"Cigars are no longer just for the seasoned smoker.      They have become a staple in society for rookies and veterans alike,        representing an air of character, class and pleasure. Whether it's a          satisfying smoke after dinner, during a round of golf, or out at the          bar for drinks, cigars are the perfect complement to your lifestyle        because that is exactly what defines cigar smoking:      -- your lifestyle. Welcome to the good life!"
CIGAR CULTURE
Seed to barn

The duration from seed planting to harvesting is 17 weeks for shade grown or wrapper leaf plants and 16 weeks for sun-grown or filler and binder leaves. Fields are planted at different times to spread the burden of crop caring.

Animal traction is still carefully used for field ploughing so as to properly loosen and aerate the soil.

Shade grown, or wrapper leaf plants demand extraordinary labor as these are entirely covered by muslin cloth canopies and individually strung to the frame.

The plants are ready for harvesting 40 days into the process and one plant can take up to 30 days to harvest, as only two to three leaves can be picked at one time.

For more information on the cultivation of tobacco leaves Click here!


Barn To Bench

Filler leaves undergo:
50 days of air curing in the Barn and 25-30 days of fermentation in the Sorting House. The leaves are then taken to the Stripping House to be moistened and hand-stripped of their center vein. A second fermentation then takes place of at least 45-90 days. A third fermentation is reserved for exceptional cigars, such as Edición Limitadas and Cohibas to further develop and enhance the flavours and aromas.

Wrappers or Shade-grown leaves undergo:
25 days of air curing, a minimum of 30 days fermentation and at least 6 months of ageing.

For more information on the processing of tobacco leaves Click here!



Bench To Box

Each torcedor, or roller, specializes in one particular size and only the most experienced torcedor is permitted to roll the larger sized cigars.
To begin, there are three leaves integral to the composition of a Habanos.

The Filler Leaf: The calculated blend of these three filler leaves depends entirely on the varying House flavors. Ligero - Full-flavored leaves from the top of the plant.
Seco - Medium flavored leaves from the centre of the plant.
Volado - Milder flavors from the bottom of the plant.

The Binder Leaf: This leaf encases the filler leaves to form a 'bunch', which is then placed into a wooden mould to further set their shape.

The Wrapper Leaf: This leaf always remains a little moist to ensure a perfect stretch around the filler and binder leaves.
The cap is cut separately and wound around the head of the cigar to close off the open end and secure the wrapper.
Finally, using vegetable gum, a small disc of tobacco is secured to the head of the cigar, which is then guillotined to length.

Cigar Batches

Each batch of cigars is labelled with the torcedor's number, the type of cigar and the date of manufacture to facilitate a strict quality control. cigars are tested for combustion, color, rolling quality, dimensions and the finish of the cap. Torcedors are paid per cigar.
Cuban cigar Color Classifications
Cigar wrappers naturally display around 12 different colors and up to 72 different shades. Ensuring that each box is consistent in color is a great task accomplished in by the Escojedores (choosers) who work in pairs to color-match the wrappers.

The Anilladora

The anilladora or bander manually applies the band to each and every cigar making sure the bands line up perfectly within the box , which is also entirely hand-crafted

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