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UNDER
THE WRAPPER
Informed information about Cuban Cigars
June 2002 Issue #10
wrapper@ajaxcigars.com
Welcome
to Issue #10 of
UNDER THE WRAPPER
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Welcome
=> Feature Articles - Cigar Etiquette?
=> Quotable Quotes & Cigar Stories
=> Cigar Terms
=> Spotlight - Our Newsletter Special
=> Reader Feedback Invited
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
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WELCOME
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Well
the days are getting longer as summer quickly arrives. Now
it may not mean much to you readers that live in warmer climes,
in
fact it may be not that enjoyable, but to us that live in
the frozen
North its a pleasure. Just think I don't have to pull on a
parka or
go out to the shop and light the heater to enjoy a cigar.
Leisurely
days on the boat fishing for salmon and evenings on the deck
enjoying
a cigar.
Cutting the grass, weeding the garden, washing the windows,
oh well,
but that's another story.
Enjoy
the issue.
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FEATURE ARTICLE - Cigar Etiquette?
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I've
watched parents. There is a definite difference in how they
treat their first child as compared to their second or third
(or fourth) child. When the first baby arrives everything
must be done in a precise way so as not to damage this fragile
creature. By the second or third child, parents start to realize
how resilient this fragile creature really is and, as a result,
they tend to relax a bit more and break a few of the "rules."
This
also describes my relationship with cigars. When I first started
smoking I was overly concerned about what to buy, how to store,
how to light, and how to smoke. I read the Dr. Spock books
of the cigar world, sought advice from more experienced smokers,
and treated my cigars like delicate crystal. I have to admit
that this is no longer the case.
Do
you know what I've done?
-
I've lit cigars with strips of cedar, wooden matches and clean
butane gas, but I've also lit them with paper matches, Zippo
lighters, car lighters, range top burners, camp stoves, camp
fires, blow torches, and even with candles! And they tasted
great....
-
I've stored my cigars at 70/70, but I've also stored them
at everything from 78/62 to 62/78. I've smoked them slightly
wet and slightly dry (I prefer dry over wet). And they tasted
great....
-
I've re lit cigars the next day, I've probed tight cigars
with an ice pick, tooth pick, and a coat hanger, and I've
frozen cigars. I've stored them in and out of cellophane and
smoked them with and without bands. I've even smoked a couple
that had just a little bit of mold on them! And they tasted
great....
-
I've sheared off the caps of my cigars with the precision
stainless steel instruments we smokers flash around like swords
of honor, but I've also stuck them with pencils, nipped them
off between my teeth, cut them with scissors, and sliced them
with paring knives, jack knives, and fish knives. And they
tasted great...
-
I've dipped my cigars in brandy, in Scotch, and even in Diet
Coke. I've torched them when they run, scorched them when
they're wet, chewed them, dropped them and popped them. I've
scraped the end across an ashtray to knock off an ash and
I've puffed them until they are almost too hot to hold. And
they tasted great....
Don't
get me wrong, I appreciate and understand the finer points
of cigar care and ritual. But like your second or third kid,
cigars are pretty damned resilient and they usually turn out
just fine even if everything is not quite perfect.
So
if you ever see me re lighting a day old cigar, held together
with scotch tape, off of a bug zapper, don't give me any crap...
it will probably taste great!
The
article below I got from Jeff Aikens site http://cigars.about.com
Always something interesting to read.
Most
tobacconists will describe a cigar's taste as ranging from
"mild" to "full-bodied." Therefore one might conclude that
taste and strength are synonymous. Maybe, but not exactly.
The best analogy that I can come up with involves beer. Coors
Light is more or less like a fizzy pale-yellow colored water
with a slight beer-like taste, whereas Guinness Stout is more
like a robust-malted-full-meal-in-a-can. The latter being
more "full-bodied" than the former - yet both probably have
similar alcohol content. Same with cigars. Some have no taste
whatsoever, some are revolting and some will knock you on
your ass. Since the concept of cigar flavor can be rather
vague, the following is suggestive of how your head and stomach
will react to chain smoking 3 Churchills of various strengths
when accompanied by a glass of single malt whiskey (straight
up of course) - all on an empty stomach, right after a tough
day, based on your level of experience.
If
you typically smoke 1 cigar per year (or less)
Mild
The
1st cigar is enjoyable and you catch a buzz. The second is
a little heavy. The third gives you a headache. The scotch
makes you nauseous.
Medium
The
first cigar gives you a headache. The second makes you nauseous.
The third makes you hurl. You skip the scotch.
Full
Bodied
The
first cigar makes you nauseous. The second one makes you hurl.
The third renders you unconscious. You never even thought
about the scotch.
If
you smoke about 1 cigar per week
Mild
The
first cigar tastes great, but a little weak. You think that
the name Coors Light is redundant. The second and third cigars
finally add up to that great cigar you smoked last week. The
scotch is just right.
Medium
The
first is delicious and the second gives you a buzz. The third
gives you a headache and the scotch amplifies it.
Full
Bodied
The
first is Nirvana. The second gives you a bit of a headache
and you intelligently skip the third after seeing the rookie
hurl. The scotch takes the edge off.
If
you smoke 1 or more cigars per day
Mild
After
the third cigar you'll regret having bought this worthless
crap. You look for someone selling Cubans but you settle for
a second scotch.
Medium
After
the second cigar and the second scotch you are reasonably
content. The third cigar finally adds up to a real cigar.
Bummer it isn't Cuban.
Full
Bodied
You
make Shakespeare roll over in his grave when you say "Oh Cohiba,
Cohiba, how do I love thee.." after the first. The buzz settles
in after the second. The third gives you a bit of a headache
which you blame on the scotch.
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QUOTABLE QUOTES & CIGAR STORIES
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"While
smoking a cigar, we are in the presence of eternity. The tobacco
reminds us of the earth, from which it and we came. As with
ourselves, the life of some cigars are short, while others
last a while longer, but in the end all are consumed. But
the smoke, ah, the smoke! The smoke drifts gently heavenward
on its quest to combine with the great eternal oneness".
"Blessed
be the man who invented smoking, the soother and comforter
of a troubled spirit, allayer of angry passions, a comfort
under loss of breakfast, and to the roamer of desolate places,
the solitary wayfarer through life, serving for wife, children,
and friends."
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CIGAR TERMS (Part 2)
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DESBOTONAR:
Spanish to describe the process of removing the buds on
the tobacco plant to prevent the stunting of leaf and plant
growth.
DIVAN:
Not a piece of furniture, but a tobacconist cum lounge, originated
in Victorian England, where the chaps would congregate for
a chat and a smoke, whiling away a pleasant hour or two before
returning home to their families in the comfort of Kensington
or the splendor of Sloane Street. The recent cigar boom has
also had a profound influence in the United States with the
opening of an enormous number of cigar lounges and clubs throughout
the country. The most prominent is Club Macanudo, a restaurant,
bar and cigar lounge, that opened at 26 East 63 Street, on
Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side in New York in May 1996.
The club has taken its name from the largest selling premium
cigar brand in the USA.
DRILL
or PIECER: To open the cap before smoking. This is not recommended
as it gives a narrow opening, with the edges of the filler
compressed and can cause a concentration of hot oils and smoke
on the tongue. However, Churchill favored this method using
a match.
DUSTED
(gemateered): Used on Dutch or European mass-market cigars
that uses HTL wrapper to ensure uniformity of color. This
process can sometimes make the HTL wrapper look more natural.
Often this coloring material can come of on the smoker’s
lips.
DUTCH
OR DRY CIGARS (also called European cigars): The Dutch-type
cigars that are so popular in Europe, and South Africa are
meant to be smoked dry. These cigars will perform well if
stored in areas with a humidity level of between 55 and 60%.
ESCAPARATE:
Shelves on which boxes of media ruedas are placed in a special
temperature-controlled cedar cabinet. ESCOGIDA: Spanish for
grading room.
FANCY
TAIL: See CURLEY HEAD.
FERMENTATION:
An important and time-consuming process enhances the flavor
and aroma. At the same time nicotine, tar, ammonia, acidity
and other impurities are reduced, making it much more palatable
than normal cigarette tobacco.
FIGURADOS:
Covers all the irregular cigar shapes. There major figurado
shapes are: Torpedo, has a pointed closed head, an open tuck
or foot with a bulge in the middle; Pyramid, also has a pointed
closed head and widens steadily to an open foot or tuck; Belicosos,
is a pyramid shape with a round head rather than a point.
FILETE:
The lithographed paper that, lengthwise, covers the edges
of the cigar box (dress box).
FINGER
PLANTING: A method of transplanting tobacco seedlings or plants.
FLAG
or FLAGGING: See CURLEY HEAD.
FOOT:
See Tuck end.
FRONTMARK:
The name of the cigar’s shape or model name that is printed
on the outside of the box. Usually, only used in the USA.
GAVILLAS:
Spanish to describe when leaves are cut and bundled into hands.
HABANOS
SA: The export monopoly in Cuba. It is now jointly owned by
the government and the giant Spanish and French company, Altadis.
Previously known as Cubatabacco.
HAND:
When tobacco leaves, usually 20, of similar size and type
are tied together at their stems.
HAVANA:
Another name for a cigar from Cuba.
HBPR
(hand-bunched, pressed rolled, by hand,) Unique aspect is
that the bunches are not placed in wooden moulds but, the
bunches are rolled by hand in paper tubes and left for a day
or two to taken on the correct shape. This is an old, almost
ancient technique, that has been revived by the Swiss group,
Burger Söhn, in their factories in Brazil and Nicaragua.
The group believes that this technique tends to ensure a better
draw. It is used on their long filler PGC Hajenius range made
in Nicaragua and their Artist Line range made in Brazil.
HEAD:
The end of the cigar that you will place between your lips
when smoking. This is the end that, in the case of hand-made
cigars, is cut before smoking.
HOMOGENIZED
TOBACCO LEAF (HTL): Homogenized filler is made from tobacco
stems and fibres, mixed with water and cellulose, to make
an amorphous material, which comes off a drying belt in the
form of rolls, not unlike paper. The majority of all mass-market
cigars are made from homogenized binders and most of these
use homogenized wrappers as well.
HYGROMETER:
A gauge for measuring the level of humidity, in cigar humidors.
HUMIDIFIER:
A device for putting moisture into the air in your humidor.
These devices range from those that work on sponges, chemical
compounds to even plain bottles containing water.
IDEAL
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY: Ideally, cigars should be stored
at between 65 and 70% relative humidity (RH), with the temperature
up to about 70°F, or 21.1°C. In hot, dry climates
a cigar can dry out within a couple of days. Many people,
particularly in the USA, believe the ideal storage conditions
are a 70/70 mix (70% RH and 21.1°C). The British taste,
however, is for a much dryer cigar. Top British merchants
store at a humidity level of between 60 and 65%.
IN
SEASON (en sazon): When the tobacco is completely cured and
ready to
be manufactured, it is said to be in season.
LARGUERO:
The label that covers the long side of the cigar box.
LIBRE
DE PIE: The leaves at the bottom of the tobacco plant.
LIGERO:
These are leaves grown from tobacco during seasons of abundant
rainfall, and is so called because it has little oil, but
is full
flavored. When this type of tobacco is dampened for grading,
only a
small amount of water can be used. It must always be handled
in dry
weather and baled with the minimum of delay. It gives the
cigar its
strength and flavor. Full-bodied ligero leaves need to mature
for two
to three years. A cigar will burn unevenly if ligero leaf,
with its
slow-burning qualities, is too near the wrapper.
LONG
LEAF FILLER: Strips of tobacco cut to the length of the cigar.
Usually used in hand-made cigars.
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SPOTLIGHT: THIS MONTHS NEWSLETTER SPECIAL
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This section is devoted to specials for e-mail subscribers
to
UNDER THE WRAPPER.
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READER FEEDBACK INVITED:
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Copyright 2001 Ajax Cigars
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