CIGAR.

INTRODUCTION: 

It is custom to serve Cigars at the end of meal while the guest is having coffee, liqueurs or spirit. Finest Cigars are handmade in Cuba and are called Havanas Nowadays the best cigars are made in Dominican Republic. Jamaica, Phillipines, Sumatra, USA and Netherlands are some countries making distinguish Cigars. The finest of all cigars is HOY DE MONTERREY EXCALIBUR from HONDURUS. Cigars from Honduras are called ZIRNO. some cigars like cheroots are cut straight at both end but good quality cigars will always be rounded at both ends. Longer cigars give cooler smoke than a short one. 

HISTORY: 

The native people of the American continent were undoubtedly the first not only to grow, but to smoke the plant, which probably came from the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Used by the Maya of Central America and when the Maya civilization was broken up, the scattered tribes carried tobacco both southward into South America, and to North America, where it was first used in the rites of the Mississippi Indians. It didn't come to the attention of the rest of the world until Christopher Columbus's momentous voyage of 1492.He was the one who brought “GOLDEN LEAF” to Spain. 

Columbus himself was not impressed by the custom, but soon Spanish and other European sailors fell for the habit, followed by the conquistadors and colonist. In due course the returning conquistadors introduced tobacco smoking to Spain and Portugal. The habit, a sign of wealth, then spread to France, through the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot (who eventually gave his name to nicotine, and Nicotiana tabacum, the Latin name for tobacco). 

The word tobacco, some say, was a corruption of Tobago, the name of a 

Caribbean island. Others claim it comes from the Tabasco province of Mexico.Cohiba, a word used by the Taino Indians of Cuba was thought to mean tobacco, but now is considered to have referred to cigars. The word cigar originated from sikar, the Mayan word for smoking. 

The habit of smoking cigars spread out to the rest of Europe from Spain, where cigars using Cuban tobacco were made in Seville from 1717 onwards. By 1790 cigar manufacture spread north of the Pyreness, with small factories being setup in France and Germany. But cigar smoking didn't really takeoff in France and Britain until after the Penninsula War (1806-12) against Napoleon, when returning British and French veterans spread the habit they had learned while serving in Spain. By this time the pipe had been replaced by snuff as the main way of taking tobacco. Seville, Spain was at  

recognized as being the birthplace of the modern cigar. 

At first, Spain imported the raw materials from Cuba and assembled the cigars themselves. However, in 1821 Spain allowed Cuba to manufacture Cigars and hence the Cuban cigar was born. In appreciation for Spain's kind gesture, the Cubans would deliver a box of their best cigars to the Spanish king every year. These cigars were the fabled Trinidad's. First tobacco plantation in Virginia in 1612, and Maryland in 1631in north America. American used to smoke tobacco in pipes until Israel Putnam, an American general in the Revolutionary War, returned from  cuba ,in 1762 where he had been an officer in the British army to his home in Connecticut with a selection of Havana cigars, and large amounts of Cuban tobacco introduced tobacco to  United states. Before long, cigar factories were set up in the Hartford area. Production of the leaves started in the 1820s, and Connecticut tobacco today provides among the best wrapper leaves to be found outside Cuba. By the early 19th century, not only were Cuban cigars being imported into the United States, but domestic production was also taking off. Cigars become popular in the United States during the Lincoln years.   Factories began to open in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The term stogie is actually named after Conestoga, Pennsylvania where one of the first cigar factories were built.. Production of segars, as they were known, began in Britain in 1820. 

Cigar Structure                                                                                        Handmade cigars have three constituent parts--the filler, the binder, and the wrapper .. 

Construction - The Parts of a Cigar  

 Wrappers...  

The outside wrapper (capa) dictates the cigar's appearance. It is always grown under guaze and fermented separately from other leaves to ensure that it is smooth, not too oily, and has a subtle bouquet. It has to be soft and pliable so that it is easy for the roller to handle. Good wrapper leaves should be elastic without any protruding veins. They have to be matured for between one year and 18 months ,the longer the better. Wrappers of handmade non-Cuban cigars might come from Connecticut, Cameroon, Sumatra, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica or Nicaragua.The wrapper is the most expensive part of the cigar 

     The wrapper is the outside layer of tobacco on a cigar. It gives a cigar one of its primary flavor components. Wrappers are usually very high quality leaves, and are available in colors ranging from double claro, the lightest to Oscuro, the darkest. Wrappers are very important to the taste of a fine cigar.  

 Binders....  

     Binder leaves are the intermediate leaf used to hold the bunch of filler tobacco together. These vary considerably from one manufacturer to the next. The binder leaf (capote) holds the cigar together and is usually two halves of coarse sun-grown leaf from the upper part of the plant, chosen because of its good tensile strength.  

Filler...  

Filler is the bunch of tobacco found at the center of the cigar. Generally the  filler is responsible for determining how strong a cigar will smoke. There are two types of filler:                                                                                long filler, which contains the whole leaf running from the head to the foot of the cigar, and  short filler, comprised of scraps of tobacco (often the trimmed ends of long fillers). The filler is made up of separate leaves folded by hand along their length, to a passage through which smoke can be drawn when the cigar is lit. The fold can be properly achieved by hand and is the  primary reason why machine-made cigars are less satisfactory. This style of arranging the filler is sometimes called the book" style--which means that if you were to cut the cigar down its length with a razor, the filler leaves would resemble the pages of a book. In the past, the filler was sometimes arranged using the "entubar" method--with up to eight narrow tubes of tobacco leaf rolled into the binder--making the cigar very slow burning. 

Three different types of leaf are normally used for the filler (in fatter sizes, like Montecristo No. 2, a fourth type is also used).                                                                   Ligero leaves from the top of the plant are dark and full in flavor because of oils produced by exposure to sunlight. They have to be matured for at least two years before they can be used in cigar making. Ligero tobacco is always placed in the middle of the cigar, because it burns slowly.                                                                                        Seco leaves, from the middle of the plant, are much lighter in color and flavor. They are usually used after maturing for around 18 months.                                                           Volado leaves, from the bottom of the plant, have little or no flavor, but they have good burning qualities. They are matured for about nine months before use.                                                                                                                  The blending of wrappers, fillers and binders determines the overall flavor of a cigar. 

Ring size 

Ring size is the cigar's diameter, measured in 64ths of an inch. Thus a 32 ring cigar will measure 1/2 inch in diameter. Although many catalogs list ring sizes, they may deviate from each by a couple of points on specific cigars . The girth of a cigar is customarily expressed in terms of its ring gauge in 1/64ths of an inch. Thus, if a cigar has a ring gauge of 49, it is 49/64 the of an inch thick. Similarly, if a cigar has a ring gauge of  64, it would be an inch thick. 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                            

CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO: 

Tobacco is grown worldwide in subtropical regions of the world having humid climate along with adequate sunshine. The following method of cultivation is for preparation of tobacco for Havana Cigars. 

1. Tobacco seedlings are prepared on flat seedbeds covered by cloth or straw to shade them from sun. 

2. 35 days old seedlings are transplanted into proper tobacco field in mid of October. Watered by rain and morning dew. 

3. As the plant developed, buds appeared which are removed by hand to prevent stunting of leaves and plant growth. 

4. On harvesting leaves are handpicked using a single movement. Leaves are picked in six phases, 

1. Libra de pie     – from the base (never use for wrapper) 

2. Uno y medio   – one and a half 

3. Centro ligero   – from light centre 

4. Centro fino      – from thin center  

5. Centro gordio  - from thick center 

6. Corona             - crown or top part. 

Difference of a week is maintained between each phase of picking. 

Finest leaves are found in middle of plant. Tobacco plant has three parts; 

               a. Top or Corona 

               b. Middle 

               c. Bottom 

Top leaves are oily And used as binder leaves.. 

This cycle completes in 120 days with around 170 inspections thus making it a labour intensive process. 

5. Bundles of leaves or Hand are taken into TOBACCO BARN on the Vega or plantation to be cured. 

6. Barn faces west so sun heats one end in the morning & other in late after noon 

7. Leaves in barn are strung up on Cujes or poles using a needle &thread each cujes having 100 leaves to dry for 45- 60 days. 

8.Dried leaves ie; chlorophyll changes to carotene, are stacked in bundles and send for fermentation. 

9.First fermentation: leaves are placed in piles of 3 feet high covered with jute and temperature of fermentation house is maintained at 92 F for coming 35-45 days. Leaves when assume uniform colour piles are broken, cooled, send for sorting where they are graded as per colour, size, & texture. Stems of fillers are removed and moistens with water spray  

10. Second Fermentation: moisten leaves are flattened on wooden board or planchas, placed in dark room for 60 days in 6 feet high stack called Burros at a temperature of 110 F. 

Because of second fermentation Cigar tobacco has, 

1. Less acidity; 

2. Less tar 

3. Less nicotine  

Then cigarette tobacco. 

11. Leaves are now wrapped together in TERCOIS or square bales wrapped by palm bark to maintain constant humidity and are sent to ware house for storage, auction or sale. 

• Tobacco plant must be grown in partial shade 
• Commercially grown in full bright sun under cover of cheesecloth screen to diffuse light 
• Rich & well drain soil with pH 6.7 rich in potash  
• Constant humid temperature  
• Burly tobacco is American Kentucky tobacco grown under sun. 
• Average acre yields 1800 pounds of cured leaf wrapper. 
• The quality of wrapper leaf is crucial in any cigar. 
• Plants called Corojos, provide wrapper leaves for the very best cigars, are always grown under guaze sheet held up by tall wooden poles. They prevent the leaves becoming too thick in a protective response to sunlight.  Technique, called tapado  (covering), also helps them to remain smooth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

CIGARS TYPES AND CO LOUR .

Cigars come in a variety of colors.  The colors tell a lot about the cigar. A darker wrapper would have fermented longer and therefore has a stronger 

Taste. Below are the categories of color, they range from the light double 

Claro to the black Oscuro. 

Double Claro - Known to have a greenish tint on its wrapper. It's a light 

                        Cigar is med aged. 

Claro - Typically signifies that the cigar will be mild. It has a light        

                       Brown color. 

Colorado Claro - This wrapper is your standard brown color. Slightly 

                        Stronger than the Claro but still considered mild.                          Colorado, Colorado Maduro and Maduro -                                                                                       These wrappers are dark Brown and give off an excellent aroma.  They are considered. medium to  strong cigars                                                                      

Oscuro -      The Oscuro has a black wrapper and is strong in flavor. 

Cigar Types  

There are a multitude of cigar types, however they fall into two 

Categories. They are the parallel sides and the Figurados which cover the 

Irregular shapes.  

This section describes the major types.  They are: 

 Gigante or Presidente - You can tell by looking at the name that these 

     Are the largest of the types.  Their length can be as high as ten inches and 

     Their ring sizes can max out to 64 or 1 inch.  Give yourself plenty of time 

     if you purchase one of these.  

 Corona - The classic corona will measure about 5 inches and has a ring 

     Size of around 40. 

 Churchill - Named after Winston Churchill will measure approximately 

     eight inches and has a ring size of about 48. 

  Rothschild - Named after Baron de Rothschild.  They are also known as 

  Robustos. The Robusto is a short and fat cigar.  Its size is five to six 

     inches with a ring size of 50. 

 Lonsdale - Named after the Earl of Lonsdale.  They have a ring size of 

     about 40 and can be as long as seven inches. 

 Panatela - This cigar is long and thin. Its ring size is around 37 and its 

     length is about seven inches 

Cigarillos - These cigars are about the size of a cigarette. Their ring size 

     can be as low as 20 inches and their length as small as three inches. 

The largest properly smokable cigar made was Koh-i-Noor, made before World War II by Henry Clay for a maharaja. The same size, called the Visible Inmenso (18 inches long, 47-ring gauge) was made for King Farouk of Egypt. There was also once a pantela measuring 19.5 inches. At the Partagas factory in Havana, they keep a collector's item: a cigar measuring almost 50 inches. You can also see a cigar a yard long with a ring gauge of 96 kept at the Davidoff store in London. 

CIGAR BOXES (HUMIDOR) 

 Cigars were originally sold in bundles covered with pigs' bladders (with a pod of vanilla to improve the smell); then came the use of large chests, holding up to10,000 cigars .In  1830, the banking firm of H.Upmann started shipping cigars ,for the use of its directors in London, in sealed cedar boxes stamped with the bank's emblem. When the bank decided to go , full-scale, into the cigar business, the cedar box took off as a form of packaging for all the major Havana brands, and all hand made cigars (though small quantities today are sometimes packages in cardboard cartons, and single cigars of many brands come in aluminum tubes lined with cedar). Cedar helps to prevent cigars from drying out and furthers the maturing process. The idea of using colorful lithographic labels, now used for all handmade brands, wherever they come from, started when Ramon Allones, a Galician immigrant to Cuba, initiated it for the brand he started in 1837. The cedar box is sometimes referred to as a boite nature. Paper, usually colored, is normally glued to the interior of the box and is used to cover the cigars it contains. Finally, after being filled and checked, the box is nailed shut and tightly sealed with a green and white label (a custom dating from 1912) to guarantee that the cigars are genuine Havanas.The practice of using labels, usually printed in similar colors and with similar wordings, to seal the box continues today for most handmade brands, Cuban or not.The form of packaging called 8-9-8 is used for some cigars in the Partagas and Ramon Allones brands. These boxes are polished, have curved edges, and contain 25 cigars, arranged in three layers with eight at the bottom, nine in the middle and eight on the top . Cigars with this sort of packaging are relatively expensive . Hecho en Cuba has been stamped on the underside of Cuban boxes since 1961,when it replaced the English inscription "Made in Havana--Cuba." Since1985, they have also carried a factory code and Cuba tobbaco's logo, the latter being replaced with Habanos SA from late 1994. In 1989 the words "Total mente a Mano" were added. Meaning "totally by Hand," they provide the only cast-iron clue that the cigars are genuinely handmade in the traditional Cuban manner. The factory code,on Havana cigars, is stamped in blue--using post revolutionary factory designations.Thus, for instance:  

 JM stands for Jose Marti, formerly H. Upmann. 

 FPG stands for Francisco Perez German formerly Parta 

 BM stands for Briones Montoto, former  Romeo Y Julieta. 

 FR stands for Fernando Roig, formerly La Corona. 

 EL stands for El Laguito. 

 HM stands for Heroes del Moncada, formerly El Rey del Mundo. 

Cigar Care 

Always store Cigars in Humidor along with a Hygrometer (measure relative humidity) and a Humidifier (provides humidity) filled with water. 

Ideal conditions: Humidity – 70% 

                          : Temperature- 70 degree F 

Discard if observe Moulds on cigars 

White blooms on cigars are harmless & appears due to long storage  , clean them off.  

If cigar dries off exposed it to moisture in a partially opened box. days, you rotate the cigar on few days interval so that all of the wrapper is exposed to the humidity. Repeat this process for a month. 

BRAND NAMES : 

Havana—Boliver, Monte Christo, Romeo y Julieta, H.Upmann, Roman Allones. 

USA—King Edward, Robert Burns , DutchMaster. 

Jamaican--  Macundos. 

SERVICE:

In finest restaurant cigars are presented to guest from liqueur trolley or straightly from the humidor, for the selection 

1.Remove the band of cigar. 

2. Hold the cigar firmly on the lid of box and cut the rounded end with sharp penknife or cigar cutter in ‘V’ shape ensuring cut is along the ‘Ring’. 

3.Use especially made long, slow burning matches to light cigar. Before lighting, singe the end of cigars. 

4. Serve from left of the guest. 

5.Good quality cigar will keep it ash as filling is made of long leaf. 

6. Never stub a Cigar let it die its natural death