Above The Shadegrown Tobacco

The side canvas on this large and extraordinary shadegrown tobacco field has been partially lifted for a short while to allow excess humidity out.

Reverse Cigar Blending: "Tasting Components"

The process of blending a premium cigar is extremely challenging.  Some cigar makers and blenders have a natural talent for it – others don’t.  One of the unique talents a good cigar blender needs is flavor (taste + aroma) memory.  Flavor memory is the ability to recall a certain flavor profile in your mind.  With good flavor memory a cigar maker can remember what a particular seco from Esteli tastes like, versus another seco from Jalapa or Condega.  Then, a cigar blender must be able to project, in their mind, what that seco will taste like beside a viso, ligero, volado, binder, or wrapper, from another farm, country, and/or varietal family.  Further confounding the recipe is the fact that there are countless nuances to priming, air-curing, fermentation, aging (añejamiento), tobacco burn rates, and even proportioning and placing the tobaccos in the finished cigar.

The process of creating a cigar blend is daunting and there can be thousands of failures before a final blend is deemed worthy of production.   Yet, this is just the beginning.  Once a master blend recipe has been created, it must be tweaked to deliver its flavor and character in different vitolas.  Some cigar makers will further complicate the process by engineering each vitola to deliver a similar taste while others will tweak the blends to emphasize certain aspects of the components.  Lastly, a great cigar maker will be able to replicate the cigar’s flavor profile consistently, year after year.  Ultimately, cigar blending is its own art form which requires a lot of experience and talent.

While cigar blending is the process of putting tobacco leaves together to create a cigar, reverse blending is the process of deconstructing a cigar and analyzing its’ component leaves.

The TU method for reverse blending and studying a cigar’s components is called Ashtray Analysis.

Ashtray Analysis is the process of removing the cigar’s component leaves one at a time and burning them in an ashtray.  You can smell the tobacco leaf’s characteristics while it is burning in the ashtray.

WARNING: use a bucket of water to extinguish the burning tobacco leaves and keep a fire extinguisher at the ready.

Method
Wrapper and binder leaves will separate fairly easily and it should be easy to distinguish between them.

Burn the wrapper in the ashtray and smell the smoke.  After you have smelled enough,  put the leaf in a bucket of water and make sure nothing is left burning in the ashtray.  Repeat this step with the binder.  Once you remove  the binder, the bunch will continue to hold its cylindrical shape and you will have to finesse the filler leaves apart.  Try to separate the different leaves from each other: segregate by color and texture.  Once you have three to five filler leaves distinguished and separated, you can discard the smaller pieces of tobacco.  Don’t get discouraged if you can’t differentiate between all the filler leaves.

Hint: the ligero will be black(ish) and should be towards the center of the cigar.  It will have the strongest and/or most pungent aroma of all the filler leaves.

What did you learn?  In the end, this exercise will give you some insight into the individual leaves that went into creating your cigar.  And, hopefully, a new appreciation for the millions of tiny steps that go into creating a great cigar.

Fresh Rolled Cigars - Smoke Fresh Or Wait?

Rob Roth, CMT Contribution

Certified Master Tobacconist #1801

Fresh Rolled Cigars-Smoke Fresh or Wait?

What is a fresh rolled cigar? A fresh rolled cigar is a cigar that is handed to you by the roller or rolled within a couple of hours. Although not for everyone, I think every lover of the leaf should experience a truly fresh rolled cigar. A fresh rolled cigar has unique characteristics that are only found straight from the table. The flavor and characteristics of a fresh rolled cigar cannot be obtained any other way. Many will argue that a fresh rolled cigar is too moist because wrapper and binder tobaccos are at humidity levels much higher than 70% RH for rolling purposes.  Obviously, this is a personal opinion that must be experienced individually.

Is it worth waiting a few days to let the moisture content ease? One word, NO! Once the cigar moisture content begins to subside the wrapper leaf and binder leaf become bitter and unpleasant. This period is referred by many as the “sick period”. This causes the natural by-product of ammonia. Not a pleasant smoking attribute. As the sick period begins, it helps the filler and binder tobaccos to meld with the wrapper leaf to complete the blending process. Many in the industry refer to this stage as marrying. Once the marrying process begins the tobaccos get “sick” (sound familiar?). This sickness typically starts around 24 hours after the wrapper leaf has been rolled onto the bunch and last about 60 days. During this period the tobaccos are settling, seeking humidity equilibrium, and releasing ammonia and other impurities.

 When I obtain fresh rolled cigars I always try at least 4. The first one I try that day. The next three I try in one month intervals. Take notes on each cigar and observe the progression of the flavors of the cigar congruent to the aging process.  In conclusion, give a fresh rolled cigar a shot. You’ll be surprised at the unique flavors you may find. Smoke it within 24 hours or wait at least 30 to 60 days for the cigar to recover from the sick period.

Another Great Success!

Surpassing our goal of 1,000 Certified Tobacconists & Apprentices at this years IPCPR tradeshow was a huge achievement for TU! Thank you to everyone who signed up to become an Apprentice at the show, took their CRT exam with us or even simply stopped by the booth to show support. An impressive twenty five apprentices passed the final, attaining their certification. Follow this link to see a complete list of our Certified Tobacconists.  Haven’t begun your certification process yet?  Get Started!

Casings & Toppings Are Not The Same: Kevin Godbee, CMT Contribution

Casings & Toppings – Not the Same – CMT Contribution, Kevin Godbee
 
 On page 84 of The Tobacconist Handbook, it states in the Tobacconist Tip:
 
“Casing is another term for flavorings that can be added to pipe tobaccos, primarily aromatic blends. Casing usually involves applying flavored liquids, like honey, liqueurs, and extracts.”
  
I’d like to expand on this.
 
Casings and Toppings are two different things. Toppings are actually what is more associated with the stereotypical sweet flavor or aroma of an “aromatic” pipe tobacco blend. For example, a Cherry Tobacco will have a cherry topping. The topping is applied last, at the very end of the processing just before the tobacco goes into the tin or pouch.

Casing, on the other hand is done to ALL pipe tobacco blends – NOT just AROMATICS. Casing happens around the middle of the processing, and it is not meant to add anything that is detectable to the flavor. Casing is applied, and then the tobacco is left to sit for about a day to absorb the casing. So, casing is absorbed into the tobacco, and toppings, as implied, sit on top of the tobacco and quickly burn off. You don’t so much as taste the topping as smell it.
    The most typical casings are as follows:
    Virginia tobaccos (which are not strictly from VA, but that’s another lesson), are typically cased with sugar-water.
    Burley tobaccos are typically cased with a solution that contains chocolate and / or licorice.
    Even though chocolate and licorice do have distinct flavors, they are not detectable as a casing.

Casings serve the purpose of enhancing and bringing out more of the tobacco’s natural flavor. Toppings serve the purpose of adding an additional flavor (taste+aroma) to a blend. The simple way I use to remember the difference is to think of casing as a marinade, as it is added during the processing, and soaks into the tobacco. And think of toppings as a sauce. You could marinate (casing) a steak, then grill it, and after it is cooked, you can put some A1 sauce (topping) on it.

Here is a photo of tobacco being cased at the Orlik Factory in Denmark.

Top 5 Reasons To Be Certified

1) Credibility Matters- Enhance your professional credibility by becoming Certified by TU. Immersing yourself in our extensive academic curriculum will help to further establish your professional credentials. By completing the Steps to Certification, CRT’s adhere to our high expectations in regards to product knowledge and customer service thus become knowledgeable, trustworthy in the eyes of consumers and peers.

2) Personal Satisfaction/Self-Esteem- Becoming a CRT will define and shape yourself beyond your job description. You will achieve a deep sense of personal satisfaction as well as validate your luxury tobacco experience.

3) Make your Certification work for you- Promote yourself. Wear your certified lapel pin and display your diploma and other certified accoutrements. Let your certification set you apart from other retailers. TU Certification also works as a free training vehicle for your employees. Customers view certification as a guarantee they will receive a high level of quality service, it demonstrates a commitment to our industry.

4) Improved Skills and Knowledge- Develop a well rounded educational experience while studying the four Colleges that comprise Tobacconist University: Tobacco, Accoutrements, Taste, and Service College.

5) Stay Tuned- Only certified retailers can profit from selling The Tobacconist Handbook or administering the final exam to Apprentices. We also have many exciting  projects in the works which only Certified Tobacconists will benefit from.

Writing For PR & Credibility

Patrick Gallagher, CMT Academic Contribution

Certified Master Tobacconist #1835

Writing For PR & Credibility

 

I recently began writing a monthly cigar review for a local men’s fashion magazine. Like any other reviewer, the position requires me to smoke a cigar and give my thoughts on the experience. But what is unique about the review, is that I am a certified tobacconist.

Too often, we see in today’s media the demonization of tobacco and cigar smokers. And more often than not, these anti-tobacco zealots are typically uneducated about our industry and fed a high amount of propaganda and false data. We tobacconists know the benefits and albeit the risks of tobacco thanks to our extensive training.

I am encouraging tobacconists like myself to reach out to those media channels whom embrace the luxury life style. In doing so, it is important to share your educational experience and your knowledge to those who are with us and against us. These articles and reviews are important for the longevity of our industry and our trades. We must be viewed as educators and purveyors of history and the luxury lifestyle.

Much like a sommelier is to wine, a tobacconist is to cigars/pipes. Our role is to set the stage for the consumers’/readers’ experience and to educate. Thus, preparing the consumer/reader for an emotional and spiritual moment that transcends “just smoking”. Tastes, textures, feelings: these evoke emotions which translate into a valuable experience.

Taking the role of an educator through editorial style writing is an excellent way to reach those enjoying the luxurious moments in life. I suggest finding a local magazine, blogger, or newspaper to get involved with.  Develop a piece and share it with their editor, maybe over a cigar. Explain to the editor the purpose of your piece. Much like a style columnist, we are informing those interested and involved in the lifestyle.

Remember, we are purveyors of luxury and educators of history. It is our job, not only in our stores but in the world, to uphold our traditions, values, and beliefs to honor the great cigar/pipe makers and tobacconists who came before our time.