Cigars age in tubes better than if they were sitting out of them. I'm talking 10/15+ years. The tube creates it's own micro environment with, hopefully, not much air exchange and the cigar will stew in it's own brew, if you will. The slow aging with as less air exchange as possible is usually desired.
Leave those tubes closed because in the years to come, they should become spectacular. Like igehog said, before you smoke one, you might want to get it out of the tube for a week or so to let it breath.
A good example are the 98 H Upmann Monarca's. The ones in the tubes are so much better right now!
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