CIGARS 101.5: Agriculture

Cigar tobaccos are classified as dark air-cured; unlike cigarette and pipe tobaccos which are light tobaccos.  As you will learn, dark air-cured tobaccos are extremely difficult to cultivate, grow, harvest and process.  Dark air-cured tobaccos are akin to raising award winning rare orchids while light tobacco farming is more like growing a cash crop of lettuce.

While tobacco is grown as far north as Canada and as far south as New Zealand, the greatest cigar tobacco growing region on earth is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° North and South of the Equator, respectively).  Cigar tobaccos are grown in very rare micro-climates: specifically, in fertile valleys usually surrounded by mountains where they benefit from nutrient erosion, condensation irrigation, and sunlight manipulation.  

Learn more about cigar tobacco growing regions and countries.

DARK AIR-CURED TOBACCO TYPES
There are a handful of cigar tobacco (dark air-cured) family types which have been curated, hybridized and evolved over generations to grow in certain regions and produce very specialized results.  While all contemporary cigar tobacco varietals originated from a handful of seed families, consumers will be most familiar with these types: Broadleaf, Central Aftrican (or Cameroon), Connecticut, Habano, Sumatra, Piloto Cubano, and Olor Dominicano. 

Deep Learning: Corojo & Criollo Varietals

Deeper Learning: Cigar Varietal Families

AGRICULTURE
The journey of every seed that will contribute to a cigar is long and storied, yet relatively similar.  The most impressive plants are selected for seed harvesting, then seeds are planted and germinate in semilleros (green houses).  Next, the baby plants are meticulously cared for and groomed until they are robust enough to be transplanted to a field where they will mature.  The full life cycle of a cigar tobacco plant is between three to four months and there is typically only one crop per year.   See the videos and learn more... 

After transplanting, the plants will be visited daily during their growth and maturation period to be pruned, tested, fertilized, watered and/or inspected.  Plants which are destined to produce wrapper leaves will receive the most attention and care as they must be unblemished.

Shadegrown plants [which will be used for wrapper leaves] will require even more scrutiny and labor than plants which will yield filler and binder leaves.  Shadegrown fields must be covered and bordered with cheesecloth to create the delicate color and flavor profiles expected of shadegrown wrappers.  Some varietals of shadegrown tobacco (ie. Connecticut) will grow so tall that they need to be tied to the cheesecloth superstructure in order to grow straight.  

You will notice in our videos and pictures that every cigar tobacco field is perfectly and meticulously organized, no matter if it is filler, binder or wrapper plants, shadegrown or sungrown, cigar tobacco plants are curated from seed to maturity because the leaves must be perfect as they are the final product and ingredient that will go into your premium cigar.  See the videos and learn more...  

At maturity the leaves of the plants will begin to lay horizontally, indicating that they are ready to be harvested.  At this point, the hard work is just beginning!  Cigar tobacco leaves start maturing at the bottom of the plant and they must be picked two to three at a time over the course of four to six weeks: this process is called priming.  Priming is a herculean task which requires dozens of laborers walking through the fields hand picking leaves and delivering them immediately to air-curing barns.  

Click here to learn more about priming and other harvesting techniques...

After harvesting/priming, the mature tobacco leaves are immediately delivered to air-curing barns, usually located adjacent to the fields...

Cigar Myths

 

 

There is enough magic and wonder in the world of cigar making and luxury tobacco, that lies, myth, and marketing exaggerations are totally unnecessary. But that would not seem the case since there are innumerable untruths in the marketplace and many of them have been propagated for decades by successful individuals and companies. Perhaps this is the case because marketers have determined what information consumers receive. Or because there has never been a credible institution dedicated to teaching, learning, and researching the impressive truths of our industry; but the days of biased romanticism and exaggeration should be coming to a close. Tobacconist University is committed to teaching the truth about our industry, not duping customers into brand loyalty and ignorant misconceptions.

 

  

Great cigars and luxury tobaccos are practically miracles in their own right. Our products take more collective skills and longer to create than great works of art, architecture, and furniture, yet their destiny is to be combusted and return to dust. Our products need no exaggeration to be fully appreciated; only to be honestly represented. The following is a list of cigar/tobacco myths which retail Tobacconists hear every day. In our efforts to enhance consumer appreciation, we must help enlighten our customers, not B.S. them.

 

     

Virgin Thighs

  

Myth: In Cuba, cigars are rolled on the thighs of virgins.

  

Truth: This is an absurd concept which sounds interesting and amusing to some, but is not grounded in reality.

  

Cuban Seed  

Myth: Cuban Seed = Quality

  

Truth: Cuban Seeds, grown inside or outside of Cuba, can produce both good and bad cigars. There is no direct correlation between product quality and Cuban Seeds. There are far too many variables impacting the quality of tobacco and cigars, like soil, climate, rain, fermentation, blending, rolling, etc… This myth was started after the American embargo on Cuba when cigar makers wanted to enhance the perceived value and quality of their own brands.

 

      
Body = Strength
  
Myth: The body and strength of a cigar are the same and/or related.
  
Truth: Body, in terms of flavor (taste+aroma) profile, does not necessarily correlate with the Strength of a cigar.  Strength refers to nicotine potency or the intensity of spice – two separate factors.  Body is a flavor descriptor which can refer to the depth, breadth, and richness of a tobacco (flavor).   So, a strong cigar can be medium bodied, while a full-bodied cigar can be mild or medium strength.  As an example, imagine that chicken has a mild body, while beef has a richer body, yet both can be spicy/strong, depending on how they are seasoned.

Refrigerate Cigars
  
Myth: Keeping cigars in your household refrigerator will keep them “fresh” (or optimally conditioned).
  
Truth: Refrigerators are far too dry to keep cigars optimally conditioned and the more humid “crisper” drawer is also inadequate.

Spanish Cedar Necessary

  

Myth: Humidors and Cigar boxes need to be lined with Spanish Cedar.

  
Truth: Spanish Cedar is not necessary. It was historically and geographically convenient and practical. While it may be a valid taste+aroma preference, it is not required.
 
Cigar Licking

  

Myth: An entire cigar should be thoroughly licked/wet-down before being smoked.

  
Truth: This practice was common a century ago when humidification was not as accurate and consistent as it is today. Wetting the wrapper would help keep the cigar from unravelling, but it is not necessary when smoking a well conditioned cigar.
 
Angled Cut

  

Myth: Some people claim that cutting the cap/head of a cigar on an angle helps aim the smoke directly to the palate and enhances taste.

  

Truth: In contrast to a Perfect Cut, an angled cut jeopardizes the integrity of the cigar head and may lead to it unravelling. In addition, a mouth filled with smoke will taste the smoke, whether it is aimed at the tongue or not. The other down side of an angled cut is that the heat of the combusted cigar will be aimed directly at the tongue.

  

Self Sharpening Cutter

  

Myth: Some Double Guillotines are believed to sharpen themselves.

   

Truth: This is untrue; the physics of metal sharpening have nothing in common with the way Double Guillotines function.

 

Packaging = Quality

  

Myth: It is natural to perceive and equate beauty with quality; this is a natural human trait.

  

Truth: Many cigars with the simple packaging are extraordinary and many cigars have extraordinary packaging which is not commensurate with the product.

 

Strength = Body

  

Myth: Full-Bodied cigars are Strong. And Strong cigars must be Full-Bodied.

  

Truth: A cigar can have a Full-Body and not be Strong. Strength relates to Nicotine intensity and Spice, but not necessarily profound flavor.

 

Cigars Attract Hot Women

  

Myth: While sexuality is used by many companies to lure customers to their products, this usually has nothing to do with the actual product. There are many companies that advertise and promote their cigars with attractive and/or scantily clad women – the implication being that ‘these cigars attract women like this’.

  

Truth: Using sex and sexuality to sell cigars may get attention or momentarily make the product seem to taste better (see Emotional Taste Perception), but the effect is short lived.

 

    

Absolutes Depend
   

Myth: “This is the Best Cigar”, “This brand must age _____ months/years” and any other Absolute Statements are typically wrong in the world of luxury tobacco.

 

Truth: Everything in the world of luxury tobacco DEPENDS on one variable or another. Every batch, type, and crop of tobacco leaf is different. There are no Absolute time periods for growing, fermentation, or aging. There are no Absolute ways to quantify or qualify taste. There are absolutely no Absolutes in luxury tobacco: Everything Depends…

 

Maduros Are Stronger
  

Myth: Dark Maduro wrappers give consumers the impression that Maduro cigars are stronger.

  

Truth: While Maduros undergo a longer Fermentation, they do not increase in strength, rather they become richer and a little sweeter, as the sugars develop.

 

Perfect Consistency
  
Myth: Perfect Consistency Exists.
  
Truth: It is impossible to create a perfectly consistent cigar and blend from one batch to another, much less from one crop/year to another. In addition, it is impossible to construct every cigar perfectly. The nature of handmade cigars requires some deviation. It is OK for a cigar to burn a little crooked and for cigars to taste a little different from batch to batch. In fact, the human senses cannot taste or smell perfectly, so we would not even recognize Perfect Consistency if it were possible.

Perfect Consistency is more likely to be found in the wine and/or spirits industry where the final product is a liquid. Liquids are much easier to measure, rate, and blend, so the final product is more likely to be consistent.

Lost & Found [Cuban] Tobaccos
  

Myth: The classic marketing story about a long lost batch of perfectly conditioned tobacco being discovered and used to create a ‘once in a lifetime’ cigar.

  

Truth: The ‘Truth’ is hard to find in this case. Discovering the how, what, when, and where of a ‘re-discovered’ tobacco is difficult, if not impossible to prove.

 

Cuban Cigars Are “The Best”

  

This is the mother of all cigar myths, probably because it was true decades ago and can occasionally seem true today. Cuba is the birthplace of great tobaccos, seeds, and cigars, but time has moved us forward. Great Tobacconists and Consumers everywhere know that our ‘Cigar Renaissance’ exists mostly because of the efforts and products created by those outside of Cuba. Today, claiming that ‘I only smoke Cubans’ or ‘Cuban cigars are the best’ is the last bastion of ignorance, uneducated pompousness, or extreme prejudice; and of course, taste is subjective.

 

 

 

Romanticism plays a big part in the world of luxury tobacco. It is a romantic process to smoke a great cigar; sitting back watching the smoke, smelling the aromas, tasting the notes of flavor, and savoring your time. Luxury tobacco is inherently sensual and romantic. But real romance and pleasure need no embellishment. And the actual magic and wonder of luxury tobacco is enough, without the myths and lies. Enhanced appreciation requires Enlightenment, and that requires The Truth.