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Jose Oliva / Catalog Survey / “Slashes”; New Search for Humidors & Accessories
September 16, 2003
*** IN THIS ISSUE ***
1.
Feature Story: Jose Oliva on Cigar Making and Smoking - Part I
2. Survey Says: How Can Our Catalog Be Even Better?
3. Smoker's Ed (Cigar Terms & Tips): Slash & Burn
4. Site Improvements: Search for Humidors & Accessories by Item Code
5. Rating Lunatic: Punch Gran Puro Rancho; Value Line 300H Robusto
Greetings, Fellow Cigar Lovers,
In this issue, you'll find Part I of the interview I did with Jose
Oliva of the Oliva Cigar Company, while at the RTDA in Nashville last
month. I think you'll really enjoy reading his views on how they make
cigars and how to better enjoy your cigars.
We also debut our new Famous Smoke Shop-Talk logo (above) designed by
Rob Ingram in our Web Verification Dept. Rob spends most of his day verifying and merging customer addresses, but as you can see, he's also a pretty good artist.
For this issue's survey, I hope I can encourage all of you to respond.
Instead of the usual cigar-related questions, we really want to know how you
feel about the Famous Smoke Shop catalog and how we can make it even
better.
Finally, my report on this year's Retail Tobacco Dealer's Association
show is officially complete. To read the entire report click here:
*** FEATURE STORY ***
Jose Oliva On Cigar Making and Enjoying Cigars - Part I
While at the recent RDTA Show in Nashville, I had the great pleasure
of speaking to Jose Oliva, Director of Sales and Distribution for
Oliva cigars. Jose's family history is quite fascinating. The company
was founded in Cuba by Gilberto Oliva Sr. and like many other tobacco
growers, after the Revolution, the Olivas were put in the position of
having to leave Castro's island prison.
One of the most consistent things with many of the families who were
lucky enough to leave Cuba is the great pride they take in their work.
Whether you're a smoker of Oliva cigars or not, from the economically
made Flor De Oliva bundles, to the rich-tasting Oliva 'O' Bold, their
cigars are crafted by hand with great care and attention to every
detail of the cigar-making process, which has made them one of the
most sought after "boutique" brands on the market.
So without further adieu, here's Jose Oliva, Director of Sales and
Distribution for the Oliva Cigar Company talking about what makes
a good cigar and some good advice on how and when to better enjoy
cigar smoking.
* * *
First, let's clear up any confusion people may have about your company,
The Oliva Cigar Company based in Miami, and the Oliva Tobacco Company
of Tampa based in Tampa which is known for producing wrapper.
"We don't grow any wrapper," says Oliva. "We grow all our own fillers.
There's no relation between Oliva Tobacco and Oliva Cigar, although we
are from the same town in Cuba. Since we do grow a lot of filler, we
supply other tobacco companies with filler. We did purchase Cameroon
wrapper from Africa for our [Oliva Grand] Cameroon box press cigars in large quantities, so there was a case in which we could
supply other companies with wrapper, but we don't grow any wrapper
except the Habano wrapper used exclusively in the 'O' Bold and the
new Master Blend. Outside of that, the maduro is Connecticut broadleaf grown in Connecticut; grown in the sun, so it becomes much darker. It's also called broadleaf because of the immense size of the leaf."
Jose Oliva (left) with Famous Smoke Shop
Buyer, Humberto Gonzalez, at RTDA 2003
Last year you told me about the natural way you cure maduro. Could you
please explain the process for those who may have missed it?
"A lot of people including store owners are becoming very astute as to
when a 'maduro' is truly a maduro and when it has been altered. There
is such a demand for maduro that some manufacturers will alter it to
be able to bring it to market faster. We have actually lost sales by
not doing that, but when our cigar does get to market, we know it has
been cured and fermented the way it should be. Here's one tip for you
to test if it's genuine. Wet the tip of your finger and rub it against
the cigar. If it has a reddish tint to it, you're dealing with a painted
maduro. Now there are cases where someone will cure a maduro wrapper and
maybe it didn't achieve the color they wanted and they will add dyes. We
don't agree with this, but at least you are smoking a maduro wrapper.
Then there's the other side. Those who will take an Indonesian wrapper,
a Sumatra wrapper or any old wrapper, something that has nothing to do
with maduro and will not taste like maduro and paint it. So you're not
even smoking a maduro."
[Jose is smoking a cigar during our chat] What are you smoking now?
"This is a Flor De Oliva! This is my favorite cigar for during the day
that we make. This is probably what I smoke the most and since it's the
one we produce in the largest quantity, it's also the cigar we need to
keep our eye on the most. There are different kinds of cigars for dif-
ferent times of the day, just as there are wines for different meals.
The Flor De Oliva goes well at any time of the day. It's a good cigar
in the morning. I light my first cigar at about 9:30 A.M. Then after
lunch you can move to something a little more full bodied, say Grand
Maduro or a Grand Cameroon."
In your opinion, when is the best time to smoke a full-bodied cigar?
"In the evening at home I will usually like an 'O' Bold or 'O' Maduro.
By then, you've had a good dinner or a glass of wine and you can better
appreciate the flavors in these cigars. The reason for that is, the
wrappers and fillers of these cigars are truly very different. Not
necessarily better, but different, more complex. The best time to really
enjoy a good complex, full-bodied cigar is after a meal. [New cigar
smokers pay attention to this part] It has nothing to do with whether
you can take a full-bodied cigar or you can't. When you have food in
your stomach, your stomach will not react aggressively toward the saliva
you're swallowing from the cigar. A full stomach allows you to enjoy a
full-flavored cigar without the cigar's strength affecting you. By then,
you may have also had a glass wine, you're sitting down, relaxing, you
can really enjoy it. You may have even noticed some of the older cigar
smokers, they'll smoke a cigar and as they let go of the smoke, they'll
also smoke what's coming off the cigar itself. That's aroma. When you run
it up and down under your nose, then you catch that aroma. You can only
do that when you sit down and relax. It's just a great experience to be
able to do. I always tell people we make different cigars for different
reasons and different occasions and our full-bodied cigars I always
recommend for after a good evening meal."
* * *
IN PART II, Jose Oliva talks about those so-called flavors you read in
cigar reviews and reveals some interesting facts about the state of
Cuban cigars today.
*** SURVEY SAYS DEPT.***
How Can The Famous Smoke Shop Catalog Be Even Better?
It's that time of the year when I get ready to write one of our biggest
catalogs of the year, our annual Holiday issue. Now, I'm happy to report
that we do pretty well with our catalog, but I got to thinking that maybe
it can be even better. Since my objectivity may be a bit tarnished I want
to know what YOU think. Here's your chance to tell it like it is. In a
sentence or two, please describe how you would improve our monthly catalog.
You can pick on any aspect of it, from the graphics to the copy to the
cigars themselves. And don't be shy.
Send an email to: and in the Subject line, type or copy & paste, Famous Catalog
Since our first order of business is to serve you better, if we get enough
constructive criticism, we'll make the changes
Survey Results for September 2nd: How Did You Start Smoking Cigars?
We received 107 responses to this question and I must say that many of
you who took the time to write about your first experience had some good
yarns. I'm now thinking about creating a new section on the site where I
can post them.
No one began smoking cigars as the result of a cigar ad and only a handful
were influenced by a celebrity. I was surprised to read how many of you
started smoking cigars in high school and a decent number of respondents
took up smoking cigars during their military service (there were several
references to Vietnam.) In the "Other" category it seemed that a good
portion of cigar smokers made the switch-over from cigarettes. There were
also responses saying they took up cigars on the golf course; one reason
was that they kept the bugs away. Here are the results, followed by a few
excerpts:
1. My own curiosity (24)
2. Other (20)
3. A friend (19)
4. A family member (17)
5. Event (15)
6. On vacation (5)
6. Celebrity or Character (4)
8. Cigar Ad (0)
"As a kid I always loved Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. So at about
age 15 I started smoking these cheap rustic looking cigars that were like
sticks because they looked like his. When I went to college I started to
learn about real cigar smoking and now I favor Padron and Onyx Reserve
Toro cigars."
"I was on a cruise and would have an opportunity to purchase Cuban cigars.
I had always wondered what the big deal was with smoking cigars, so I
decided to try one. I picked out a machine made Cuban H. Upmann. It came
in an aluminum tube. I smoked it on the ship on the way back to Los
Angeles. It was terrific, light as a feather and I never looked back."
"It was 1972 and it seemed a macho thing to do, so I lit up a Parodi."
"In 1943, the pay for privates in the army was raised from $35 per
month to $50 per month, leaving me with a few discretionary dollars. For
reasons I don't remember, I decided that my luxury would be a dollar's
worth of cigars. A local store sold Cuban "Corona Coronas" 3 for a
dollar, and that's what I bought."
"I took my son to Vegas for his 21 birthday. He had already smoked a few
cigars and he wanted to get something different while we were there. I
had never smoked a cigar in my life but I thought I would give it a try.
I got a Davidoff 2000 (I don't remember what he got) and we smoked them
there in a bar just off the casino floor at the Venetian. I taught him
how to gamble and he taught me the joy of cigars."
"In High School I played Society Max in the musical Guys and Dolls. All the
guys who played gangsters thought it would be cool to use real cigars as
props. They were, of course, unlit on stage, but after a few dares at cast
parties, these Wm. Penn Perfectos became the first in a long love affair
with cigars for me. Tried many, many brands, and I keep going back to
Macanudo."
"As a kid, getting a haircut, my barber was Italian. He dipped his stogies
in homemade red wine and dried them in the shop window. On the way out we
would snitch a couple and smoke them."
*** SMOKERS ED. DEPT.***
Cigar Terms & Tips (Collect and trade em'!)
Inhale: What you don't do with cigar smoke. (Although a certain
portion of cigar smokers actually do.)
"Slash & Burn"
What does the slash ( / ) in the ring size mean? For example,
7" x 40/55.
- Dave Kesner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan)
The "slash" indicates that the cigar is a figurado, often a pyramid
shape that fans out from the head to the foot. So, for example, a cigar
that is 6½ x 40/56 would mean that it is 6½" in length, the diameter of
the head (where you clip it) is a 40 ring, while the foot (where you
light it) is a 56 ring. This is the standard way the industry shows
the size of this shape and others like the Camacho Corojo "11/18," which
is shown as 6" x 52/56/50. Zeppelin shapes (cigars where both ends are
tapered to a point), like the La Aurora Preferido "No. 2" and the Zino
Platinum Scepter "Chubby," both at 5" x 54, they are listed without a
slash, only by length and the midpoint where the cigar is thickest.
*** 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.
Subcribe To Famous Smoke Shop-Talk
If you'd like to subscribe to Famous Smoke Shop-Talk, simply click on the "Your Account" link in the left margin and check the box that says, "Email me your newsletter (issued every other week)." While you're there, you can also subscribe to our Weekly Email Sale. It's packed with money-saving specials on cigars, humidors and accessories you won't want to miss.
*** FAMOUS-SMOKE.COM HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS ***
Searching for Humidors & Accessories by Item Code
When browsing our site on our Humidors and Accessory pages, there's
a great way to find what you want fast. If you receive our catalog,
you'll notice that under every photo of a humidor or cigar accessory
is an item code number. For example, on page 24 of the September
catalog, under the Bird's Eye Maple High Gloss Humidor is the code:
HU-DON-1504. At the top of the Humidors page, is an Item Search field.
Just type in the item code from the catalog and you'll go directly to
that item. At the top of the Accessories page you'll find the same
thing. If you wanted to find the Zino Bicolor Cutter, on page 25 in
the September catalog, you would type CU-ZIN-BICOL in the Item Search
Field and voíla! If you have a catalog handy and want to try this out,
just click on humidors or accessories.
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Punch Gran Puro Rancho (Honduras)
Size: 5½" x 52
Wrapper/Filler/Binder: Honduras
You can't help but first take notice of the beautifully dark and oily
Honduran wrapper on this cigar, which also had a ripe, sweet aroma.
It wasn't a very even-toned wrapper. It had a rustic look with a dark
brown marble pattern running through it and seemed a little veiny, but
the veins weren't bulging through the wrapper. The smoothness and
thickness of the leaf kept them pretty well hidden. Before lighting I
was impressed with the way the air drew so easily through the cigar.
A peppery taste on the tongue told me it was going to be spicy,
but the overall 'pre-light' taste was almost non-descriptive. When I
finally got around to lighting it, it took a little work to get
it burning evenly due to a stubborn ligero leaf that didn't want to light.
But once it got going, I immediately felt the impact of this cigar and
I hadn't even yet burned a half-inch of ash. Speaking of which, the ash
burned pretty solid with a bright silvery-white color. The cigar also
smoked very smoothly, but every puff delivered a spicy kick. In spite of
its peppery qualities, I liked the flavor and aroma of the cigar and although
I did not detect the alleged cinnamon flavor in the aroma, I did
sense a very light, almost sweet, floral-like taste. By the end
of the first inch that finicky ligero leaf was still giving me burning
problems, but I finally got it to even out. At this point I just let the
cigar do its thing and tried not to draw too hard because I knew it was
going to build even more in intensity. Surprisingly, the cigar began to
round out in the second inch. The cigar held up well to a re-light and
remained consistent in flavor, producing billows of smoke by the halfway
mark. Too powerful for my taste, but I can see the Gran Puros becoming
very popular with cigar smokers who want a good "heady" smoke and I ranked
it pretty highly on aroma, draw and taste. (80) ~ G.K.
Famous Value Line 300H Robusto (Honduras)
Size: 5" x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Natural
Fillerr: Dominican/Nicaraguan
Binder: Dominican
Second bundle I've ordered from "Value Line", I'm really pleased with
the quality of these bundles. I especially enjoyed the 300's this summer
while camping, around the campfire with cup of coffee.
- Jim Moran, Michigan, USA (September 12, 2003)
(Customer reviews are selected at random and may be edited for length, not content.)
(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.
Saturday, October 11: 12:00/3:00 P.M. - Drew Estate Cigar Tasting
ACID, Ambrosia & Natural - Buy 3 Get 1 Free and more deals!
Friday, October. 17, 4:00/6:00 P.M. - Romeo Y Julieta Tasting
Buy 2 Get 1 Free (Pre-pack Special)
Coming Soon! - Punch Photo Shoot - Star in your own Punch cigar ad
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings
[At a recent] PGA golf clinic, past Champ, Rich Beem, was displaying
the contents of his golf bag and lo and behold inside he had 2 boxes
of Romeo & Julieta Churchills. He promptly passed them out to the
gallery in celebration of birth of his 1st child, all on national TV.
- Mark Fierle, Santa Ana, CA
Other Famous Cigar Smokers Caught "Infumare Delecto"
That's me with a Mac at Navarre Beach, FL. Perfect humidity.
- Tom Harper
WANTED! Cigar-smoking photos of you and/or your friends. (See next paragraph for details.)
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 next time, Happy Smokes!
Gary
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Copyright © 2003 Famous Smoke Shop - PA, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Portions or all of this information may be reprinted freely, provided this
link, http://www.famous-smoke.com, remains intact.
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