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Roll another fat one: a real Cuban cigar
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Cuba is one of the world’s last Communist enclaves. The
fading glory of a dying era is manifest everywhere in the
crumbing buildings and run down towns, yet the country has
an undeniable charm, welcoming and enchanting visitors from
all around the world. Famed as a hotbed of revolution, the
Caribbean island of Cuba is home to the Che Guevara University,
Rumba music and, of course, the finest cigars known to man.
Hardly anyone comes to Cuba and doesn’t sample a genuine
Cuban Habanos. Most visitors stash a few stogies in
their suitcase for the folks back home. But for the native
Cuban, cigar smoking is a way of life. Grown since the 16th
century in the province of Pinar del Rio in the limestone
hills of Viñales, Cuban tobacco comes from a special
seed and yields a magnificently flavoursome leaf.
Master Craftsmen
There’s more then 100 different stages to the creation
of a genuine handmade Cuban cigar, from the planting of the
seed to the sealing of the box. The crop is cultivated with
tender care by tobacco farmers known as guajiros, and the
cigars are fashioned in government corporation factories.
Cuba produces 65 million cigars a year for export, but one
worker will make only about 100 a day. Each one is rolled
with expert precision, as a cigar that is rolled too tightly
or too loose will yield an inferior smoking experience.
How to Spot a Good Buy
Genuine Cuban cigars are among the best in the world and command
deservedly high prices. However counterfeit cigars are big
business in Cuba, and foreign visitors will be continually
badgered by peddlers claiming to sell the real thing at vastly
reduced prices.
The vendors will sometimes have an extraordinary story to
tell about how they came by their illicit stash, but don’t
believe a word of it. It’s most likely the cigars on
offer are made from inferior tobacco and were inexpertly rolled
in the family home. Many have an unappealing flavour and are
simply unsmokeable.
Many people who work in Cuba's cigar factories smuggle out
vast numbers of cigars to sell on the black market to boost
up their paltry wage packets. If you do choose to buy off
these guys its best to smoke them then and there to avoid
getting into trouble with the police or customs.
If you’re not an expert it can be hard to distinguish
a fake cigar from the real McCoy. Here’s a few hints
and tips to help you tell the two apart:
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Sniff a cigar carefully. If it smells too strongly of
ammonia it’s a fake.
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ll the cigars in a box should be the same colour. If
there is any slight variation they will be arranged in
order, the darkest one on the left, and the lightest on
the right.
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The cigars should all be exactly the same length, within
1/16th of an inch of the size specified.
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The end of each cigar should be cut evenly, and should
not be chipped.
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The box should be clean, new and free from scuff marks.
Vendors of fake cigars will re-use old boxes, so inspect
it carefully and reject it if it looks like it has been
around a while.
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Feel the weight of the box. If it’s too light the
cigars may be loosely rolled and won’t burn properly.
Conversely if it’s too heavy they may be too tight,
which make it easier to produce a uniform shape.
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Check the box for the green warranty seal on the left
hand side, containing a shield and hat insignia. The seal
is sometimes broken by quality control, so don’t
be concerned if it isn’t intact. There should also
be a white ‘Habanos’ sticker on the upper right
hand corner of the box.
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The bottom of the box should be branded with a heat
stamp, under which there should be an ink stamp stating
when and where the cigars were manufactured.
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Genuine cigars are never sold at more than a 25% discount.
Even this concession is extremely rare and offered solely
to the best customers.
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Avoid buying cigars form anyone you don’t know.
The internet is a favorite outlet for unscrupulous dealers.
Cigars should only be brought from official government
cigars stores. Those bought on the black market will invariably
be seized from you by customs when you leave the country.
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