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Cutting the Tail
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I have heard that they closed La Corona factory in Cuba. And what happened to the cigars that were produced there?
Indeed the La Corona factory was closed in 2003. To the end, it produced machinemade cigars of the Belinda, Bolivar, La Corona, La Flor de Cano, and Cabanas brands, as well as some hand-made cigars of the Hoyo de Monterrey label. Following the closure, production of machine-made cigars was relocated to a new factory, ITC (Internacional Cubana de Tabaco) built by the Altadis company, and Hoyo de Monterrey production to another new factory, H. Upmann. What will happen to the old building of the La Corona factory is as yet unknown. In all likelihood, the site will be used to build a hotel, since the factory is situated in the historic centre of Havana, not far from the Presidential Palace.
You write: the cigar has a coffee aroma, spicy taste... What, do they stuff cigars with flavouring agents?
Not at all. If in the course of smoking you taste such flavours, this is evidence that the cigar is made of superior tobacco, which has undergone the necessary processes such as fermentation, aging, etc. The organic substances contained in tobacco, when heated (with the combustion temperature reaching 1000°C), change in molecular structure, with the volatile substances and compound ethers released transformed into a variety of aromas. Including nutty, coffee and barnyard flavours. It is possible for flavouring agents to be used in inexpensive cigarillos. If you happen to see a packaging saying cherry or vanilla, that means the contents have been aromatically enhanced.
Sometimes in articles on cigars one comes across the words seco, ligero. What do they mean?
I have noticed a number of times that different cigars produce different sort of ash. Some cigars have dense ash; others produce loose ash, which crumbles. What is the difference?
The 'strength' of a cigar ash depends directly on the quality of the tobacco leaves and the thoroughness of the cigar rolling. The ash on machine-made cigars for all intents and purposes is never strong. Handmade cigars, on the other hand, are characterised by strong and dense ash. Sooner or later, the ash will still break off from the cigar and fall into the ashtray. It is maintained that this should not happen before its length reaches two-three centimetres. If slow hand motions result in the ash breaking off the cigar before reaching this length, this means that the cigar is substandard.
Please explain the right way to smoke a cigar with liquor. Take a sip first and then a puff, or the other way round? And do you drink in sips or gulps?
If you want to enjoy a combination of a cigar and liquor, you should sip your drink. Do not, however, swallow your sip right away: you need to swill it in your mouth to expand the drink contact surface as much as possible. Then the effect of a cigar pull will be enhanced. Bear in mind: many of the aromatics contained in a cigar do not dissolve in water, i.e., in saliva; you need spirit to break them down. Cigar smoking accompanied by a strong drink will correspondingly give more taste and be more pleasant. I'd like to take up cigar smoking, but don't know which to try first – Cuban or Dominican...
Never doubting the truth of the saying "every man to his taste". We believe that the first cigar in your life should be treated in a responsible manner. Because cigar smoking means a code of guidelines and compendium of knowledge. If you let yourself be guided by them, you will enjoy your cigar to the full. You should perhaps start with cigars that are not strong but rather light. A beginner is usually not prepared to handle a powerful and full-blown bouquet, and a cigar that is well-rounded in all its showings might seem too aggressive to him. It could came to pass that a first unhappy experience becomes the last one. It would be a shame if this happened to you.
Dear editors, I have recently discovered in an old writing cabinet at the dacha a case of Partagas cigars. They belonged to my father, who was an ardent admirer. I believe they are 30 years old if a day. Maybe they have gone off? Can I smoke them?
On the one hand, you should be congratulated: you chanced upon mature cigars, which are at a premium with connoisseurs. On the other hand, I must disappoint you: In all probability, the cigars have dried up and lost their bouquet of aromas. In any case, it is worth a try to reanimate them: it is conceivable that they might regain something of their former glory.
How did the pigtail-shaped cap come about?
Such a cap used to indicate the peasant origin of a cigar. Tobacco farmers (vegueros) rolled cigars for their own use directly on plantations, literally in their laps (for want of tables). Lacking the glue used to stick on a cap, they wrapped the bunch in a wrapper leaf, yet did not cut it at once but went on rolling the end of leaf in a spiral to prevent the wrapper from unroll ing. In this day and age, a pigtail cap is featured in certain rather exclusive Cuban brands such as Cohiba, Trinidad and Montecristo. The factories use the same technique to produce such cigars as a hundred years ago, but with a small improvement: to prevent the wrapper leaf from unrolling after the cap is cut off, the rollers (torcedores) glue the wrapper edge all the same.
Is it necessary to remove the overwrap from the cigar before putting it in a humidor?
As you please. You will just have different results. When cigars are kept in a humidor, their aromas gradually mix and enrich one another. So if you want the keep the original aromatic bouquet of a specific cigar intact, you ought to keep it in its packaging. If you do not aim for the latter effect, remove the overwrap from all the cigars, let them 'breathe' and exchange their aromas. Quite often, experts remove the 'clothing' from bouquet- poor cigars on purpose to let them enrich their aroma at the expense of their neighbours.
I've heard it said that there are cigars produced in Russia, too. Can this be possibly true? If it is, please tell us about it in greater detail.
There are indeed Russian cigars. These are produced at the Pogar cigarette and cigar factory in the Bryansk region. The factory's Cherokee line features both big cigars (for instance, robusto or corona especial) and slim panatellas. The factory procures tobacco for its cigars in Brazil, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Cameroon. The cigars are rolled by Russian workers.
Many producers of Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars specify that their cigars are made using tobacco of Cuban origin. What does this mean?
The Cuban government does not export tobacco, nor does it allow its farmers to sell it "under the counter". It does certainly happen that small batches of tobacco are illegally taken out of Cuba, and some small-time producers do indeed add to their cigars with it. In the latter case their cigar cases feature a proud announcement about the cigars having Cuban tobacco content, though in point of fact it is a mere 2-3%.
Cigar Clan 2'2005 vol.1 |
