Cigar

The name "cigar" is derived from the Spanish word cigarro ^[1] , which, most likely, comes from the word sik'ar (or sic'ar ), which means, in Yucatec language of the Maya, the process of smoking tobacco ^{[2] [3]} .

Smoking rolled leaves came to Europe from Indians as a result of the expeditions of Christopher Columbus . In October 1492, Europeans who landed on the lands of South America noticed that the locals used burning maize leaves (maize) wrapped around the leaves of the cohiba plant, which gives off aromatic smoke when it burns, for breathing during ritual rituals. Later, this word in Cuba was called a famous brand of cigars. And the first European who tried tobacco smoking was Columbus’s satellite, Captain Rodrigo de Jerez , who later became so addicted to tobacco that when he returned to Spain after public demonstrations of the ability to “drink smoke” he was imprisoned by the authorities who decided that the devil had moved into him.

However, the fact that the Indians smoked, only partly resembled a modern cigar. Only in the XVII century among the Spanish conquistadors did the idea of ​​a cigar twisted from tobacco leaves gradually emerge. The first factory for the production of cigars appeared in 1541 in Cuba. But despite this, they got to Europe only in 1717 , where before that tobacco was sniffed or smoked only in pipes .

The two-century monopoly of the Spaniards on Cuban tobacco began with the decree of the Spanish monarch Philip III dated October 20, 1614, by which he not only allowed the free cultivation of tobacco, but also ordered his surplus to be delivered to Spain ^[4] . And on April 11, 1717, Philip V was issued a document that went down in history under the name Estanco del Tabaco , which established a royal monopoly on tobacco grown in Cuba ^[5] . This decision caused mass unrest among tobacco planters - vegheros ^[6] . From this time on, Cuba became the main producer of tobacco for cigars, but they curled mainly in Spain and were even called “Sevilla”, after the name of the city of Seville .

In the second half of the 18th century , cigars were learned to "twist" in France and Germany , and a little later - in the USA .

The Spanish monopoly lasted until June 23, 1817 , when, thanks to the Royal Decree, Cuba gained the opportunity for independent trade with the outside world. As a result of this decision (as well as due to tax breaks for Vegheros), cigar manufactories began to flourish in Cuba - “ In the middle of the 19th century, only 800 brands of cigars were made in 377 manufactories in Havana for all tastes. Among them were cigars with Russian sleds on boxes - for export to Russia ” ^[7] .

Then there were such famous brands of Cuban cigars as

• Por Larranaga (1834) ^[8]
• H. Upmann (1844) ^[9]
• " Punch " (1840)
• Partagas (1845) ^[10]
• Ramon Allones (1846)
• Sancho Panza (1848)
• Romeo y Julieta (1873) ^[11]
• " La Flor de Cano " (1884)
• Hoyo De Monterrey (1885)
• " La Gloria Cubana " (1885)

In total, by the end of the 19th century, there were about 120 tobacco factories in Cuba, which produced about 300 different brands of cigars ^[6] .

In the 20s of the XX century, the fashion for cigars reached its apogee. Cigars began to smoke everywhere, they became a constant attribute of every self-respecting gentleman . An afternoon cigar in a company with a glass of brandy or port wine has become a tradition in many countries.

After the Cuban revolution of 1959, many owners and masters of the cigar business moved from Cuba to the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries, where in 1962, after the US imposed an embargo on Cuban goods , cigar production began to flourish. Nevertheless, the revolution gave impetus to the development of Cuban brands: at this time there are cigar brands such as Cohiba , Trinidad , Vegas Robaina , Cuaba ^[6] .

From the mid -1960s, there was a slight lull in the popularity of cigars, which stopped only in the 1980s , when many movie stars began to smoke cigars, setting an example to follow.

In recent years, the traditional school of cigar production has been reviving and developing in the Dominican Republic and Honduras , Nicaragua , Mexico and the United States . Other countries of the Caribbean and Latin America began to claim the title of supplier of luxury cigars: Jamaica , Brazil , Panama , Costa Rica .

A cigar consists of three components: a tobacco leaf filler ( tripa ), which takes up most of the volume of the cigar, a bonding sheet ( capote ) that gives the cigar its shape, and a cover sheet ( capa ) that wraps the cigar outside ^[12] .

The filler is the heart of the cigar, having a major influence on its taste and aroma. It is usually made up of several types of tobacco leaves, cut into strips or chopped (in cheaper cigars). The filler often includes three types of leaves: ligero (the top leaf of a tobacco bush, which receives the most sunlight and gives strength to a future cigar), seco (small light leaves responsible for flavor) and volado (the bottom leaves of the plant, which ensure the burning of the cigar). It is believed that it is the quality filler that determines the nobility of the cigar, so manufacturers often keep the ingredients of cigar mixes secret ^[13] .

The binder sheet is needed in order to give the cigar the necessary shape by bonding together the sheets of its filler. For this type of leaves, in the first place, strength and elasticity are important, and the aroma is a secondary characteristic that manufacturers pay attention only to the most expensive cigars. In cheap machine-rolled cigars, the binding sheet may be absent altogether ^[14] . In this case, they can be attributed to cigarillos .

The wrapper leaf is a cigar shell that defines its appearance.

Build

It is customary to distinguish three parts of the finished cigar: the head , the body and the leg .

The head is the tip of the cigar that the smoker brings to his mouth during smoking. The head of hand-rolled cigars is always sealed and requires prior pruning before smoking. With the same machine production method, cigars are most often sold already completely ready to smoke: their heads are either trimmed or have a circular hole in the center.

Between the two ends is the main part of the cigar - the body in which fragrant smoke circulates. On the body of a cigar, often closer to its head, manufacturers place a cigar bow - a paper ring with the logo of the cigar brand or other distinctive images ^[15] .

The leg is the opposite end of the cigar, to which a source of flame is brought when ignited. In addition to rare exceptions, cigars are sold with an open cut from the side of the leg.

On tobacco plantations, tobacco seeds are sprouted for about 45 days in nurseries, getting ready seedlings. Then they are planted in the ground, after which begins the active growth of tobacco bushes in the period from October to December.

When the required height is reached (about one and a half meters), the central bud is removed from the bush, after which only its leaves grow. A mature tobacco bush has from six to nine pairs of leaves, each of which is harvested by workers once a week. The leaf assembly phase usually takes place from the beginning of the year to March.

The collected leaves are sent to the drying house, where the curado process takes place - drying in special conditions, protected from sunlight for 50 days. At this time, changes occur in the chemical composition of the sheet ^[16] . Then the leaves roll into half-meter bales and are left for a month, during which tobacco fermentation takes place. After that, the leaves are carefully selected and sorted. Then the tobacco is moistened, cuttings are removed from the leaves and the final final drying is carried out within a few days. The finished leaves are packed in special bales and sent to the cigar factory ^[17] .

There are three main ways to produce all currently sold cigars: Totalmente a mano (made entirely by hand, without using a typewriter), Hecho a mano (made by hand with a typewriter) and Machine (completely twisted machine). The person who does the twisting of cigars is called torsedor .

• Totalmente a mano . These cigars are considered the most noble of all, respectively, and the most expensive ^[18] . The most valuable leaves usually act as a filler, which the twister gently folds, after which it places in a binding sheet and, finally, wraps it with a cover sheet of good quality. Then a cap is glued to the cigar and all unnecessary trimmed ^[19] . The freedom of smoke circulation during the smoking of a future cigar and its aesthetic appearance depend on the correctness of all these actions. The process is performed entirely by hand, without any special tools, therefore, requires extensive experience twister.

• Hecho a mano . In the production of this type of cigar, the twister, wrapping the filler in the first binding sheet, places the blank for half an hour in a special press machine. All other operations, including wrapping the cover sheet, are performed manually by torsedorom ^[20] .
• Machine . Machine-made cigars are produced in factories with special machines. They are of two types: with a filler from whole leaves (a rather rare phenomenon) and with a filler from shredded tobacco. Cigars of the second type make up the vast majority of cigars sold on the market. For machine-made cigar production, less noble varieties of tobacco are used. Leaves used as coverslips do not look as attractive as those that go to more expensive cigars. To give them a more presentable appearance, manufacturers use various tricks, for example, cover a cigar with a thin layer of tobacco powder solution. Often various flavors are added to these cigars: chocolate, cherry, vanilla and others. .

Manufacturers

At the moment (the second decade of the XXI century) there are about fifty major brands of cigars in the world, most of which are produced in Cuba, the rest mainly in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, USA and Mexico ^[21] .

Some popular brands of cigars

• Cuba: Cohiba , Montecristo , Partagas , Romeo y Julieta , Hoyo de Monterrey , H. Upmann , Punch , Bolivar
• Dominican Republic: Arturo Fuente , Don Miguel , Credo
• Nicaragua: Carlos Torano , La finca , Nicarão
• Honduras: Astral , Gurkha , Maya , Flor de copan
• Mexico: Cruz Real , Santa Clara , Te Amo

Since 1915, the Pogarsky Tobacco Factory has been operating in Russia, including cigars ^[22] . As of 2013, the factory produces three main series of cigars: Gabano Farento and Cherokee, machine production and Aroma Cubana, handmade by Hecho a Mano in Brazilian, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos ^[23] .

The format of a cigar is a combination of the characteristics of its shape, length and diameter . All cigar formats are divided into two main groups: straight ( parejos ) - this is a cigar of a straight cylindrical shape, rounded from the head, and figured ( figurado ), which includes such cigar shapes as pyramid , perfecto , belicoso , torpedo , culebra and others ^[24] . For a smoker, the difference between them (in addition to appearance) is in more pronounced changes in taste in the process of smoking in figured cigars. There is no single world classification of cigar formats, so different manufacturers may have different shapes under the same name, and cigars of the same profile may be called differently.

Straight Cigar Formats

Cigars of the most common, direct form ( parejos ) are usually classified according to the ratio of its length and diameter. The diameter of a cigar, in addition to size in millimeters, is customarily measured in special units equal to 1/64 inch . The diameter indicated in such units is called cepo (caliber). As a rule, large-diameter cigars have a stronger taste, and burn slowly and evenly. Below are the sizes of the main formats of straight cigars ^[25] . The most simple and convenient in mass production for a long time was the format torpedo, which made it in the past the most common format of cigars. In the Oxford Dictionary of Modern English, the word torpedo is defined as a cigar-shaped shell ^[26] . In the recent past, a rounded parejo has received the same or even wider distribution.

Curly Cigar Formats

The most common shaped cigar is Perfecto - a cigar that is thick in the middle and tapers towards the ends.

In the literature and simply in everyday life, when describing “streamlined” aerodynamic shapes of elongated objects, round in cross section and tapering towards the ends, the figurative phrase “cigar-shaped form” is often used. For example, it is very often used to describe the form or type of airships, becoming for them almost a banal epithet.

However, only about 5% of cigars of the total number of produced cigars are in the form of "perfecto", really slightly resembling an airship. Such products are produced exclusively by hand, requiring rare and highly skilled worker-twister and more complex preparation of raw materials. Among perfecto-shaped cigars, the average percentage of unsuccessfully twisted is somewhat higher than among ordinary "cylinders". All these factors lead to the fact that pefecto cigars usually turn out to be noticeably more expensive than usual ones and therefore have not gained wide popularity, focusing mainly on the discharge of "elite" products available to rich people. This gave rise to another paradoxical stereotype, when the cartoons of the "capitalist" with a cigar in their teeth almost everywhere depict perfecto.

In the past, it was a common practice to produce small thin irregular cigars, such as Culebra, which were combined into a bundle of 3-5 pieces for better safety without a box. To achieve this shape, as well as the overall density of the ligament and its strength at fracture, cigars are combined in a half-baked form and dried to the standard already in the bundle. Because of these features of the technology, this form is suitable for a very limited production of cigars of traditional brands, such as Tuscan, for example. The history of the origin of the tradition of producing Culebra ligaments, as well as the Fuma form (these are cigars of non-circular cross section and loose twist, usually with a thin cover sheet, twisted at both ends in a tail, also produced half-baked and reaching a condition in a paper bag, combining 20-25 cigars) is closely related to the tradition of factory production of cigars, not only for sale, but also for supplying the workers themselves, for whom cheap and convenient in storage, Culebra and Fuma were preferable to more expensive and vulnerable in storage “box” formats.

The color of a cigar is the color of its cover sheet. There are six primary colors of cigars ( oscuro , maduro , colorado maduro , colorado , colorado claro , claro ), but other names can often be found ^[27] .

Cigar smoking is different from smoking cigarettes . The following are the basic rules for smoking cigars.

• Unlike smoking cigarettes, cigar smoke does not need to be dragged into the lungs. It is enough to rinse the smoke in your mouth and release it after two or three seconds. The optimal time between puffs is from 30 to 90 seconds.
• An extinguished cigar can be smoked again, but not more than two or three times, and only until it has cooled (otherwise, the taste and aroma will drastically change to unpleasant).
• It is not recommended to deliberately extinguish a cigar - it must be put in order for it to go out by itself (in the circle of cigar lovers, deliberate extinguishing of a cigar is considered disrespect for the master who released it and is a sign of bad taste).
• It is not worthwhile to strive to often dump burnt ash - it is a natural cooler and helps reduce the rate of combustion, and, accordingly, makes the flavor less coarse and more refined ^[28] . But even if the decision was made to get rid of excess ashes, one should not forcefully shake off the cigar (in order for the ashes to fall, lightly touch the ashtray).

• At what point it is necessary to complete smoking depends on the cigar itself, on the style and experience of the smoker. Some people consider smoking a cigar to the very tip as a mauveton (supposedly at least one third should end up in an ashtray after cigar leisure), but in reality, the last third just collects the most heavy aromatic oils, and therefore this third becomes the most “tasty” - saturated with both flavors and nicotine - therefore, the “one-third rule” should be considered more a piece of advice for beginners than a rule ^[29] .

Drinks Cigar

Many cigar smokers prefer to combine the process of smoking with the drinking of any drinks that have a flavor. It can be either strong alcoholic beverages, such as rum , cognac or whiskey , or less strong ones, such as port wine and wine , or not containing alcohol, for example, coffee . There are no strict rules about the compatibility of certain cigars with certain drinks, and most smokers select combinations to their liking ^[30] .

A consultant who professionally helps to choose a cigar for a particular drink, or just for the right occasion or mood, is called vitollier .

The main characteristics of the safe storage of cigars are the correct humidity and temperature . With proper storage conditions cigars can not lose their qualities for many years.

The relative humidity of the space in which the cigar is stored should be about 70%, which is typical of the equatorial climate. This is the most important condition for proper storage ^[31] , since with less moisture, the cigar sheets will quickly dry out, become thin and brittle, and the tobacco flavor may deteriorate significantly. At the same time, when the humidity is too high, the cigars become damp and deteriorate.

Also important role during storage is temperature. Storage temperature should not exceed + 22-23 ° C, since at higher temperatures in conditions of high humidity increases the risk of damage to the tobacco leaf and the appearance of pests. The optimal temperature for storing cigars is + 16-21 ºС ^[32] .

To ensure such precise storage conditions, smokers use wooden boxes specially equipped for this purpose - humidors . Large sized humidors for storing large numbers of cigars (several hundred or more) are called cigar cabinets .

Also, when storing cigars, it is worth paying attention to protection from the main pests of these tobacco products - the Lasioderma serricorne bug. Its larvae gnaw through tunnels in tobacco leaves, so when these insects enter the humidor it is likely that all cigars stored there will be lost ^[33] .

Cigar Cutting Tools

To cut the cigar heads, special cigar shears , guillotines or piercers are used . Guillotines are table and pocket. Desktop often have a sophisticated look. This guillotine is quite simple to use, perfectly cuts off the tip of a cigar without much effort. Pockets are usually carried with them, if suddenly there is a desire to smoke a cigar on the road or in a place where there are no desktops. Pocket guillotines are single and double sided. In the latter two movable knives are used, when using a guillotine moving in the opposite direction. This provides a tight fixation of the cigar in the hole and its uniform cutting, thereby eliminating its deformation, which is almost inevitable when using a one-sided guillotine. The punch usually does not contain moving parts, and its working part is a blade located around the circumference, which makes it possible to make a hole in the cigar head of the desired diameter. The punch is only suitable for cigars of the classical form ^[34] .

Lighters

When smoking cigars, special cigar lighters are often used. To do this, it is recommended to use only gas lighters, but not in any way gasoline, so that the smell of gasoline does not spoil the aroma of a cigar ^[35] . Also, cigarette lighters are often made with guillotines, which can also be convenient for the smoker, as it allows not to carry extra accessories with them.

Ashtrays

Cigar ashtray should be voluminous, quietly accommodating a cigar, located in between smoking. Unlike cigarette ashtrays, cigars often have a special horizontal chute for each cigar ^[36] , which allows you to put a cigar in such a way that the ring of combustion does not come into contact with the bottom of the ashtray (which can worsen the uniformity of burning) ^[37] . Cigar ashtrays can be either for one cigar or for two or more cigars.

Cigarette Cases and Tubes

Cigar cases are special cases designed to carry cigars with them, preventing their damage. Usually made of leather and a thin layer of wood inside (usually Spanish cedar ). Can hold as one cigar, and several. Cigars for cigars perform the same function, but are made of metal (most often aluminum), contain only one cigar and better protect the cigar from external influences, such as moisture or third-party smells. However, neither covers nor tubes are intended for long-term storage of cigars ^[38] .

In the retail market, the cost of a box of cigars at the present time (the second decade of the 21st century) ranges from $ 0.5–10 for small machine-made cigars, up to $ 500 or more for cigars of famous brands made entirely by hand from noble sorts of tobacco.

The most expensive known series of cigars - Gurkha Black Dragon. It was released in 2006 and was priced at $ 1,150 for a box of 25 pieces. ^[39] .

As with any form of smoking , the use of cigars can have serious health consequences ^[40] , leading to a significant increase in the risk of developing various diseases, including cancer ^{[41] [42]} . People who smoke several cigars daily are at risk: nicotine addiction , periodontal disease , tooth loss, and various forms of oncological diseases typical of cigar smokers: cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus ^[43] .

The risks of developing serious diseases increase in proportion to the number of cigars smoked. For example, smoking 1-2 cigars per day increases the likelihood of developing laryngeal cancer from 1% to 6.46%. ^[44]

Many world-famous personalities were or are to this day heavy cigar smokers. Here are some of them:

• Arnold Schwarzenegger ^[45]
• James Belushi
• Hermann Goering ^[46]
• Edward VII ^[47]
• Sigmund Freud ^[48]
• Mark Twain ^[49]
• Karl Marx ^[50]
• Joseph Stalin ^[51]
• Winston Churchill ^[52]
• Fidel castro
• Ernesto Che Guevara ^[53]
• Rudyard Kipling ^[47]
• John Kennedy ^[54]
• Sylvester Stallone ^[55]
• Emmanuel Lasker
• Al Capone ^[56]
• Giacomo Puccini
• Thomas Mann

In Geraardsbergen (Belgium), Bünde (Germany) ^[57] and others.

• Cigarette
• Cigarillo

• Min Ron Nee, Adriano Martinez Rius. An Illustrated Encylopaedia of Post Revolution Havana Cigars. - 2nd edition. - Interpro Business Corporation, 2005. - 492 p. - ISBN 3980930823 , 978-3980930826.
• Paul B. Garmirian. The Gourmet Guide to Cigars. - Cedar Publications, 1990. - 146 p. - ISBN 0962704601 , 9780962704604.
• Julian Holland. The Ultimate Cigar Encyclopedia. - Anness, 1998. - 256 p. - ISBN 185967755X , 978-1859677551.
• Bernard Le Roy. The Illustrated History of Cigars. - 2nd edition. - Harold Starke Publishers, 1999. - 216 p. - ISBN 1872457355 , 978-1872457352.
• Joel Sherman. Nat Sherman's a Passion for Cigars. - Andrews Mcmeel Pub, 1998. - 160 p. - ISBN 0836252896 , 978-0836252897.
• Anwer Bati. The Cigar Companion: The Connoisseur's Guide. - 3 Sub edition. - Running Pr, 1997. - 224 p. - ISBN 0762401427 , 978-0762401420.

• Incredible Adventures of Cuban Cigars in Russia // December 16, 2010

mass media

• Cigar Clan Cigar Magazine
• CigarTime.ru - cigar site
• Cigar Aficionado Magazine - Official website (English)