All about the cigar

What is a cigar?

A cigar is an enjoyment device for smokers, usually manufactured from a mixture of tobacco varieties originating from countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Java and Sumatra. Cigar is derived from the Spanish for twist: "girar." Another reading is that it is said to be a Mayan word, namely sikar.

Cigar vs. cigarette

There are differences between cigar and cigarette smoking, in that a cigar takes much longer to smoke (usually they last at least three quarters of an hour), but also that cigar smoke is not meant to be inhaled. So whereas cigarettes are primarily harmful to the lungs, cigars act on the throat. In addition, a cigar in general does not serve so much to satisfy nicotine cravings - although this undoubtedly plays a role - but its purpose is to secrete a specific taste in the mouth, distinguishing different cigars from each other in a more pronounced way than cigarettes. Another major difference is the temperature of a cigar, which is considerably higher than a cigarette.

Short Filler

Cigars can be distinguished into two types: Long Fillers and Short Fillers (and a small part Medium Fillers). Almost all types are made up of the inner filler, binder and cover sheet. The interior of a Long Filler consists of rolled tobacco leaves from which the main grain has been removed (so-called frog-legs), as opposed to Short Fillers: the interior of these cigars consists of short pieces (cut up) of tobacco, mostly from different regions.

Long Fillers must be stored properly (in a so-called cigar humidor) at a humidity level between 68% and 72%. Temperature is less important. If the humidity drops below 60%, the Long Filler becomes dry, breaks easily, burns too quickly, and has a harsh taste. At humidity levels above 72%, the cigar burns more slowly, but the flavor is richer. At humidity levels above 80%, mold begins to form on the cigars (not to be confused with bloom).

Short Fillers are usually made in countries where tobacco is not grown, but merely transshipped (at the port). Think of brands like Ritmeester, Hajenius, Elephant, and the like Exceptions to this are cigars from Brazil and Indonesia, for example (this is where the tobacco is grown and the cigar is produced). Short Fillers should not be kept moist (although it is often claimed otherwise), often do not need to be cut and have a different taste than Long-Fillers. A short-filler is best served by a humidity of about 65%.

A Short Filler exists in different sizes.

• The cigarillo or sprite is a narrow, thin cigar. Some cigarillos have a filter.
• The señorita is the best known and most frequently smoked model in the Netherlands. Usually a length of about ten centimeters, and one centimeter thick.
• The Wild Cigarro, a well-known format cigar. This cigar used to be named after the tobacco it contains, namely Wild Havanna. Nowadays, however, this name may no longer be used. The cigar can be recognized by its medium size and the floss at the end. The first to enter the Dutch market with this type was the Hudson brand from Roosendaal. Smoking time approximately twenty-five minutes.
• The panatella is generally slightly longer than a señorita but is between a cigarillo and a señorita in terms of thickness.
• The corona is often smoked in the evening, after dinner. A bit longer and thicker than a señorita, with a smoke lasting from just under an hour to more than two hours.
• The petit or half corona this is slightly shorter than the normal corona.
• The spoutknak is a cigar whose end tapers to a thin tip. A beginner's mistake when smoking the tuitknak is taking the narrow part into the mouth and lighting the actual mouthpiece. Since a good cigar is glued only at the mouthpiece, a tuitknak falls apart quickly in this case.
• The bolknak was based on the spoutknak and was first made by Ritmeester. The bolknak is a tapered model.

There are also a number of slightly less common formats.

Designer cigars

A luxurious appearance are designer cigars. These are long-filler cigars, distinguished externally by a motif. Here the edge of the cover sheet is often dipped in a different color of tobacco powder, creating a design edge. This motif is applied using (tobacco) powder. There are several methods:

• Matting (tobacco) powder on the cover sheet.
• Dip the edge of the cover sheet in (tobacco) powder.

History

Tobacco (Lat. Nicotiana tabacum) is known to have been used as a smoking material in the New World long before the arrival of Columbus. In particular, the Maya rolled tobacco leaves in a form that allowed them to light and smoke the tobacco. This can be characterized as a precursor to the cigar. The Cuban Indians called this a cohiba, now a very expensive brand. Today in Cuba, people speak of tabacos when referring to a cigar.

During the colonial period, an important tobacco trade developed between the Caribbean and Europe. The Spanish began planting tobacco in the late 17th century and exported the tobacco leaves to the rest of the world. The United Kingdom grew tobacco in Virginia, and the tobacco industry flourished during the British Empire.

In Europe, Spain was the first country to produce cigars. In 1717, the first cigar factory began in Seville. Around 1790, a cigar industry emerged in France and Germany, and not until 1820 also in England. The Netherlands and Belgium (including Geraardsbergen) followed, see Cigar Industry (Benelux). The Dutch cigar industry began in Kampen in 1826. It was then mainly cottage industry. The first real cigar factory opened in Amsterdam in 1858. Besides many other places, especially Eindhoven, Valkenswaard and Veenendaal and of course Kampen played an important role.

However, the specific cigar industry faced considerable competition from the cigarette in the 20th century, which led, on the one hand, to the fact that people began to produce cigars by machine, in order to reduce the price, and, on the other hand, the traditionally manufactured cigars became more and more exclusive (read: expensive). The first cigar machines made their appearance in 1924. However, these could not yet perform all the steps of cigar making.

Most cigars are currently produced in the United States. The Netherlands is the world's largest cigar exporter, with an export volume of 2 billion cigars per year (2007 data). However, most of these cigars are manufactured in Belgium.

Manufacturing process

Cigar maker at the National Exhibition of Women's Labor, The Hague 1898

The cigar consists of cut tobacco, called the inner leaf, around which the wrapper, a pre-processed tobacco leaf, is rolled. Then one has a so-called pop (Z.Ned) or bunch (N.Ned). Around this the wrapper is then wrapped, after which the cigar is complete.

The tobacco used was moistened and the inner material was rolled into the wrapper into a model called a doll. This was done in a cigar mold that consisted of twenty barges. Five filled molds (one hundred dolls) were placed in a press and dried for two hours. Then the dolls were turned a quarter turn to avoid seam formation, this was the doll turning process. When the doll was in shape, the protruding parts were cut off and reused in new inner material. The doll was now manually fitted with a cover sheet, which was a quarter or a sixth of a Sumatra tobacco leaf, which was spiraled from the firing end to the back around the doll. Since the side veins fanned out to the left and right from the main grain as seen from the top, and these should be as little visible as possible, a cigar was covered "left" and "right." Sometimes the cigar was still processed by rolling it under a block to minimize the tension differences created during manual covering. When the cigar was ready, it went to the sorting facility. There the cigars were sorted by color by special craftsmen on long tables, this was done in rooms that were supplied with daylight from the north. Then the cigars were pressed and coded, then dried in the drying room for several days. Then they were banded and packed in cases, where the top layer of cigars, the mirror, had to show a very even color.

Piece rate was the rule, and as late as about 1900, every cigar maker employed a doll maker, who had to be paid from the piece rate.

Cigar Brands

The fact that a cigar brand is named with a particular country does not mean that all the raw materials come from that region; often tobacco varieties from different countries are blended. Thus, the country of origin of a cigar actually indicates the place where the cigar was composed. By the way, the number of cigar brands ever produced is extremely large. Cigars often come with a beautiful decorative band called a cigar band. This is a popular collector's item. It is usually produced in lithographic printing. In the middle of the last century, lithography was replaced by offset printing. This technique is used to manufacture cigar rings (bands) today. In addition to printing, cigar rings are refined with bronzing and embossing (embossing) to emphasize the attractiveness of the cigar.

Cigar Humidor

Would you like to store multiple cigars for an extended period? Then check out the EuroCave Cigar Humidor. This cigar climate cabinet creates the ideal conditions for storing cigars, such as a constant temperature of 17°C and a relative humidity of 65–70%. Of course, the cigar humidor is available with many luxury options, just as you’ve come to expect from EuroCave .