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A quick Google search brings up many definitions of complexity and complex. Some even equate complex and complicated - which is not accurate. The best discussion of how the two are different comes from MIT's Sloan Management Review. In case you don't read the article - complicated problems are easier to solve than complex problems. Complicated problems may take time to solve, but apply the rules and you'll get them solved. Complex problems involve multiple unknowns that may or may not be related.
If you remember complex numbers from Algebra - they contain both real and imaginary components! That is more than a step beyond complicated! It also is a better way to consider complexity regarding cigars. Cigar Sense says that "complexity is a subjective way to observe the depth and breadth" of a cigar's flavors and aromas. Complexity is a desired characteristic in cigars! In fact, according to CA "Top scoring cigars in Cigar Aficioando magazine typically are complex, having several flavors that pair well together."
What does a complex cigar taste like? The answer is complicated! Know that a cigar with little complexity will often taste "flat". A very good discussion can be found in a 2015 Cigar Advisor article by Gary Korb - an easy and worthwhile read. He starts with "Complexity is the emergence of layers and multiple combinations of flavors within a cigar..." He even references another Cigar Advisor article by Doc Diaz. The two articles also get into a discussion of aging. While aging is important to bring out the flavors of tobacco - aging cigars is not always beneficial. Aging can enhance a cigar's complexity, but there are no guarantees. Even those cigars that might benefit from a bit of aging will reach a point of diminishing returns (where the flavor actually starts to drop off).
We leave decisions about how long to wait before smoking a cigar to the customer, but can assure you that all of the cigars in our humidor at Bailey's are ready to smoke! We invite you to determine their complexity for yourself.
