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Cigar Tobacco Leaves Part 1; Bitter Cigars Survey
June 10, 2003
Dear Fellow Cigar Lovers,
With everything being so hectic after the Memorial Day weekend, in
the last issue I neglected to thank everyone who wrote to me with
what amounted to mostly positive feedback on the newsletter. There
were also some excellent suggestions, all of which I have put in a
special folder so I don’t lose sight of them.
*** FEATURE STORY ***
Cigar Tobacco Leaves - Part 1
Before you put that cigar in your mouth, do you know what you’re
smoking? A cigar is more than just a bunch of tobaccos leaves rolled
into a rod, although the first "cohibas" were probably about as crude.
Today the art of making good premium cigars comes from knowing
how to blend the leaves in such way as to achieve the desired appear-
ance, strength, flavor and aroma. Moreover, the quality of the crop, the
vintage, curing process and experimentation with different combinations
of leaves are equally important, which is why it takes years to create
a good cigar.
When you read cigar blend descriptions and see words like "ligero,"
"seco" and "corojo," they're meaningless unless you know what these
leaves are and how they affect the blend and taste of a cigar. Let's
start with the tobacco plant, itself. It consists of three parts: the top
or corona (Spanish for "crown"), the middle and the bottom and
each plays a specific role in the making of cigars. The leaves are grown
two ways for two specific purposes. The first is "shade-grown," used
primarily for growing wrapper leaf. The second is sun-grown, used for
growing the filler tobaccos, which is what we’ll cover in this issue:
Sun-grown filler leaves are classified by strength using the names,
volado, seco, ligero, and medio tiempo. (Some of these same
names are used for wrapper leaves, but refer to the color of the leaf.)
It’s important to know the difference, especially when selecting a cigar
in the strength you prefer.
Ligero, the darkest and strongest in flavor comes from the top of the
plant where it gets the most sunlight. Ligero is matured for at least two
years before being used in the cigar and is always placed in the middle
of the cigar because it burns slowly. It’s also because of its slow burning
qualities that the ash on a good premium will burn in a conical shape.
Seco leaves come from the middle of the plant making them much lighter
in color and flavor. These leaves are usually matured for about 18 months
and are used to make mild cigars or to modulate the strength of the richer
ligero leaf.
Volado leaves are found at the bottom of the plant. Maturation time is
generally about nine months and because volado leaves have little or no
flavor, they are used mainly for their good burning qualities and adding
bulk to the cigar.
So, for example, a full-bodied cigar like a Hoyo De Monterrey will be
blended with more ligero, whereas a mild cigar like a Macanudo, will have
a higher proportion of seco and volado. Most blends, for example, like
Hamiltons House, use a combination of ligero and seco to "balance" the
flavor and strength of the cigar. Suffice it to say, the combination of the
leaves and how the leaves are selected, cured and aged are the key to a
cigar’s overall strength, body and flavor.
In the next issue, we’ll cover wrapper leaves and their flavor properties
based on their countries of origin.
*** SURVEY SAYS! DEPT.***
Bitter Cigars
Some cigars smoke beautifully all the way down to the last inch. They
can also turn bitter, sometimes in the first inch. Cigar etiquette preaches
that when the cigar turns bitter, it’s time to put it out no matter when
it goes sour. But some smokers will hang in there as long as possible, if
only to save face on their ‘investment,’ no matter how bad it tastes, while
others think the bitterness might make a U-turn if they tough it out.
How about you?
Do you put out your cigar as soon as it turns bitter or do you wait
until you can’t stand it any more?
Send an email to
and in the SUBJECT line
either type or copy & paste one of the following responses:
YES (If it goes bitter, it goes out)
NO (I let it burn until I can't stand it)
As always, you may also include comments but it's not necessary.
Survey Results for May 27th: Cello Wrappers On Or Off?
The results of our survey on cello on or off fell to those in favor of
removing the cello from the cigar. 61% of the respondents removed the
wrappers, while 39% did not. Among the comments in favor of removal,
the general consensus was that removing the cello did help continue the
aging process because the cigars were in their "natural" state. Those
in favor of keeping the cello on felt the cigars were better protected
or didn't want them to mingle with their other cigars.
*** SMOKERS ED. DEPT.***
Cigar Terms & Tips (Collect and trade em'!)
Ring Gauge - A measurement for the diameter of a cigar, based on
64ths of an inch. A 32 ring gauge cigar is 32/64ths of an inch thick,
or one-half inch in diameter. A 48 ring would be 48/64ths of an inch
thick, or three-quarters of an inch in diameter.
Spikes In Humidity
Q: My humidor is usually right around 70/70 give or take a couple
degrees. Lately the humidity has spiked and the temperature has stayed
the same. The reason being is that we have had about a week or two of
rain and I am having trouble maintaining my humidity levels. They are
up in the neighborhood of 74% and the temp is staying right around 67
or 68 degrees. The cigars seem to be a little soft when you squeeze
them but they burn well, taste fine, and I am not getting any sort
of mold or growth. I was just wondering if I need to worry about the
current spikes and if so what I can do to bring down the humidity a bit.
- Alex Herbruck, Cleveland, OH
A: Although you should always try to avoid getting it that high, the max-
imum threshold for humidity is 75%. Moreover, some cigar smokers like
a cigar that's a little softer in feel. The wrappers tend to feel silkier, too.
The temp you have is fine, but try not to let it slip below 67. When you
notice these "spikes" you may want to remove the humidifier for a day
or two. Always check your humidor every couple of days. The best way
to keep the environment stable is by keeping an eye on things.
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What about you? If you'd like to share your thoughts and experiences
on this week's cigar tip, please e-mail me at
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.***
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars? Send your
questions and comments to me at: . I will
try to respond as quickly as possible, but some replies may take a few
days. (Please DO NOT use the "askGary" address to be removed
from the newsletter list. Thank you.)
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
A few weeks ago, a few people here said I should start publishing my
cigar reviews again in the newsletter. My response was that I didn’t
want the readers to think that I was pushing anything, especially since
I happen to like a lot of the cigars I review. On the other hand, I didn’t
want grief from the manufacturers by writing a bad review. But since this
forum is dedicated to news, not marketing, I figured, what the hell, twist
my arm. So here’s a review of mine, followed by one of yours.
Drew Estate La Vieja Habana Cedar Chateau No. 2
Size/Wrapper: 5" x 50 / Nicaraguan Corojo
When I was told this was actually a short filler cigar I was surprised.
What really seems to make this cigar is the wrapper. It's smooth and
buttery like a Havana wrapper with a nice even brown color, too. The
smoke was especially smooth with an appealing aroma. The flavor was
rich and hearty in the old Havana tradition, too. For the money, this
cigar is a good value as a much-better-than-average "every day" cigar.
~ G.K.
Helix X652 Maduro
Size/Wrapper: 6" x 52 / U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
This cigar will not win any beauty contest due in part of its big veiny
wrapper but the taste is reminiscent of Honduran cigar flavour of old.
Sloppy ash but very flavourful due to its large ring size. Great for
around the yard and a reasonable price accompanies this cigar. One of
my buys! - Bill Settemio, Malden, MA
(Customer reviews are selected at random and may be edited for
length, not content.)
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(AGREE? DISAGREE? Your opinion may be similar or completely different and
is also appreciated, so don't be shy. Rate the cigars you smoke on our web
site.
What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!)
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
Cigar tasting events in our retail store at 1100 Conroy Place, Easton, PA
Call 610-559-8800 for more info and offers associated with these events.
Macanudo Club Macanudo Bus - Saturday, June 21, 2:00 - 5:00 P.M.
Alfons Mayer (BLD) - Saturday, July 12, 12:00 - 4:00 P.M.
La Aurora 100th Anniversary! - Friday, July 18, 3:00 - 6:00 P.M.
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings!
This from the movie "MacKenna's Gold," 1969: with a cast made up of
Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Julie Newmar, Edward G.
Robinson, Keenan Wynn, Lee J. Cobb, Raymond Massey, Burgess
Meredith, Anthony Quinn and an old-time character actor whose name,
for the life of me, I couldn't recall. Bad guy, Omar Sharif [Colorado],
has good guy, Gregory Peck [MacKenna], tied to a fence for a little
innocent fun during which he extracts a cigar from a pocket, reaches
into a nearby campfire for a glowing ember - and lights his cigar
with a lot less effort than I with a match. Great cast, fair movie,
acceptable cigar. - Bob Bell, Putnam, CT
Other ‘Famous’ Cigar Smokers Caught in the Act!
Here’s a shot of hockey player, Ron Kereliuk of Canada, herfing
it up with his teammate.
"You asked for it so I am sending it. A captain and his assistant.
Regards," - Ron Kereliuk
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Have You Made A Cigar Sighting Recently?
It can be from a
movie, TV show or a celebrity you've seen elsewhere or in-person
puffing on a primo. If you can name the brand of the cigar, even
better! Or send in a herfing photo of you and your friends to me at
and please put "Cigar Sightings"
in the subject line. Limit: 1 sighting or photo (preferably, a JPEG)
per email.
Until the next issue, June 24th, Happy Smokes!
Gary
(_{@}_______{{{
Copyright© 2003 Famous Smoke Shop - PA, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Portions or all of this information may be reprinted freely, provided this
Famous Smoke Shop link remains intact.
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