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UNDER
THE WRAPPER
Informed information about Cuban Cigars
May 2002 Issue #9
wrapper@ajaxcigars.com
Welcome
to Issue #9 of
UNDER THE WRAPPER
Archived copies of the newsletters are available on the web
site but do not contain the product discunts that are available
to e-mail subscribers. You may subscribe to our newsletter
here
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Welcome
=> Feature Articles - Another view on what happens when
the embargo ends
=> 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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Want
to talk the talk? In this issue and for the next few I decided
to
start listing some of the words and phrases associated with
cigars.
Now even I have finally figured out the difference between
binder and
filler tobacco but what the hell is a Bofeton? When I started
reading the
information its surprising what you learn. There are many
good sources, if
you want to go for the full "Funk & Wagnell"
version, Perlmans and Rudmans
to name a couple. Anyway, I found it interesting and its my
newsletter,
so there.
I
found this months feature article in some newspaper in the
States, I
think it was San Diego, but I'm not sure, so I can't give
them the necessary
credit. I have read the article over several times and thought
it was an
interesting point of view from the Cuban side of the fence.
They do make
some excellent points. For those of you who have not been
to Cuba and I'm
not talking about the resorts, it is a special place and I
don't think that
anyone would like to see that disappear. I personally sense
a bit of whining
by the people interviewed. It is up to the Cuban people to
control their
own Culture and Heritage but they better get the game plan
written before
the embargo is lifted.
I'm
smoking one of the new Partagas Serie D #3 Limited Edition
cigars while
writing this. Its a Corona Gordo size 5.5 x 46. Very dark
wrapper by Cuban
standards. Well constructed and a nice smoke for those who
like a full bodied
cigar.
There are two other new ones out. Cohiba Piramide and Romeo
y Julieta Robusto.
I haven't tried either of them yet but a friend of mine tells
me the Cohiba
Piramide is the same blend as the Piramide they put in the
Millennium Jar - a
real dog rocket. I'll keep you posted on those two once I
try them.
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FEATURE ARTICLE - What happens to Cuba after Castro dies and
Wal-Mart takes over?
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"An
invasion of one Madonna is equal to 10 Marine divisions,"
said Miguel
Coyula, director of the Instituto de Desarollo Integrativo,
a cabal of
Cuba's top urban planners. "Think what a horde of U.S.
developers could
do."
As he said this, Coyula was surveying his kingdom, the vast
"Maqueta de
la Havana," a warehouse-sized scale model of every building,
street and
tree in Cuba's largest city. This impressive planning tool
is made of scraps
of recycled cigar boxes. The miniature buildings are color-coded
-- dark
brown for the Spanish colonial period, yellow for the 1900-1958
period
and white for those few buildings that have been built since
the revolution.
"As you can see, Havana is a time capsule."
Indeed,
time stopped in 1958, the year of the revolution.
Streets are filled with American autos from the 1950s. Walls
are plastered
with the iconographic images of Cuba's last hero, Che Guevara,
conveniently
dead for decades. (His posters outnumber Castro's by about
30-to-1.) Old
missile heads are planted as traffic barriers. In crumbling
mansions, Cuban
families operate unofficial restaurants and serve American
comfort food from
the 1950s. The communist government limits such establishments
to 12
customers. But jolly Cuban women will lead you through the
kitchen, down a
dark hallway and into a room with no windows; this is the
Cuban equivalent
of U.S. speakeasies during Prohibition. Cubans make do. And
they seem to
enjoy something else that seems outdated: an abundance of
friendship and
companionship.
But
change is afoot. Recently, the first shipment of American
goods came to
Cuba, which the United States has embargoed for 40 years.
Then, the
Pentagon sent Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners to the U.S. Navy
base in Cuba's
Guantanamo Bay. The base is still walled off from the rest
of Cuba, but irony
cannot be contained. What's next? Madonna? Tract-home developers?
American
historical preservationists?
Old
Havana, a 17th century architectural marvel, awaits.
The
city was protected from the worst ravages of modern urbanization
by embargo
and communist inattention. "In 1959, I don't think urban
planners had any ideas
about preservation," said Isabel Rogol, a Cuban professor
of public affairs who
has worked to preserve the old city. "There had been
a master plan for the city
in the 1950s, done by famous architects based in the U.S.,
which would have
destroyed and replaced these old buildings."
Ironically, revolution and poverty "preserved these properties,"
she said. But
decay is having its way. The neglected buildings are falling
down, sometimes
killing Cuban families.
To meet this crisis, a new partnership was created -- or allowed
-- by a
government desperate for foreign exchange after the loss of
Soviet patrons a
decade ago. The collaboration includes European investors,
Cuban professors
and planners, and small-time capitalists tolerated by the
government.
The movement's government-appointed leader is Eusebio Leal
Spengler, Havana's
official historian. His corporation restores buildings, turns
them into
profitable restaurants and hotels for tourists and then reinvests
the profits
in more restoration.
Leal is on the short list of possible Castro successors.
Rogol
worries that gentrification could push the poor into the streets.
"I
wouldn't want old Havana to be a place where only foreigners
can afford an
apartment." In fact, housing for the masses isn't much
of a priority in a
city where 30,000 people live in permanent public shelters,
and many more
live in severely crowded apartments and houses -- though homelessness
does
not officially exist.
Isabel
Leon, a planner for Havana for 23 years, said the country's
housing
deficit -- about 800,000 needed units -- is worse today than
in 1959, when
the revolution promised to cure the problem. She became so
frustrated at
government inaction that she quit her job a few years ago
and founded a
nongovernmental organization similar to Habitat for Humanity:
People who
need housing help build their own. Leon claims her program
was so successful
that the embarrassed government shut it down.
The
events of Sept. 11, which severely hurt Cuban tourism, further
threaten
renovation and housing construction.
Still,
Coyula thinks better days are ahead. "We are changing
the rules of
the game, creating a social transformation in physical development,"
he said.
"Before, all planning was top-down, from the central
government. Now, we
nurture the grass-roots approach. We organize workshops across
the country;
we start the meetings by giving everyone a piece of paper,
asking them to
draw the house they want." Such a process stimulates
incentive, he said.
Ironically,
the language of this new approach echoes similar jargon now
popular in American cities, where urban planners and office
holders love
to talk about bottom-up, community-based planning -- though
the reality
is often different.
Lifting
the embargo will change Cuba faster than any sociological
theory.
On the horizon is good housing for everyone -- or Cuba as
the hemisphere's
newest American retirement Mecca: Fun City 1958 becomes Sun
City 2005. Some
Cubans see this wave approaching and dread it. Yes, they contend,
Americans
will bring freedom, build a few houses and fix a few Spanish
Colonial
buildings, but at what cultural price?
Such
concern, also expressed by occasional American visitors, raises
an
unfamiliar question: Does the United States have an obligation
to move
gently into this country, to contain the full force of our
culture in the
initial years of Cuba's transformation?
"I
think it is better to lift the embargo gradually," said
Coyula, staring
out over his miniaturized domain, this city whose physical
beauty and
comely spirit can move him to tears. Surprisingly, his opinion
is shared
by many Cubans, who may have suffered under communism and
the embargo, but
resist the possibility that Cuba could become just another
investment
opportunity for Starbucks -- even if Cuban coffee is finally
served.
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QUOTABLE QUOTES & CIGAR STORIES
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>From
the writings of the legendary Prince Sined Yar Maharg of fabled
Xanadu, he writes,
"A fine cigar is the essence of life. The tobacco plant
comes
from the earth, from which we ourselves were created. Like
ourselves, each
leaf grows and is nurtured individually, acquiring its own
characteristics, and is then graded, sorted, and matured according
to
their special abilities. As tobacco comes to its graduation
in the making
of cigars, as with the making of adults, some is left on the
cutting room
table and become ordinary, run-of-the-mill products. Some
graduate into
leadership and areas of responsibility, but a few achieve
greatness, and
even a touch of immortality. "
Of
course, the most famous cigar quote comes from King Edward
VII of England.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, smoking was frowned upon
and not
allowed at court. That changed when Edward VII came to the
throne at the
beginning of the 20th Century, and after dinner pronounced,
"Gentlemen,
you may smoke."
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CIGAR TERMS
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AGING
CIGARS: The wrapper has the biggest single effect on the aging
or
maturing potential of a cigar. Experiments have been undertaken
with cigars
from the same area of cultivation, with similar tobacco and
production
techniques but using different shades of wrappers. In the
same storage
conditions over the same period of time they have reacted
differently.
Darker, oily wrappers, with shades of colorado claro and colorado,
proved
to have better aging potential than the lighter claro claro
or claro
wrappers. Aging cigars is much like maturing wine. Laying
it down will not
improve a bad wine. It has to be good in the first place,
with good fruit,
sufficient alcohol, acid and tannins. If it is light-bodied
with little fruit
and tannins it is better to drink it early.
ALTADIS:
Is the world's biggest cigar company and the fourth largest
tobacco
company in the world, outside China. Is the result of the
giant Spanish
company, Tabacalera SA, purchasing SEITA SA, in October 1999.
AMS:
American Market Selection. At one time the majority of cigars
on the
American market used to come in a particular shade that became
known as AMS.
It is also known as CANDELA. The light greenish brown color
is achieved by
fixing the chlorophyll with rapid high temperature drying
that also reduces
the natural oils and flavor. See CLARO CLARO.
BELICOSOS:
Is a pyramid shape with a round head rather than a point.
BINDER
(CAPOTE): This binder encloses the filler and gives the cigar
its
proper shape and size. Leaves used for this purpose usually
have the
tensile strength to hold the cigar together. In many cases
the binder is
selected almost entirely for its physical properties and may
have indifferent
smoking qualities. However, in the best Havanas, care is taken
to ensure that
it imparts a complementary flavor to the filler and wrapper.
They require
around 12 months of maturation.
BOBBIN:
Wrappers, usually from Sumatra, Java and Brazil are die cut
to the
actual size and accurately placed on large rolls of fabric.
These are mainly
made in Sri Lanka and Gibraltar where there is plentiful low-cost
labor. In
the factory suction is used by the machine to place the wrapper
on the cigar
often at the rate of 20 to 30 cigars per minute.
BOFETÓN:
The paper flap that is attached to the inner part of the cigar
box.
Its function is to protect the cigars. Often it includes the
brand’s logo.
BOX
PRESSED: When cigars are squeezed into a dress box during
the
manufacturing process they develop square edges.
BULL’S
EYE CUTTER: A cylinder that has surgical stainless steel inserted
at
one end to ensure a smooth cut. To cut a cigar one places
the cutting edge
against the head of the cigar and, by turning or twisting
the cylinder while
applying light pressure, a small circular piece of the cap
is cleanly removed.
The disadvantage of this type is that one is limited by the
size of cap that
can be cut.
BUNCH:
Is the filler enclosed by the binder. It is simply a cigar
without
its wrapper
CAP:
This is the small piece of matching wrapper that covers the
head. The
cap is fixed with a tiny drop of Tragacanth vegetable gum,
which is
colorless and flavorless. The cap stops the wrapper from unraveling.
Part of the cap has to be cut off before smoking.
CARROT
(manojo): A carrot is composed of 4 hands tied together. The
carrot
is prepared by smoothing or pressing out the leaves that are
to remain
outside like a cover. The carrot is tied with fibre.
CASA
DE TABACO: Curing barns for air curing before fermentation
which is
normally close to the plantation. Tobacco field in front of
drying barn.
CENTRO:
The leaves in the middle of the tobacco plant.
CHAVETA:
A crescent-shaped flat, razor-sharp, steel knife used by torcedores
(cigar rollers) in the Caribbean. Today, they are usually
made out of old
industrial saw blades.
CIGAR
BAND: Invented by Dutchman, Gustave Bock, a manufacturer of
Cuban
cigars, who in the middle of the 19th century, was inspired
to affix a
paper band with his logo, on his products to distinguish his
brand from
the many others on the market. This forced other producers
to follow suit
and cigar bands are still widely used today.
CHINCHILES:
Small cigar factory that sells its product at retail. Many
still
abound in Little Havana, Miami and Union City, New Jersey,
USA.
CLARO:
a pale ginger or yellowish brown co lour. Often found on Havana
brands
like H Upmann and American brands using Connecticut Shade
wrappers. This is
the co lour of the classic mild cigar.
CLARO
CLARO: At one time the majority of cigars on the American
market used
to come in this shade which, as a result, became known as
AMS, or American
Market Selection. It is also known as CANDELA. The light greenish
brown
co lour is achieved by fixing the chlorophyll with rapid high
temperature
drying that also reduces the natural oils and flavor.
CLEAR
HAVANA: Meaning a cigar that was made in the USA totally from
Cuban
tobacco. Obviously, this only applied to tobacco imported
before the trade
embargo imposed in 1962.
COLORADO:
Reddish-brown and called EMS, or English Market Selection.
Used to
appeal most to the English market, but today has gained tremendous
popularity
in the United States. It has the rich flavors and subtle aromas.
Its co lour
normally indicates well-matured cigars.
COLORADO
CLARO: A light tawny brown, sometimes called “natural”.
It is
frequently grown in the full sun as are the Cameroon wrappers
commonly
found on Dominican Partagas.
COLORADO
MADURO: Chocolate brown, medium strength and very aromatic.
Has
the rich flavor found in many premium Honduran cigars.
COROJO:
The tobacco plant variety used in Cuba for wrappers. Usually
grown
under shade.
CORONA:
The most popular size or shape of cigar. Classic size:
142mm/5 9/16 ins x 16.67mm/42. Also used to describe the position
of leaves
on the tobacco plant. The top leaves are called the Coronas.
COSTERO:
The label that covers the end of the cigar box.
CRIOLLO:
The main tobacco plant variety used in Cuba mainly for binders
and filler.
CUBATABACCO:
The former Cuban State-owned export monopoly. It was replaced
by Habanos SA on 1 October 1994.
CUBIERTA:
The label that is affixed to the inside of the cigar (dress)
box.
CULEBRAS:
Comprises three thin cigars plaited together with a thread.
This
is undone and the cigars are smoked individually. Originally,
the culebras
was introduced by factory owners to stop workers from stealing
the cigars
they were rolling. Each roller was given a ration of three
cigars a day,
twisted together while they were still wet. Therefore, workers
were only
entitled to be in possession of a twisted cigar.
CURLY
HEAD: The head is sealed by twisting the end of the wrapper
itself to
form a small tail (rabo de cochina). This is a highly skilled
process only
used on the best hand-made cigars and never on machine-made
ones. No cap is
used. On some Havanas such as the Montecristo, Vegueros and
Cohiba Especiales,
Trinidad, and the Cohiba Lanceros, this method is used. This
is also known as
the “flag” method or sometimes curly head or pig’s
tail.
*-----------------HOT
TIP------------------*
I'm often asked what I use to light my cigars.
I use a split. For those that don't know, a
split is a piece of cedar about 1/4" wide and
guess what, every time you buy a box of cigars
you get splits. They are just pieces of cedar
which are broken off of the cedar insert which is
between the layer of cigars. Try it, it works
great.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
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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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Please Email your comments, gripes, suggestions etc.
to: wrapper@ajaxcigars.com
Your interaction will help make the newsletter work.
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HOW TO BE A GUEST COLUMNIST INSTRUCTIONS
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Are you a frustrated author? Do you have something
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Drop us an Email and get your name in lights.
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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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Copyright 2001 Ajax Cigars
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