Cigars
Definition :
A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of
dried and fermented tobacco, one end of which is ignited so that its smoke may
be drawn into the smoker’s mouth hand lungs.
The word cigar is from the Spanish word cigarro. Other sources have indicated
that it may derived from the Maya language word sikar, “tobacco”.
Cigar tobacco is grown in significant
quantities in such nations as Brazil,
Cameroon,
Cuba,
Dominican Republic,
Honduras,
Indonesia,
Mexico,
Nicaragua,
and the USA.
Cigars manufactured in Cuba
are widely considered to be without peer mainly for characteristics:
-
A
microclimate allows for unequaled tobacco to be grown.
-
The
skills of the nation’s cigar-makers.
History:
Origins:
The indigenous inhabitants of the island
of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica
have smoked cigars since at least 900 AD. Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus
is generally credited with the introduction of smoking to Europe, an action
which is often termed the “discovery” of smoking, despite his having borrowed
the practise from the indigenous Americans.
Two of Columbus’s crewmen during his 1492 journey,
are said to have disembarked in Cuba
and taken puffs of tobacco wrapped in maize husks, thus becoming the first
European cigar smokers.
In the 19th century, cigar
smoking was common while cigarettes were still rare. The cigar business was an
important industry, and factories employed many peoples before mechanized
manufacturing of cigars became practical. However, all modern cigars of high
quality are still rolled by hand; some boxes bear the phrase Hecho a Mano, “Made by Hand”, as proof.
US embargo on Cuba:
The cigar became inextricably intertwined
with political history on February
7, 1962, When US president John F. Kennedy, intending to sanction
Fidel Castro’s communist regime, imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. American
where thus prohibited from purchasing what were at the time considered the
finest cigars on the market, and Cuba was deprived of a large
portion of his customers.
As of 2006, it remains still illegal for
Americans to purchase or import Cuban cigars. As is usual with embargoes, there
exists a lively smuggling trade, coupled with elevated prices and
counterfeiting.
Manufacture:
The elaboration of a cigar is coming in
five steps.
Curing:
Tobacco leaves are harvested, and aged
using a process that combine use of heat and shade to reduce sugar and water
content without causing the large leaves to rot. It takes between 25 and 45
days and varies substantially based upon climatic conditions, as well as the
construction of the sheds or barns used to stored harvested tobacco. The curing
process is manipulated based upon the type of tobacco, and the desired color of
the leaf.
Fermentation:
The second part of the process, called the
fermentation, is carried out under conditions designed to help the leaf die
slowly and gracefully. Temperature and humidity must be controlled to ensure
that the leaf continues to ferment, without rotting or disintegrating. This is
where the flavor, burning and aroma characteristics are primarily brought out
in the leaf.
Sorting:
Once the leaves have aged properly, they
are sorted for use as a filler, binder (for premium brands), or wrapper based
upon their appearance and overall quality. During this process, the leaves are
continually moistened and handled carefully to ensure each leaf is best used
according to its individual qualities. The leaf will continue to be baled,
inspected, un-baled, re-inspected, and baled again repeatedly as it continues
its aging cycle. When the leaf has maturated according to the manufacturers
specifications, it will be used in the production of a cigar.
Production:
The creation of a quality cigar is still
performed by hand. An experienced cigar roller can produce hundreds of
exceptional, nearly identical cigars per day. The rollers keep the tobacco
moist, especially the wrapper, and use specially designed crescent shaped
knives to form the filler, binder and wrapper leaves quickly and accurately.
Once rolled, the cigars are stored in wooden forms are they dry, in which their
un-capped ends are cut to a uniform size.
Storage:
From this stage, the cigar is a complete
product that can, to the best of anyone’s knowledge be kept indefinitely under
the proper conditions. Cigars are known to have lasted for decade if kept as
close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.11°C), and 70% relative humidity, as the
environment will allow. Once purchased, this is usually accomplished by keeping
the cigars in a specialized wooden box or humidor, where conditions can be
carefully controlled for long periods of time. Even if a cigar becomes dry, it
can be successfully re-humidified so long as it has not been handled carelessly.
Anatomy:
The tobacco plant:
The tobacco plant is divide in 4 levels,
and the leaves in 4 classifications (types). The level and classification are
working from the bottom to the top and are originally in Spanish:
-
1st
level: Libra de Pie: the base.
-
2nd
level: Uno y Medio: one and a half.
From the bottom of the Libra de Pie to the
top of the Uno y Medio are growing the Volado
leaves, which are the most often used as binder (and filler) for their fine
burning qualities.
-
3rd
level: Centro: center, divide in 2
parts: bottom Centro and top Centro.
-
4th
level: Corona: the crown.
On the bottom Centro is growing the Secco leaves which are used for the
filler. Those leaves bring the flavors and aromas of the cigars.
From the top Centro to the Corona are
growing the Ligero and Medio Tiempo leaves, which are also used
as filler. They are bringing the strength of the cigars.
Shade-grown tobacco intended for wrapper
further classified by size and color.
Drawing of a tobacco plant:
The cigar:
Cigars are composed of three types of
tobacco leaves, whose variations determine smoking and flavour characteristics.
Wrappers: W
A cigar outermost leaves are its wrappers,
which come from the widest part of the plant. It determines much of the cigar’s
characters and flavors, and as such its color is often used to describe the
cigar as a whole. Colors are designated as follow, from lightest to darkest:
-
Double
Claro: very light, slightly greenish. (grown in Connecticut)
-
Claro:
light tan or yellowish.
-
Natural:
light brown to brown.
-
Colorado Claro: mid-brown. (grown in Dominican Republic)
-
Colorado: reddish-brown.
-
Colorado Maduro: dark brown. (grown in Honduras)
-
Maduro:
dark brown to very dark brown.
-
Oscuro:
black, often oilyi n appearance. ( Nicaragua, Brazil, Mexico, Connecticut)
Lighter colors indicate earlier picking
and milder flavors; darker colors indicate later picking, stronger and sweeter
flavors due to the presence of sugars and oils, and longer fermenting.
Binders: B
Binders are elastic leaves used to hold
together the bunches of fillers.
Fillers: F
The majority of a cigar is made up of
fillers, wrapped in bunches of leaves in its cigar’s interior. Fillers of
various strengths are usually blended to produce unique cigar flavors. The more
oils present in the tobacco leaf, the stronger (less dry) the filler. Types
range from:
-
Seco:
light flavoured and dry.
-
Volado:
medium flavoured and medium dry.
-
Medio
Tempio to Ligero: mild strong to strong.
Cigar’s section:
Size and
shape:
Cigars are commonly categorized by the
size and the shape of the cigar, which together are known as a Vitola (vitole).The size of a cigar is
measured by two dimensions: its ring gauge (diameter), and its length, both in
inches.
Cigars are divides in two categories:
-
Parejo(as):
the most common shape, which as a cylindrical body, straight sides, one end
open, and a round cap on the other end which is cut off before smoking. Parejas
are designated by the following terms:
¤
Coronas: (l: 12.70 cm to 19.68 cm // d: 1.67 cm to 1.98 cm)
* Petit Corona
* Corona
* Corona
Extra
* Robusto
* Long Corona
* Toro
* Lonsdale
* Grand Corona
* Julietta / Churchill
* Giant Corona
* Double Corona
¤ Panatelas: (thinner than Coronas, l: 12.70
cm to 19.05 cm // d: 1.31 cm to 1.51 cm)
* Small Panatela
* Short Panatela
* Slim Panatela
* Panatela
* Long Panatela
- Figurado: irregularly shaped cigars, sometimes considered of higher quality because they are more difficult to make. Figurados include the following: ¤Torpedos: like a parejo except that the cap is pointed. ¤ Pyramid: has a broad foot and evenly narrows to a pointed cap. ¤ Perfecto: narrow at both ends and bulged in the middle. ¤ Presidente/Diadema: shaped like a parejo but considered a figurado because of its enormous size and occasional closed foot akin to a perfecto. ¤ Culebras: three long, pointed cigars braided together.
Flavor:
Virtually all cigar aficionados enjoy the
practice because of the rich and varied flavors one observes when smoking,
although eschew the connoisseurial qualities in favour of other factors. For
those drawn by taste, each brand and type of cigar carries different qualities
of taste. Generally, cigars with lighter colored wrappers are milder in flavor
and have a less smoky aftertaste. Darker wrappers are typically richer in
flavor, although the specific flavors are not unique to any particular type of
tobacco.
Unlike cigarettes, cigars taste very
little smoke, and usually very much of tobacco with overtones of other tastes.
A fine cigar, especially ones Cuban origin prior to 1990, can have virtually no
taste of smoke whatsoever.
Some of the more common flavors one
observes while smoking a cigar include:
-
leather
-
spice
-
cocoa
-
peat/moss/earth
-
coffee
-
nut
-
apple
-
vanilla…
The qualities and characteristics of cigar
tasting are very similar to those of wine, Scotch, beer, port, and Cognac. Within a given
specification, there are endless varieties.
Famous
brands: (Havana)
-
Bolivar
-
Cohiba
-
Davidoff
-
El
Rey del Mundo
-
Hoyo
de Monterrey
-
Montecristo
-
Partagas
-
Punch
-
Romeo
y Julieta
-
San
Cristobald de la Habana
-
Sancho
Panza
-
Vega
Robaina
-
H.
Uppman
Cigar tube and cutter.
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