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Cigar Construction
There are five tobacco regions in Cuba: Oriente, Remedios, Partidos, Semi Vuelta and Vuelta Abayo. Only two of these, however, grow tobacco of the quality to gain the name Havana - Partidos and Vuelta Abayo. The two regions are called "the cradle of Havanas".
A Havana cigar consists of five types of leaf. The Tripa, or filler, contains a blend of three - the Ligero, Seco and Volado, all secured by the Capote (binder), whilst the Capa, or wrapper, dresses the cigar and determines the appearance.
The Making of a Good Cigar
Handmade cigars are made up of three parts. The filler, the binder and the wrapper. Each one of these parts has a different function and each makes its own contribution to the finishing flavour. Tobacco is grown and selected according to which part of the cigar it is to be used.
Leaves have to be cured and preserved to make them flexible and remove impurities. They must be matured, a further process which helps develop flavour, before they are finally rolled. The process of making top quality cigars is predominently done by hand.
The main growing season is between November and February and takes place during La Seca (the dry season). Usually by that time the heavy rain from the previous months has ensured that the soil has been irrigated well. The growing conditions are then ideal, with up to eight hours of daily sunshine and temperatures about 80 degrees farenheit - the average humidity is 64 per cent. A high moisture content is particularly important in the production of the finest wrapper. Leaf production from transplantation until harvest takes about 120 days. After the leaves have been harvested they are allowed to wilt slightly and are removed using a one-handed movement. The leaves from wrapper plants are arranged in bundles and are removed in six phases, each one taking around a week. These are called Libra De Pie (at the base), Uno Y Medio (one and half), Centro Ligero (light centre), Centro Fino (thin centre), Centro Gordo (thick centre) and the Corona. The best quality leaves are found in the middle of the plant. The leaves at the top (Corona) are usually two oily for wrappers and are normally used as filler.
After the leaves are sorted they are taken to a barn on the Vega (plantation) to be cured. The barns have doors at each end and face West so the sun heats one end in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. Once in the barn the leaves are strung by needle and thread, on poles, and raised to a high position within the barn to allow the air to circulate. Here the leaves are left to wilt and dry for between 45 and 60 days. Temperature and humidity are controlled by opening and closing the doors to adjust to the changing conditions.
The next stage is fermentation. This removes impurities, including nitrogen compounds which produce ammonia. Nicotine content can also be halved during this fermentation and the level of acidity and tar also reduces. Fermentation helps the leaves to retain their colour and texture. Fermentation produces heat but the conditions are controlled so that none of the stacks become hotter than 92 degrees farenheit. Fermentation takes around 35 to 40 days. The stacks are then broken up and allowed to cool. The leaves are then graded in the sorting house (Escogida). The leaves are shaken to separate and dampened with water and left to air. They are graded for the uses already explained: wrapper, filler of binder. They can be as many as 50 different types according to quality, colour and size.
Next is the process of stripping, during which filler leaves have part of their mid-ribs removed and are then flattened. The all important wrapper leaves are stripped later within the factories themselves. The task of stripping is usually performed by women, often on a wooden board on their legs, giving the idea of Cuban ladies rolling cigars on their thighs.
After the lengthy period of curing, grading and fermentation, the tobacco is ready to be sent to warehouses or factories in square bales (Tercios). The bark that the leaves are wrapped in help keep them at a constant humidity to assist in maturing further. They may not be needed for another two years. In the case of some of the top Cuban brands, such as Cohiba, the Ligero and Seco leaves are selected once more and fermented a third time in barrels to acquire the finest flavour possible.
The production of an Havana cigar involves more than 200 stages, from seed bed to final sale. The cigar factory is the place where the Havanas that we know come together. It is the skill of the rollers and their dedication to quality that make the best cigars in the world. The wrapper leaves arrive in bales that the factory and are shaken apart. The Zafadores perform this task, dampening them first, as they have become brittle over time and have lost moisture. The tips of the leaves are dipped in water and the leaves themselves then sprayed. Excess water is moved by shaking and then hung in bunches for 24 hours in the humidity maintained at 95 per cent. This process gives the leaves a silky texture and the finest of them almost translucent. Next the wrapper leaves have their stems removed, the filler and binder have been removed already. The leaves are then graded again by size and colour, stretched out and flattened. Wrapper leaves can be graded to as many as 20 classes. They are later gathered into bunches of 25 according to size (vitola) of the cigar which they will be used. Each wrapper leaf usually is suitable for two cigars. Filler and binder leaves have been combined in the blending room, although the finishing blend is decided by the roller. The following day enough blended leaves go to each roller to make 50 cigars.
ROLLING
Torcedores (rollers) work in large rooms within the factory, sitting at benches that look like old school desks. As they work they are read to, by colleagues known as Lectoros, extracts from books and newspapers. This tradition dates back to 1864 when the book "The Count of Montecristo" was read to them. Torcedores work 48 hours a week, and are paid by the quantity of cigars they produce. They can smoke as many cigars as they like when they work, and can take 5 cigars home a day.
To make the cigar, first two to four filler leaves, depending on the cigar's strength and size, are laid end to end and are rolled into two half binder leaves. This is called the bunch. The filler leaves are concertina'd along the length of the bunch, then have to be carefully gathered and evenly spread to make sure the cigar draws properly. The filler blend is then rolled into the binder and pressed into wooden moulds. A mechanical press is then used to ensure the shape. In Cuban factories the buncher is also the roller and sees the cigar through to its end. Most Cuban cigar factories make more than one brand, although they usually specialise in one particular one. Next the surplus filler has to be trimmed from the end of the bunch and a round top left. The remaining stalk is then stripped from the binder the wrapper leaf then selected. The wrapper is placed upside down and trimmed to the approximate size using an oval steel blade called a chaveta. The roller then prositions the bunch (filler and binder) at an angle across the wrapper, which is stretched and wound very carefully around the bunch. After the final turn the wrapper is stuck down using a tiny drop of vegetable gum. The gum does not add anything to the flavour of the cigar. The roller then gently presses and rotates the cigar under the flat chaveta to make it as even as possible. Chavetas are not only used for cigar making, they are banged on the desk when important visitors visit the factories.
The final stage in making hand-made cigar is adding the cap. This is produced by cutting a round piece of wrapper about the size of a coin. It is then stuck in position using gum. There are various ways of capping a cigar and are usually performed by the most skilled rollers. An example is the flag method which uses the end of the wrapper leaf itself smoothed down. A variation of cap is also when the mouth end, of head, of the cigar is closed by twisting the end of the wrapper leaf. After the cap is made the open end of the cigar is guillotined for its correct length. A skilled roller can make around 100 medium sized cigars during an eight-hour day, although one famous roller was able to make 200 Montecristo A's in one day - three to four times as many as his colleagues.
A percentage of cigars then undergo quality checks, this varies from factory to factory. In the case of prestigious brands, such as Cohiba, as mentioned before, 20 per cent may be checked. For some of the other brands, it may be 10 per cent. The tests are rigorous and very detailed, checking such things as the smoothness of the wrapper, the cigar's weight, length and general appearance, even as to whether the ends have been guillotined cleanly. In Cuba, quality control is also done by mouth. A number of cigars within the factory are actually smoked by specialist testors. These are blind tastings by Catadores (professional smokers). They report on qualities such as draw, burning and aroma within each brand and size. They smoke about an inch of each cigar and freshen their palates in between with plain tea.
Cigars are best placed in a fumigation chamber, wrapped by ribbon, in bundles of 50's. When they are removed they are placed in cooled cabinets for around three weeks. The idea of this is to slow down further fermentation and remove excess moisture.
The cigars are then graded, batches of 1000 of each type and size are sorted by colour. There are around 12 basic colour classifications and more than 60 different shades, all of which graders must be able to recognise. All the cigars of a given basic colour are then packed into boxes with the darkest positioned to the left, through to the lightest shade on the right. Once the cigars have been colour graded, their brand bands are added and they are placed into cedar boxes, which the consumer then buys. In the packing department the cigars are checked once more for appearance and if any have evaded the previous quality checks they are rejected. A thin shaving of cedar is usually then placed on top and the box is then sealed with the Cuban stamp. Boxes are then stored in carefully controlled conditions before being distributed for sale.
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