Defects and Effects

Just like any other hand-made product, a cigar may have defects. They can be of different origin. If the soil of the tobacco plantation has been poorly prepared or inappropriately fertilized, we will invariably feel that in the end product. Due to careless rolling, a cigar may have poor draft. Inappropriate storage conditions may result in bug damage or mildew. Spots may appear on wrappers during drying, and cracks, during packing and transportation. Improper fermentation affects the organoleptic properties.

Therefore, at virtually any step of the long and complicated process of the cigar production, all sorts of defects can occur. Some of them are insignificant and do not actually influence the process of smoking (e.g. cracks), while others, such as bugs or poor draft may well 'kill' a cigar.

Poor Draft

Poor draft has been the main defect of Cuban cigars for a long time. It is sometimes difficult for a less experienced roller to determine the most appropriate quantity of tobacco for any particular vitola. If he puts less tobacco than required, the cigar will not be tight enough, and it will be noticeable at once. So it is easier for him to play it safe and use a few more leaves, since the cigar will adopt the right shape under the press anyway. But smoking this cigar will be difficult.

Another reason for poor draft may be the fact that rollers also moisten the leaves. It is easier to make a cigar out of damp tobacco, but the leaves may stick together as a result, thus preventing air circulation. Excessively tight rolling is a problem only with the best Cuban cigars, the ones that are hand-rolled using long leaves. The problem of poor draft does not exist for machine-rolled cigars or the ones filled with short leaves, since the machine determines the needed quantity of tobacco itself. In 1999, nineteen million cigars were returned to the Cuban factories due to poor draft. This problem has almost been resolved in Cuba. For two years now cigars have been tested by special machinery. One hundred percent of the cigars are tested at the largest factories producing premium cigars (El Laguito, Partagas and others), whereas at other factories testing is selective.

However, Cuban cigars manufactured five or ten years ago, when there was no machinery for draft control are still sold worldwide. Experienced smokers take risks voluntarily when they buy such aged (and more flavorful) cigars, knowing they might run into a problem with them. But most smokers prefer not to meddle with the old Havana cigars. Look at the box carefully, though. Cubans try to check draft in old cigars that are still kept at warehouses. In this case, an additional stamp with the inscription 'Revisado' and the check date is placed on the bottom of the box.

Mildew

Mildew is a fungus that appears and propagates on the cigar surface in high humidity. While these microorganisms are alive the mildew remains white. This mildew is not dangerous for a cigar, though it may frighten an inexperienced smoker. Just wipe it off with a small brush or napkin—and you can smoke the cigar. Some aficionados believe that mildewed cigars, on the contrary, acquire additional curious flavors—that of brushwood, grass, earth, rotten leaves, and moss.

The most appropriate absolute humidity for a cigar is 13% (the moisture content in tobacco leaves). It corresponds to a relative humidity of 75%. The critical humidity level at which white mildew appears depends on the type of packaging. For instance, it appears on cigars in tubes at an absolute humidity of 16%, and on those in ordinary boxes, at 17.5% (equivalent a relative humidity of 80–85%). For at least six weeks after the rolling day, the cigars must be kept at the factory in a special repose room, eskaparate, where they shed excessive moisture and reach the required condition. The factory director is sometimes in a hurry to fulfill a workplan and sends cigars that are not yet 'reposed' to the warehouse ahead of time. In this case, the humidity inside the cigar will be too high. To prevent the cigars affected by mildew development from going on the market, they are checked at the central warehouse using a special machine, resembling the one that tests the draft. Products with excessive humidity do not make it to the market. Cigars in tubes are returned to the factory; removed from their packaging and placed on eskaparate to reduce the humidity level. Cigars in boxes simply stay at the warehouse for a longer period of time.
Mildew can be spoiled. If an overly moist cigar is hastily transferred to dry conditions (at a relative air humidity of 60% or less) then, in a week or so, the mildew starts to decay, turns green and emits a disagreeable odor that permeates the cigar and kills it. So take good care of the mildew and don't let it rot.

Bugs

Another problem with Cuban cigars is tobacco bugs, which is typical of Cuba, in particular, because, unlike other cigar-producing countries, a fumigation method, rather than freezing, is used to kill the bugs. Freezing is more efficient but is more expensive, too, and special equipment is required.

There are four stages in insect development: egg— larva—cocoon—adult. Fumigation is efficient at almost all stages, except for an egg. To eliminate eggs, cigars are placed in special steel containers where pressure is reduced by several atmospheres to make the eggs explode. However, this method is not 100% effective and some eggs remain.

If cigars are stored at 18–20°C the remaining eggs will not transform into adult insects—it's too cold for them. They become active at 22–23°C, but their favorite temperature is 27°C. A single hatched bug can only damage one cigar by making a hole in it to get out.

But if a beetle finds a mate, the insects start to reproduce. In this case, the female lays several dozen eggs in the cigars, and they will eventually damage the entire box. By the way, the bug comes of age after forty-five days.
Previously, when cigars were delivered by sea, the bugs were able to reproduce and destroy the cigars in transit. At present cigars are most often delivered by plane, and a temperature of 16–17°C is maintained in the areas where the containers are placed.

A new cigar warehouse with a freezing room became fully operative in Havana in autumn of 2005. All Cuban cigars will be kept there for five days at -25°C before export. Hopefully, the bug problem will be settled for good.
If, when purchasing a cigar, a smoker finds small holes or dust in them, he/she is free not to buy them. We always replace such cigars. A worse scenario is when cigars look good at the store, and the bug presence becomes evident later at home. The store is unlikely to replace such cigars. Open the box before you buy it. For instance, nobody in Spain would buy a box without opening it. But salespeople in Moscow shops don't like this practice: if a buyer elects not to buy the cigars for any reason whatsoever (even if no bugs are present), selling such a box later will be a headache.

Incidentally, in Spain, all boxes with Cuban cigars are opened, inspected and re-sealed, and a guarantee slip is pasted on them before sending them to the stores.

Cracked Cigars

This defect usually appears if storage conditions are not complied with or in cases of improper transportation. If the cigars have been waiting for loading too long or spend too much time at customs, they are likely to become excessively dry. The wrapper gets brittle and yawns. When the cigars enter a 'proper' environment at major suppliers' and distributors' warehouses, they start absorbing moisture too quickly. As a result, the filling may swell and tear the wrapper. If a crack appeared near the burning end, it does not interfere with smoking. True smokers do not pay attention to it. But it is impossible to smoke a cigar cracked in the middle or near the closed end.
If, during loading or transportation, cigar boxes are handled roughly, and cigars in the boxes are improperly packed, they may break. Cigar boxes should be placed horizontally in containers; but sometimes, to save space, some boxes are placed vertically. Non-straight Figurados cigars are in particular danger, since the narrow end often breaks.

Habanos S.A. insists on using differently sized containers for transportation of cigars of varying formats, so that all the boxes in them are placed only horizontally. This keeps the number of defective cigars to a minimum.

Spots

Small round white or light green spots are sometimes found on wrappers. They usually come from residual water on the tobacco leaves sent for drying or from small insects damaging the leaf. Such tobacco is not used for making premium cigars, but only lesser known brands or for tubed cigars (where the defect is not immediately seen). Greenish spots may be due to poor fermentation. If this process has not terminated before a cigar is made with the tobacco, it continues in the box. Then the color of the wrapper will change and spots will transpire. That shouldn't happen, but if there aren't many spots, they will not have a major impact on the taste and flavor.

Pseudo-Defects

There may sometimes be a dent on a cigar. As a rule, this happens with Havana cigars sold in a box with a slip cover. In this case, all of them are tied together using a band of approximately 2 cm wide, which is why the outer cigars get a bit deformed. In fact, this defect is not a defect per se. If you massage the cigar a little and leave it in a humidor for some time before smoking, it will regain its smooth surface. By the way, keep in mind that only premium cigars are packed in this type of box. So, actually a small dent is indicative of a cigar's premium quality.
Here is another example of a pseudo-defect. In classic boxes, cigars can be slightly flattened rather than round. The reason for that is that the boxes are of a smaller size than the cigars placed in them, so that the cigars don't move inside the box. They are closed using a special press in the factory. By the way, counterfeit manufacturers don't use such equipment, so fake cigars stay round in the boxes.

The wrapper should be smooth. If there are thick veins in it, either the roller was negligent or the cigar is a fake and was rolled at shadowy facilities. The only exception are Havana cigars manufactured in small batches (limited edicion), which are highly appreciated by smokers. For them, the leaves for the wrapper are picked from the upper tiers of the bush, therefore they are darker, thicker and more solid, with distinct veins.

Besides exterior and mechanical defects, there are organoleptic imperfections, such as a non-saturated taste of smoke, a momentary aftertaste or lack of one, poor development dynamics or a lack of bouquet... But this is quite another story.

Cigar Clan 1'2008. Sergey Drozdov