HAVANA CIGARS Interesting facts

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Selecting Your Cigars

A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco, one end of which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the smoker�s mouth and lungs. Cigars manufactured in Cuba are generally thought to be without peer, thanks to both the uniqueness of the Vuelta Abajo district in the Pinar del R�o Province at the west of the island, where a microclimate permits unequalled tobacco to be cultivated, and to the expertise of the nation�s cigar makers.

Three of your five senses are involved when selecting a cigar:
Sight
the wrapper must appeal to the eye. The range in color of a cigar depends on:
a) how the plant was grown, as shaded plants have lighter colors, while fully exposed plants are darker
b) the section of the plant the leaf came from, as bottom and middle leaves are lighter and the top leaves tend to be darker
c) the fermentation period, as longer fermentation leads to darker leaves.
Touch
your cigar should feel solid but cushiony to the touch.
Smell
rich aromas should surface from both the box and the foot of the cigar.

Why buy Cuban Cigars from Spain?

Spain is and always has been the spiritual home of the Cuban cigar. Here�s why: � Cigars as we know them today were first produced in Spain using Cuban tobacco � this even predates Cuban cigar production. � The Spanish-owned Habanos S.A. is the sole company in Cuba responsible for the export of Cuban cigars around the world. � Most of the classic Havana cigars of today � Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Fonseca, Hoyo de Monterrey, Flor de T. Partagas, Ramon Allones, Jose L. Piedra � were first created by Spanish emigrants living in Cuba. Only Cohiba and Trinidad cigars were created by native Cubans. � Spain is and always has been the largest importer of Cuban cigars. � Spain has a large group of official �estancos� or government-controlled tobacco shops, unlike most countries that have only specialized stores for Cuban cigars. � The Spanish government has the longest history of dealing with the problems of fake cigars. The ratio of fake cigars to the real thing is more or less inverse to the situation in the USA, i.e. in Spain the estimated proportion of fake Cuban cigars is nearer to 5% than the 95% of the USA.

Cohiba Siglo VI The Siglo VI cigar is the newest line in the Cohiba brand, with a Vitola de Galera � format � known as Ca�onazo, with base measurements of 52 x 6� in length. Made in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the L�nea 1492, the Siglo VI became available in 2003. Its large format makes it possible to completely appreciate the aroma and taste of the L�nea 1492 with total intensity.

Cohiba cigars can sell for as much as $50 on the black market in the United States. The company that manufactures them is locked in a dispute with an American competitor that sells a cigar with the same name and a similar logo.

Trinidad The Trinidad is one of the �new� Cuban brands that will be marketed to the US once the embargo is lifted. The Trinidad Fundadores has been produced solely for Fidel Castro since 1980. They were first made available in Canada and Mexico in April 1998, and later became available to the world market. These Trinidads have a taste all their own, with a construction that gives flawless smoking from beginning to end.

Fake Cuban Cigars

Cuban cigars are looked upon as one of life�s most generous luxuries. There are a lot of advantages to being a cigar counterfeiter, although the money is not quite as excessive as in the drug trade. The number one rule of recognizing counterfeit Cuban cigars is the age-old saying �caveat emptor� � buyers beware.

The truth is that most �Cuban cigars� that Americans smoke, are not Havanas at all. Counterfeit cigars are frequently put in authentic used boxes and then sold as singles in clubs, bars and restaurants. Here are some tips that might save you a few bucks: 1. If you see others smoking cigars that are said to be Cuban, look at the ash. Cuban cigar ash is a distinctive dark gray, unlike most non-Cubans that tend to have almost white ash. 2. Look at the cap wrapper. Cuban cigars are finished in such a way that the cap wrapper has 3 individual wrappers that you can easily see. 3. There should be no cellophane on handmade cigars except in the 3/5 pak Petacas style packaging. Machine made cigars are typically packed in cellophane sleeves. The counterfeit industry in Cuba is bigger and more organized than the genuine Cuba cigar industry. The bottom line is, any cigar not bought from a government-licensed merchant in Cuba is most certainly guaranteed to be a counterfeit of some kind. Americans are easy targets since most of them have never seen, much less smoked, a legitimate Cuban cigar.

From the planting of seeds to nailing the box shut, Cuban cigars require upwards of 100 steps to complete the coveted masterpiece. Counterfeit cigars, although appearing genuine, are inevitably a disappointment, due to poor quality tobacco and inferior construction. With so many new smokers looking for Cuban cigars, the fake-cigar situation is more widespread than ever these days.

Interesting Cuban Cigar Facts
Q. What is that cedar sheet doing in my cigar box? A. This cedar is used to light your cigar. Traditional matches tend to give cigars a bad sulfur flavor, so you can just tear of a strip of cedar, light the end of it, and use it to light your cigar.

Q. What are the bands on the cigars really for? A. In 18th century Russia, the Empress Catherine II decorated her cigars with delicate silk bands, so that her royal fingers wouldn�t get stained while she was smoking. This inspired the bands that you will find on most cigars.

In October 2004, US President George W. Bush�s administration tightened the ban on Americans importing Cuban cigars. A notice released by the Treasury Department�s Office of Foreign Assets Control stated �there is now an across-the-board ban on the importation of Cuban-origin cigars.� The rules formerly permitted Americans licensed to travel to Cuba to bring back to the United States up to 100 dollars� worth of Cuban goods including cigars.