As far as which cigars do well with resting/aging is all about the strength...mild cigars do not do well resting much less aging. Full bodied cigars tend to age well and as far as resting goes....I've rested NC's for 1 year to 4 years and there isn't any benefit to resting any NC for more than 2 years unless you like a Full strength cigar that has been brought down to a medium with a little kick to them. If you are a bold, full bodied smoker you'd probably do well to smoke em up after 9 months.
So essentially, I get a box with DEC 15 stamped on bottom. The cigars I should assume--typically--will be too harsh and young for enjoyment and need rest for at least 18 months before they're ready to smoke. And that's because they were rolled last month with last year's tobacco, and they need to 'mature' / 'rest' in order to become enjoyable. But if I took that same box, put it in a proper storage environment that's well regulated with temp and RH, and let it sit for 5-10 years, that would be considered 'aging'?
Generally speaking, NCs/DOMs in regular production are made with tobaccos that have already arrived at that 18-month (or longer) maturity point, and therefore need little or no rest before they smoke well?
And finally (please forgive long-windedness), it's been your experience that Habanos 'rest' to become better and more flavorful, whereas NICs and DOMs (typically) will lose strength and do not generally increase in flavor over time? I know I'm speaking in generalities, and there's no hard and fast laws for this process. Essentially, Habanos change their flavor profile over long periods of time but still retain strength, whereas NICs and DOMs tend to lose strength without gaining new flavor profiles over long periods of time?
