DarkRange55
Enlightened
- Oct 15, 2023
- 1,683
Cuban tobacco is grown in very rich soil, and the climate is damn near as perfect as you can get for growing cigar tobacco. The Vinales valley in particular is well know for producing some of the finest tobacco leaf in the world. Some claim the soil gives the tobacco a traditional "Cuban" flavor that many aficionados claim to be richer and of fuller body than tobacco grown in neighboring Dominican Republic. As of the last couple of decades, tobacco grown in Dominican Republic, (especially) Nicaragua, Honduras, and even the United States and Africa (particularly Sumatra leaf) has gained in popularity and respect. Cuban-trained master rollers have branched off and found work in these countries. So, the quality construction of a cuban can also be found with these other farms/manufacturers.
Cuban tobacco growing has a tradition going back to the early inhabitants of Cuba. The soil, heritage seed, and expertise of the farmers (and rollers) produce some of the finest tobacco in the world.
Sure tobacco grows everywhere, but exactly where and how it grows affects it, just like any other crop. In French wine terminology, this environment the crops are put under is called 'terroir', referring to all factors including topography, climate, soil and surrounding plants. All these factors are claimed to contribute to the ultimate quality of the tobacco leaves, which consequently affects the quality and taste of Cuban cigars. Terroir supposedly greatly varies depending on the location and therefore explains why the tobacco is different in various regions of Cuba. In Cuba, there are regions like Vuelta Abajo (home to the highest quality Pinar del Rio plantations), Semi Vuelta, Partido and Vuelta Arriba – each having their own distinct character and differences. This is allegedly due to the slightest change of environment, such as; the rain, wind soil or the human hand, the tobacco will turn out different.
Terroir is actually bs. There is a great book in depth, extremely well researched book on this by a scientist.
Composition of soil can have a large effect on the flavoring of the tobacco, as evidenced by some regions of Central America producing far better leaf than others. It is well-known and documented that Cuban soil is full of nutrients and is the perfect soil to cultivate tobacco on. The humidity is perfect for growing and drying them. It's right in the middle of the latitude best for it. Also their soil isn't as heavily exploited due to their Communist agrarian policies (lots of organic farming, actually) so it's very high quality overall.
This is likely due to the soil, the hot climate and the handling of the tobacco. The land in Cuba's tobacco regions have an abundance of iron, quartz and clay deposits in the soil. Furthermore, the tobacco picking process – in cigars like the Cohiba Behike, they wait for the tobacco plant to reach maturity and harvest from the 'medio tiempo', which is a scarce leaf to find, some farmers estimate that fewer than one in ten tobacco plants grows medio tiempo leaves.
In 1960, Fidel Castro made all cigar factories state-owned, causing former owners to flee to nearby countries like the Dominican Republic, Honduras, US (Florida) and Nicaragua to restart their operations. They brought their expertise, brands and seeds with them, but the cigars still didn't taste the same.
The quality of their tobacco can be spoken to by the high percentage of "Cuban seed" tobacco grown throughout Nicauragua and the Dominican Republic.
Cuban cigars do have a particular taste that is hard to emulate (probably never emulated really well). Florida might be close enough, I'm not sure. It's partly the specific varieties and cultivars of tobacco we're talking about. The tobacco grown from Cuban seed is still among the most prized in the world. It's partly the skill of the growers, agers, blenders, and rollers of the tobacco, all of whose skills contribute to the overall quality and flavor of the cigar. Frankly, a lot of the growers, agers, blenders, and rollers left Cuba when the old tobacco plantations were nationalized. They've gone to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, among other places, and they've trained further generations of workers.
All of that said, there are other places in the world where cigar tobacco can be grown with wonderful results. Some of them are even in the US, but a lot of them are in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, etc.
Historical allure. Some people consider Cuban cigars better than other regions, but not everyone. There is of course an aspect of forbidden fruit to US smokers but I know many Canadian, Swiss and Chinese smokers who will not smoke anything that isn't of Cuban origin. Cubans are still sought after for their relative rarity in the U.S. and other embargo countries, but it is more for their appeal as a status symbol than because the cigar is "better".
I personally believe that Nicaragua is one of the best manufacturing regions in the world. While they may not have the best tobacco, I think they certainly compete for top spot for consistency of product.
In other countries Padrons are just as coveted as Cubans. Padrons are held to the same level of esteem as high-end Cubans. Padron consistently produces a line of cigar that is tough to beat in terms of both construction and flavor. A Padron you buy today will taste the same as a Padron from 5 years ago. That's tough to do in the cigar industry. If you want one of the best cigars Nicaragua has to offer, it's a Padron. Jose Padron is very well respected in the industry. But pretty much Padron started out making cigars in Miami using the traditional Cuban style with Cuban Tobacco. He found out about Tobacco in Nicaragua, moved operations there, and blended some of the best cigars in the world. Very distinct flavor. There definitely is a romanticism though.
Reality Today:
In the past Cuba might have had the best tobacco in the world, coupled with the most experienced rollers and most consistent production. That's been changing and there are many cigar manufacturer's that would be considered more consistent than Cuban manufacturer's. The other issue is that you will have years of production where the Cuban tobacco or the quality controls from that year are not very good. While quality declined in the late 90's and early 00's during the "cigar boom" the government has recently become focused on smaller yields, lower production numbers, and higher quality to support the reputation of their brands.
I would argue that for sure Nicaraguans are the cream of the crop for non-Cuban cigars (Honduran would be third). The gap between Cuban and non-Cuban is shrinking as far as flavor quality. And, most likely the top quality non-Cubans have better quality control in terms of construction. 9 out of 10 blows them out of the water.
That said, for me, in terms of sheer taste, construction and overall quality Cuba has nothing on the many outstanding Nicaraguan cigars like Padron and their Anniversarios. Quite often the construction of the cigars are better coming from the Dominican or Nicaragua. Cuban cigars are nowhere near what they used to be before 1996 (pre-cuban cigar boom). They are still quite good, though. They changed the tobaccos from the corojo and criollo tobacco they were using to mold-resistant strains. If you can find any Cubans that predate 1997 or so, pick them up and be happy. With the age that is on them, they probably aren't quite the flavor bombs they used to be, but nicotine oxidizes (and as an oil it evaporates) as it ages and loses its punch so they should still be in relative balance.
If you're buying the non-Cuban versions of Cuban brands, that's the problem. They are almost universally terrible and are just riding on the names. The issue generally with Cuban tobacco is the inconsistency. Cigars made around 2010 aren't great. The last few years have been fantastic, though. I don't think you can call Monte Cristo White Series and Espelandes terrible they are highly rated and sell tons of them. To me they are just shitty compared to their Cuban versions. Another example is in the high end. Take opusX the early 2000 holy grail of smokes in the US due to the embargo. I'll take a cohiba or hoyo any day of the week over those. While AF does make nice sticks they to me just are not as consistent as the well known Cuban brands.
Even in Cuba where stuff is owned by the state there are differences between factories. What matters more is how good the blenders are that work for those factories.
Global shortage and price increase:
So the Cuban communist government fixed their prices last year to the Hong Kong market so whether you buy in Singapore, Toronto, Vancouver, ect its all the same because they realized how much money they were missing out on. Also the global Cuban cigar shortage was caused during the pandemic: multiple factors- the minister of agriculture told the farmers to rip out tobacco and plant food. Workers got sick from Covid. Everyone was at home smoking.
You also have many, many counterfeits. Even outside of the factories and sometimes even in stores.
While Piloto is still alive and well in the Dominican Republic, many lament the loss of certain Cuban strains within Cuba. Consider Cuba's beloved but doomed Corojo variety of tobacco. It was a hybrid developed in the 1940s that was universally lauded by connoisseurs for its color and flavor, but retired in the late '90s in favor of more disease-resistant varietals. To understand Corojo one must first trace the lineage of Cuban tobacco a bit. With all the Cuban-seed varieties currently grown throughout Central and South America, Cuba could be considered the botanical womb from which so much of today's premium tobacco was born. Cuba's DNA truly germinates throughout industry.
I like smooth and mild. Hence, Ashton Cabinet Reserves and Cohiba Siglo VI are probably my two favorites. I prefer a lighter true Cuban wrapper. The Cohiba Siglo lV is perfect for me.
en.wikipedia.org
Cuban tobacco growing has a tradition going back to the early inhabitants of Cuba. The soil, heritage seed, and expertise of the farmers (and rollers) produce some of the finest tobacco in the world.
Sure tobacco grows everywhere, but exactly where and how it grows affects it, just like any other crop. In French wine terminology, this environment the crops are put under is called 'terroir', referring to all factors including topography, climate, soil and surrounding plants. All these factors are claimed to contribute to the ultimate quality of the tobacco leaves, which consequently affects the quality and taste of Cuban cigars. Terroir supposedly greatly varies depending on the location and therefore explains why the tobacco is different in various regions of Cuba. In Cuba, there are regions like Vuelta Abajo (home to the highest quality Pinar del Rio plantations), Semi Vuelta, Partido and Vuelta Arriba – each having their own distinct character and differences. This is allegedly due to the slightest change of environment, such as; the rain, wind soil or the human hand, the tobacco will turn out different.
Terroir is actually bs. There is a great book in depth, extremely well researched book on this by a scientist.
Composition of soil can have a large effect on the flavoring of the tobacco, as evidenced by some regions of Central America producing far better leaf than others. It is well-known and documented that Cuban soil is full of nutrients and is the perfect soil to cultivate tobacco on. The humidity is perfect for growing and drying them. It's right in the middle of the latitude best for it. Also their soil isn't as heavily exploited due to their Communist agrarian policies (lots of organic farming, actually) so it's very high quality overall.
This is likely due to the soil, the hot climate and the handling of the tobacco. The land in Cuba's tobacco regions have an abundance of iron, quartz and clay deposits in the soil. Furthermore, the tobacco picking process – in cigars like the Cohiba Behike, they wait for the tobacco plant to reach maturity and harvest from the 'medio tiempo', which is a scarce leaf to find, some farmers estimate that fewer than one in ten tobacco plants grows medio tiempo leaves.
In 1960, Fidel Castro made all cigar factories state-owned, causing former owners to flee to nearby countries like the Dominican Republic, Honduras, US (Florida) and Nicaragua to restart their operations. They brought their expertise, brands and seeds with them, but the cigars still didn't taste the same.
The quality of their tobacco can be spoken to by the high percentage of "Cuban seed" tobacco grown throughout Nicauragua and the Dominican Republic.
Cuban cigars do have a particular taste that is hard to emulate (probably never emulated really well). Florida might be close enough, I'm not sure. It's partly the specific varieties and cultivars of tobacco we're talking about. The tobacco grown from Cuban seed is still among the most prized in the world. It's partly the skill of the growers, agers, blenders, and rollers of the tobacco, all of whose skills contribute to the overall quality and flavor of the cigar. Frankly, a lot of the growers, agers, blenders, and rollers left Cuba when the old tobacco plantations were nationalized. They've gone to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, among other places, and they've trained further generations of workers.
All of that said, there are other places in the world where cigar tobacco can be grown with wonderful results. Some of them are even in the US, but a lot of them are in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, etc.
Historical allure. Some people consider Cuban cigars better than other regions, but not everyone. There is of course an aspect of forbidden fruit to US smokers but I know many Canadian, Swiss and Chinese smokers who will not smoke anything that isn't of Cuban origin. Cubans are still sought after for their relative rarity in the U.S. and other embargo countries, but it is more for their appeal as a status symbol than because the cigar is "better".
I personally believe that Nicaragua is one of the best manufacturing regions in the world. While they may not have the best tobacco, I think they certainly compete for top spot for consistency of product.
In other countries Padrons are just as coveted as Cubans. Padrons are held to the same level of esteem as high-end Cubans. Padron consistently produces a line of cigar that is tough to beat in terms of both construction and flavor. A Padron you buy today will taste the same as a Padron from 5 years ago. That's tough to do in the cigar industry. If you want one of the best cigars Nicaragua has to offer, it's a Padron. Jose Padron is very well respected in the industry. But pretty much Padron started out making cigars in Miami using the traditional Cuban style with Cuban Tobacco. He found out about Tobacco in Nicaragua, moved operations there, and blended some of the best cigars in the world. Very distinct flavor. There definitely is a romanticism though.
Reality Today:
In the past Cuba might have had the best tobacco in the world, coupled with the most experienced rollers and most consistent production. That's been changing and there are many cigar manufacturer's that would be considered more consistent than Cuban manufacturer's. The other issue is that you will have years of production where the Cuban tobacco or the quality controls from that year are not very good. While quality declined in the late 90's and early 00's during the "cigar boom" the government has recently become focused on smaller yields, lower production numbers, and higher quality to support the reputation of their brands.
I would argue that for sure Nicaraguans are the cream of the crop for non-Cuban cigars (Honduran would be third). The gap between Cuban and non-Cuban is shrinking as far as flavor quality. And, most likely the top quality non-Cubans have better quality control in terms of construction. 9 out of 10 blows them out of the water.
That said, for me, in terms of sheer taste, construction and overall quality Cuba has nothing on the many outstanding Nicaraguan cigars like Padron and their Anniversarios. Quite often the construction of the cigars are better coming from the Dominican or Nicaragua. Cuban cigars are nowhere near what they used to be before 1996 (pre-cuban cigar boom). They are still quite good, though. They changed the tobaccos from the corojo and criollo tobacco they were using to mold-resistant strains. If you can find any Cubans that predate 1997 or so, pick them up and be happy. With the age that is on them, they probably aren't quite the flavor bombs they used to be, but nicotine oxidizes (and as an oil it evaporates) as it ages and loses its punch so they should still be in relative balance.
If you're buying the non-Cuban versions of Cuban brands, that's the problem. They are almost universally terrible and are just riding on the names. The issue generally with Cuban tobacco is the inconsistency. Cigars made around 2010 aren't great. The last few years have been fantastic, though. I don't think you can call Monte Cristo White Series and Espelandes terrible they are highly rated and sell tons of them. To me they are just shitty compared to their Cuban versions. Another example is in the high end. Take opusX the early 2000 holy grail of smokes in the US due to the embargo. I'll take a cohiba or hoyo any day of the week over those. While AF does make nice sticks they to me just are not as consistent as the well known Cuban brands.
Even in Cuba where stuff is owned by the state there are differences between factories. What matters more is how good the blenders are that work for those factories.
Global shortage and price increase:
So the Cuban communist government fixed their prices last year to the Hong Kong market so whether you buy in Singapore, Toronto, Vancouver, ect its all the same because they realized how much money they were missing out on. Also the global Cuban cigar shortage was caused during the pandemic: multiple factors- the minister of agriculture told the farmers to rip out tobacco and plant food. Workers got sick from Covid. Everyone was at home smoking.
You also have many, many counterfeits. Even outside of the factories and sometimes even in stores.
While Piloto is still alive and well in the Dominican Republic, many lament the loss of certain Cuban strains within Cuba. Consider Cuba's beloved but doomed Corojo variety of tobacco. It was a hybrid developed in the 1940s that was universally lauded by connoisseurs for its color and flavor, but retired in the late '90s in favor of more disease-resistant varietals. To understand Corojo one must first trace the lineage of Cuban tobacco a bit. With all the Cuban-seed varieties currently grown throughout Central and South America, Cuba could be considered the botanical womb from which so much of today's premium tobacco was born. Cuba's DNA truly germinates throughout industry.
I like smooth and mild. Hence, Ashton Cabinet Reserves and Cohiba Siglo VI are probably my two favorites. I prefer a lighter true Cuban wrapper. The Cohiba Siglo lV is perfect for me.
