CIGAR
Although the cigars are made in many parts of the world, the best cigars come from Cuba and are named after its capital city Havana. Tobacco is grown all over Cuba and the finest come from areas of Vuelta Abajo, Partidos, Remedios and Oriente. All four of them produce fine quality tobacco cigar leaves, but the best comes from VueltaAbajo.
Cigar is prepared from good quality tobacco leaves which are rolled to varies lengths and girths .Havanna cigars are regarded as best in the world .
A cigar is made up of three constituent parts .
They are as follows :-
· Filler binder wrapper
Filler: it forms the interior core of the cigar and it makes most of the cigar .
Tobacco leaves used as fillers can be either long or short .
Long fillers are made up of whole leaves which are of better quality , while the shorter ones are made of chopped leaves , which are inferior .
Filler is made of a blend of leaves of different regions to get good flavor.
Binder: It is a good quality leaves with high tensile strength which holds the filler .
Two to four leaves of filler tobacco are laid end to end and rolled into the binder leaves .filler with binder is termed as bunch . usually these are tobacco leaves chosen as wrappers but rejected because of the holes and blemishes.
Wrapper: It is the outside of cigar and also the most expensive part. A whole leaf of the finest quality is chosen and it must be elastic, smooth, of a good colour and not too prominently veined. It should also have a good aroma since it is the most vital ingredient in the taste of cigar. The bunch is laid at an angle across the strip of wrapper leaf. The wrapper is then wrapped carefully around the binder, overlapping at each turn till the end of the hook and is suck with vegetable gum, forming the rounded closed head. It is then cut at the end to the length required.
Cigars are made both by hand and machine and the handmade cigars are always expensive.
Structure of Cigar
A cigar has two ends, namely ‘head’ and ‘ foot’. Each cigar has a paper band with its brand name printed on it. The end closer to the band, which has a leaf-cap, is called ‘head’. The end opposite to the head is ‘foot’. The foot end of the cigar is lit while smoking. The smoker makes an incision or cuts the cap (rounded closed end) at the head of the cigar and draws smoke from the head of the cigar.
Shapes and Sizes of Cigar
Cigars are grouped according to their sizes and shapes, which together are known as the vitola. According to the shape, cigars are classified into two groups
PAREJO: This is the common shape which has cylindrical body, straight sides, one end open, and a round tobacco- leaf cap on he other end.
FIGURADO: These cigars come in irregular shapes. The common shapes of Figurado are as follows.
· Torpedo: Like parejo, but the cap is pointed
· Pyramid: Broad foot and narrows to a pointed cap
· Perfecto: Narrow at both the ends and bulged in the middle
· Tuscanian: Also termed as cheroot- long, slim, tapered at the ends, and thickered in the middle.
All cigar manufacturers produce Parejo, and some of themproduce both categories. Parejoshape sets the sizeformats (vitola) for all cigars.
Cigars are available in many sizes of length and girth and are denoted by terms, such as corona, petit corona, etc.
Storage of Cigars
Cigars should be stored at a temperature of 60-65⁰ (15-18⁰ C) and a relative humidity of 65-70 percent. Drastic temperature fluctuations, dry heat, smells, and dampness will damage the cigar. Cigar are best stored in humidors. Humidors are boxes made of cider wood. A damp pad is lined inside the lid of the humidor to maintain humidity by moisturizing air if it is too dry. If the climate is too damp, then a dry pad will be used to absorb any excess moisture in the air. The box has many sections, each holding a different type and size of cigar. Many cigars are individually packed in metal tubes lined with cider wood and these tubes are hermetically sealed, i.e., they are sealed tightly to prevent the air from getting in. establishments having very low sales of cigar and once located in coastal areas can procure cigar by packing them in metal tubes since the quality of cigar can be maintained for a longer period.
Sometimes, there may be a formation of white powder on the wrapper of the cigar. It should be removed with soft brush or clean cloth. It is only a heat mould and does not spoil the quality of cigar. If the cigars in a box are to be stored for a considerable length of time, it is advisable to store them upside down for the cigar to breathe through the fine porous of the uncovered bottom of the cider wood box.
Preparing and Lighting Cigar
Preparing cigars for smoking and lighting needs special attention which the cigar handlers must understand.
Before the cigar is lit, the ‘head’ of the cigar which has tobacco- leaf cap must be opened with a cigar cutter to allow the smoke to pass through smoothly. V- Shaped or straight cut maybe made according to the choice of the guest which should be asked before cutting. The cut should be smooth and clean and should not to be too large. Piercing the end with match or spike is not recommended as the small hole, thus created draws concentrated smoke and oil which tastes very bitter.
The ‘foot’ end of the cigar is lit with a wooden match, a cider wood strip, or gas lighter but never with sulphur or wax-coated matches or a petrol lighter which will spoil the flavor of the cigar. The cigar should be rotated while lighting and air should be slowly drawn with gentle puffs.
Some guests warm length of the cigar with a lighted match before lighting it. This was originally done to remove the unpleasant tasting glue which was used for sticking the leaves during making of cigars hundred or more years ago. The practice of using that kind of glue was withdrawn long ago and the pinhead of gum used today is odorless and tasteless. Hence, this practice is unnecessary
Service of Cigars
The practice of serving cigars and cigarettes during the sorbet course has faded away as the table d’ hote menu offered in modern days is very short for the inclusion of Sorbet. In an establishment where smoking is permitted, cigars are served at the end of the meal with liqueur and coffee by the sommelier.The cigars may be presented either from trolley or in the box on a salver from the left-hand side. It must be ensured that the trolley has side plates, cigar cutter, cider stripes, and matches before the cigar is offered to the guests. If it is presented from a salver, all the required items must be kept ready on a sideboard.
The following steps are followed in cigar service.
· Place a clean ashtray on the table.
· Present the humidor from the left-hand side of the guest to select his/her cigar.
· Remove the selected cigar carefully making sure your finger nail does not touch the wrapper of any of the cigars. It is advisable to place the cigar in such a way that it is easy for the guest to pick up without touching any of the other cigars.
· Collect the cigar from the guest for preparation. Ask the guest if the band of the cigar maybe removed and what type of cut he/she prefers, straight or V-cut before taking it to the sideboard.
· Take the cigar to the sideboard to prepare according to the guest’s request.
· On the sideboard, if the cigar is covered with cellophane, tear the tab and carefully remove the cigar by applying gentle pressure at the end of the cellophane tube. Place the cellophane in the pocket.
· If the guest wants the band to be removed, gently apply pressure below the band and remove it without damaging the wrapper.
· Open the closed end of the cigar my making a flat or V-cut with appropriate cigar cutter. Avoid piercing it with matchstick or spike.
· Tap the cut cigar over the side plate to remove any unwanted /extra tiny particles.
· Present the prepared cigar on a quarter plate from the left hand side.
· Offer a light from a cider wood strip, a wooden match or gas lighter. Light it gently by holding the flame slightly away from the cigar.
If the band is not removed before lightning the cigar, the guest will remove it during the course of smoking. Removal of band is easier after smoking for a while, as the cigar has warmed up a little and shrunk.
Manufacturing of Cigar
Tobacco leaves are harvested and aged using a processthat combines use of heat and shade to reduce sugar and water content without causing the large leaves to rot.
The first part of the process, called curing, takes between 25-45 days and varies substantially based upon climatic conditions as well as the construction of sheds or barns used to store harvested tobacco. The curing process is manipulated based upon the type of tobacco, and he desired colour of the leaf.
The second part of the process, called fermentation is carried out under conditions designed to help the leaf die slowly and gracefully. Temperature and humidity are controlled to ensure that the leaf continues to ferment, without rotting or disintegrating. This is where the flavor, burning, and aroma characteristics are primarily brought out in the leaf.
Once the leaves have aged properly, they are sorted for use as filler or wrapper based upon their appearance and overall quality. During this process, the leaves are continually moistened and handled carefully to ensure each leaf is best used according to its individual qualities.
The leaf will continue to be baled, inspected, unbaled, reinspected, and baled again repeatedly as its aging cycle. When the leaf has matured according to the manufacturer’s specifications, it will be used in the production of a cigar.
Quality cigars are still hand-made. An experienced cigar-roller can produce hundreds of very good, nearly identical, cigars per day. The roller keep the tobacco moist (especially the wrapper) and use specially designed crescent- shaped knives, called chavetas, to form the filler and wrapper leaved quickly and accurately.
Once rolled, the cigars are stored in wooden forms as they dry, in which their uncapped ends are cut to a uniform size. From this stage, the cigar is a complete product that can be “laid down” and aged for decades.
Brand names of cigar
American
Robert burns Panatela, corona
White Owls Rangers, Invincible, Panatela, Perfecto
Brazil
Suerdieck Oura de Cuba, Viajantes
Danish
Apostolado grand Corona 140 mm
Bellona small panata 113mm
Romeo Juliet
Churchills Romeo No. 1,2,3,
Montecristo
Holland
Honfar Ambassador
Cuba Cabana Havana
Jamican
La tropical deluxe deptomate
Cuba
Bolivar full flavour
Cuaba medium to full flavour
Some top selling brands of cigar
1. Macanudo
2. Punch
3. La Gloria cubana
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