of bowel movements - cigars, just like us, are always growing up.

Why it Matters
This aging of cigars is a very important factor in the cigar's overall flavor and body. Whether you smoke a younger cigar or one with some wrinkles, both experiences will be different. More often than not the cigars with some years on them will be exceptional smokes. However, cigars do reach their peak, and tend to go bad afterwards. Thus, smoking a cigar that once dangled from the lips of Ulysses S. Grant, no matter how cool it is to come into contact with famous saliva, may not taste as good as you might predict.

How to Know
In a perfect world, the way to discover the age of a cigar would be to simply ask for an ID, waiting patiently as the cigar digs around in its purse or wallet. In reality, however, the signs of an older cigar are slight shrinkage (perhaps it was "in the pool"), the ability to move the cigar rings up and down the length of the cigar without much friction, and the presence of a light whitish gray powder (known as plume).

Cigars: The Early Years
Cigars should only be smoked within a few weeks of being rolled if you are hoping to get a new or freshly rolled type of flavor. Generally, experts agree that most cigars embody a better taste after their first birthday.

Two years is usually the best time to smoke Habanos, Hondurans, Dominicans, and most all light smokes; this is usually the peak time where these cigars are most flavorful.

Between two years and five years is where most other cigars peak - they become the high school quarterback, the prom queen, the senior class president. The stronger bodied cigars - the Havana Bolivars, for instance - are thought to generally age better over a greater duration of time, and peak during these "toddler" years.

Between 7 and 10 years, most cigars get set in their ways, watching the evening news while eating TV dinners. In a nutshell, they mellow out. For most people this is equated with having too little flavor.

Cigars: The Golden Years
While some cigars are done after a decade, there are others who will survive the test of time. Some cigars just grow old gracefully; they are the "Dick Clarks" of tobacco.

The Cigar Aficionado magazine, in its quest to find the perfect cigar, recently rated a group of older cigars. The Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva D' Chateau (1996), the Partagas Partagas De Partagas No.1 (1990), the Cohiba Lanceros (1988), the Saint Luis Rey Regios (1988) and the Sancho Panza Molinos (1995) all scored in the 90's, while the Ramon Allones Gigantes (1991) topped the chart with a perfect score of 100.

The age of a cigar is an important factor when lighting up to enjoy a few joyful moments. But, like so many things, age is not always a factor completely determining. Some cigars may be well past their prime and still offer a fully unique and enjoyable flavor. The age of a cigar is just a guideline; ageism aside, it really comes down to individual opinions and tastes.