The One Thing You Should Know Before You Light That Cigar
“If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.” Those were the words of world-famous actor, Jack Nicholson. He spoke them when he switched from smoking cigarettes to smoking cigars, and they reflect his conviction that cigars are infinitely better and safer than the former. Of course, cigars represent class and style to the greatest extent. There can be no substitution for the distinct satisfaction that only cigars can supply. But what should you know before you get on the cigar trail?
Two Hundred Pairs of Hands Touched Your Cigar
There’s a common saying that 200 pairs of [non-feeble] hands touch your cigar before it graces your humidor. This number is likely higher. Each time you’re about to buy tobacco online or light up your cigar, let your hat go off to the many people deserving of honorable mention. They put their skills to the highest test to bring you the most exceptional handmade product.
First, there's seed selection and greenhouse cultivation. Cigar tobacco begins life as a tiny seed, mostly planted in a tray and cultivated in a greenhouse. As the seedlings reach a few seedlings high, they are transplanted to the fields to flourish. Once at full height and maturity, the leaves are removed by hand. They are then harvested and hung in a curing barn. It is here that they dry and turn brown. Note this: A few dozen hands have started the process, and the cigar hasn't even left the farm.
The cured tobacco is then offloaded to a facility, unpacked, and piled for fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, the tobacco pile is separated and is left to air out on drying racks. Then, it is repacked and stowed for aging. Aging is critical to the final outcome.
The aged tobacco is unpacked after some years, rehydrated in a dedicated misting room, and categorized for color. Another few dozen hands and counting!
Despalillo (Spanish for "destemming") will also be happen to the outer wrapper leaves. Here, workers wean the leaf of its thick central vein. A few times, destemming is entirely manual – hands only. At other times, a stripping machine is the next stop for the tobacco. A worker will take out a portion of the stem by hand, for filler. You are right; more hands.
Then, rolling begins. Specialized factory workers dish out the correct proportions of aged tobacco to the rollers each day. The torcedor carries the leaf pile back to his rolling table. Here, his job is to recreate the cigar to match the cigarmaker’s blend. He will essentially, bunch and roll the cigar by hand. It is an exact procedure. Then, more hands work to formulate the blend of specific proportions of specific tobaccos to give off a peculiar smoking experience.
A color consistency characteristic is a basis for sorting finished cigars before they are put in the aging room. Banding up and boxing follow next before the cigars reach the smoke shop online or your itching hands. That, dear friend, is the story of the prized cigar in your hand. Several quality control steps vary according to the operation. Almost everything is done by hand. So, every hand-rolled cigar is a massive operation requiring expert human effort on every level.
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