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LESSON -5 CIGAR

A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so

that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant

quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia,

Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern United States

Many modern cigars, as a matter of prestige and quality, are still rolled by hand,

most especially in Central America and Cuba as well as in chinchales found in

virtually every sizable city in the US. Boxes of hand-rolled cigars bear the phrase

totalmente a mano (totally by hand) or hecho a mano (made by hand).

MANUFACTURING

Tobacco leaves are harvested and aged using a process that combines use of heat

and shade to reduce sugar and water content without causing the large leaves to

rot. This first part of the process, called curing, takes between 25 and 45 days and

varies substantially based upon climatic conditions as well as the construction of

sheds or barns used to store harvested tobacco. The curing process is manipulated

based upon the type of tobacco, and the desired color of the leaf. The second part

of the process, called fermentation, is carried out under conditions designed to help

the leaf die slowly. Temperature and humidity are 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.

Once the leaves have aged properly, they are sorted for use as filler 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,

unbaled, reinspected, and baled again repeatedly as it continues its aging cycle.

When the leaf has matured according to the manufacturer's specifications, it will be

used in the production of a cigar.

Quality cigars are still hand-made. An experienced cigar-roller can produce

hundreds of very good, nearly identical, cigars per day. The rollers keep the

tobacco moist—especially the wrapper—and use specially designed crescent-shaped

knives, called chavetas, to form the filler and wrapper leaves quickly and

accurately. Once rolled, the cigars are stored in wooden forms as they dry, in which

their uncapped ends are cut to a uniform size. From this stage, the cigar is a

complete product that can be "laid down" and aged for decades if kept as close to

21°C (70°F), and 70% relative humidity, as the environment will allow. Once cigars

have been purchased, proper storage is usually accomplished by keeping the cigars

in a specialized wooden box, or humidor, where conditions can be carefully

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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 and done so

gradually. However, the loss of original tobacco oils will greatly affect the taste.

Some cigars, especially premium brands, use different varieties of tobacco for the

filler and the wrapper. "Long filler cigars" are a far higher quality of cigar, using

long leaves throughout. These cigars also use a third variety of tobacco leaf, called

a "binder", between the filler and the outer wrapper. This permits the makers to

use more delicate and attractive leaves as a wrapper. These high-quality cigars

almost always blend varieties of tobacco. Even Cuban long-filler cigars will combine

tobaccos from different parts of the island to incorporate several different flavors.

COMPOSITION

Cigars are composed of three types of tobacco leaves, whose variations determine

smoking and flavor characteristics:

1. WRAPPER

A cigar's outermost leaves, or wrapper, come from the widest part of the

plant. The wrapper determines much of the cigar's character and flavor, and

as such its color is often used to describe the cigar as a whole. Over 100

wrapper shades are identified by manufacturers, but the seven most

common classifications are as follows, from lightest to darkest:-

2. FILLERS

The majority of a cigar is made up of fillers, wrapped-up bunches of leaves

inside the wrapper. Fillers of various strengths are usually blended to

produce desired cigar flavors. In the cigar industry this is referred to as a

"blend". Many cigar manufacturers pride themselves in constructing the

perfect blend(s) that will give the smoker the most enjoyment. The more oils

present in the tobacco leaf, the stronger (less dry) the filler. Types range

from the minimally flavored Volado taken from the bottom of the plant,

through the light-flavored Seco (dry) taken from the middle of the plant, to

the strong Ligero from the upper leaves exposed to the most sunlight. Fatter

cigars of larger gauge hold more filler, with greater potential to provide a full

body and complex flavor. When used, Ligero is always folded into the middle

of the filler because it burns slowly.

3. BINDERS

Binders are elastic leaves used to hold together the bunches of fillers.

Essentially, binders are wrappers that are rejected because of holes,

blemishes, discoloration, or excess veins.

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SMOKING

To smoke a cigar, a smoker possibly cuts it, lights it, then puts the unlit end into

the mouth and draws smoke into the mouth. Some smokers inhale the smoke into

the lungs, particularly with little cigars, but this is relatively uncommon otherwise.

A smoker may swirl the smoke around in the mouth before exhaling it, and may

exhale part of the smoke through the nose in order to smell the cigar better as well

as to taste it.

CUTTING

Although some cigars are cut on both ends, or twirled at both ends, the vast

majority come with one straight cut end and one end in a "cap". Most quality

handmade cigars, regardless of shape, will have a cap which is one or more small

pieces of a wrapper pasted on to one end of the cigar with either a natural tobacco

paste or with a mixture of flour and water. The cap end of a cigar must be cut off

for the cigar to be smoked properly. It is the rounded end without the tobacco

exposed, and this is the end one should always cut. If the cap is cut jaggedly or

without care, the end of the cigar will not burn evenly and smokeable tobacco will

be lost. Some cigar manufacturers purposely place different types of tobacco from

one end to the other to give the cigar smokers a variety of tastes, body and

strength from start to finish. Smoking a cigar from the wrong end may result in a

bad experience.

LIGHTING

The "head" of the cigar is usually the end closest to the cigar band. The opposite

end of the cigar is called the "foot". The band identifies the type of the cigar and

may be removed or left on. The smoker cuts the cap from the head of the cigar and

ignites the foot of the cigar. The smoker draws smoke from the head of the cigar

with the mouth and lips, usually not inhaling into the lungs.

When lighting, the cigar should be rotated to achieve an even burn and the air

should be slowly drawn with gentle puffs. Cigars can be lit with the use of butane-

filled lighters. Butane is colorless, odorless and burns clean with very little, if any,

flavor. It is not recommended to use fluid-filled lighters and paper matches since

they can influence the taste. Another option is wooden matches. They aren't

treated and soaked with sulfur and thus the smoke is not affected with chemicals.

Cigars packaged in metal tubes will typically include a thin wrapping of cedar. This

may be used to light the cigar, eliminating the problem of lighters or matches

affecting the taste.

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Glossary of Common Cigar Terms: The following is a dictionary of tobacco terminology. It includes among other things; colors,

parts, size, shape, etc. The information is provided in an effort to assist you in your pursuit

of tobacco enjoyment. AMS:

American Market Selection, a green colored outer wrapper on a cigar. BAND: Paper placed around the cigar, usually near the head, originally used to protect white gloves from tobacco stains. Merchants quickly seized the idea and began using it as a place to put their font mark (brand name). This allowed them to distinguish their cigars from that of their competitors. The band is now just an advertising means. BINDER:

A single leaf of tobacco that is wound around the filler of the cigar to hold it together. BODY: The main or middle of the cigar. The part between the head and foot of the cigar. The part of the cigar

that is usually held by the fingers of the smoker. BUNCH: Refers to the cigar when it consists of the filler and the binder, prior to the application of the wrapper leaf.

BUNDLE: A group of cigars that are bundled together rather than boxed. CAFE: Comparable to the English Market Selection or EMS wrapper. The term cafe is used by General Cigar to describe the wrapper leaves used on the Macanudo line of premium cigars. CAMAROON:

A wrapper from the African Camaroons. CANDELA: A green colored wrapper. This tobacco is cured under very high heat. CHURCHILL: Named after Winston Churchill. A man who smoked BIG, cigars. As you can guess, the Churchill is a

large cigar. CLARO:

A light golden brown wrapper. Also called natural. COLORADO: A medium brown wrapper. CURING: The process of removing moisture from freshly harvested tobacco. CUTTER: A device for clipping the end off a cigar. Some resemble scissors with curved blades; others look like

small guillotines for making a straight or V-shaped notch. In addition one variety looks like a .44 magnum bullet and another a fountain pen, they pull apart to reveal a punch that cuts a round hole in the end of the cigar. DOUBLE CLARO: Double Claro is the result of picking the leaves prior to full maturity and quickly drying it. Sometimes referred to as American Market Selection. Macanudo calls this shade "Jade". Cigars with this wrapper

are very, very mild! ENGLISH MARKET SELECTION (EMS): Wrapper leaves that are slightly lighter in color than maduro. FILLER: The tobacco that makes up the heart or center of the cigar. There are two main types of filler, short and long. The filler is responsible for most of the flavor and smoking quality. Short filler consists of leaves that have been cut into many small pieces. The majority of machine made cigars are done so

with short filler. Long filler on the other hand consists of tobacco leaves, not pieces, that run the length of the cigar. Long filler cigars are preferred as they buy better and allow for a more consistent draw. FOOT: Also called the "tuck". The part of the cigar that is lit.

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GUILLOTINE CUTTER:

This is a simple device, which clips the capped end off of the cigar, leaving a straight, open circular end. HEAD:

The end of the cigar that is placed in the mouth. LONG FILLER: The tobacco that makes up the heart or center of the cigar. There are two main types of filler, short and long. Long filler on the other hand consists of tobacco leaves, not pieces, that run the length of the cigar. Long filler cigars are preferred as they buy better and allow for a more consistent draw. MADURO: A Spanish term, which means the darkest tobacco. A dark brown wrapper.

OSCUR: A very dark wrapper. BLACK in color. PIERCE or REAM: This is a device, which merely punctures the cap of the cigar by creating a hole in its center. Several tools are available for this purpose. Some even come in the form of a key chain.

PLUCKER:

One variety looks like a .44 magnum bullet and another a fountain pen, they pull apart to reveal a punch that cuts a round hole in the end of the cigar. PYRAMID: As the name implies, a cigar that resembles a pyramid, torpedo of triangle in appearance. It tapers from a larger ring gauge at the foot to a smaller one at the head of the cigar. RING GAUGE: The diameter of a cigar is referred to a the ring gauge. It is a measurement equal to 1/64 of an inch.

A 64-ring gauge would be one inch in thickness and a 32-ring gauge would be 1/2 inch thick. SHADE GROWN: Tobacco, usually the wrapper leaf of a cigar. For mildness, the wrapper is grown under tents and is not exposed to sunlight. SHORT FILLER: The tobacco that makes up the heart or center of the cigar. There are two main types of filler, short and long. Short filler consists of leaves that have been cut into many small pieces. The majority of

machine made cigars are done so with short filler.

TUBED: A cigar that is placed in a tube. TUBO: A cigar that is placed in a tube. Most tubes are aluminum while some are glass. V CUTTER:

This again is a simple device, which makes a V-shaped slit in the cap of the cigar. Its appearance is similar to a cat's eye when viewed from the end of the cigar. WRAPPER: The outermost tobacco leaf of the cigar. It must be free of holes, tears and other imperfections. The

wrapper can provide clues to the quality and flavor of the cigar. It plays a very important part in the

flavor and burn quality of the cigar.

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