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Joe Sweigart, Gary Williams of The Sea Shanty, Elaine Sweigart and Brad McDonald, DUDE Publisher
There is one famous case where a large shipment of Cuban cigars arrived in Spain and when the boxes were opened, they found nothing but paper. All the cigars were stolen for black market sales to tourists on the streets of Havana. The Three-Ring Finish So now you know about how the Cuban maestros do the bunching. They also finish the outside wrapper differently. You may have heard of the three-ring finish. It has to do with how they apply the panuelo, which is the reinforcement wrap of extra tobacco around the shoulder and neck of the cigar. The production rollers use a technique where they cut the end of the tobacco and wrap it around the neck of the cigar. It’s called the ‘flag,’ which wraps around the neck one time producing a ‘ring’ or edge of tobacco that is visible. After wrapping the stem of the cigar, the Cuban maestros cut the excess tobacco completely off. Then they make three cuts with their ‘chaveta’ producing a sliver of tobacco, which wraps around the stem two times producing two rings or edges. In both techniques, they cut a circle of tobacco to cover the head of the cigar producing another ring or edge. Count them. The production rollers produce two rings (flag + end cap) while the Cubans produce three rings. This means you have a lot more leeway when it comes to opening the cigar to smoke it with the common guillotine cutter because the three-ring finish goes farther down the stem of the cigar, as opposed to the shorter two-ring finish.
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The Bottom Line Cuban construction of cigars is definitely better. They produce an excellent draw and are more forgiving when it comes to cutting the cigars. However, their tobacco is inconsistent. Dominican tobacco is much more consistent than Cuban tobacco. I can also tell you that most American cigar smokers prefer a milder smoke, which is more indicative of Dominican tobacco than Cuban. Further, since 1962, Cuba can no longer use the finest outside wrapper leaf in the world – Connecticut shade. Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan, etc. cigar makers can use Connecticut shade to finish their cigars making them some of the finest in the world. FYI – DUDE Cigars are handcrafted with Dominican fillers & binders and wrapped with Connecticut shade. They are also constructed by one of the best Cuban maestros in the world. So who needs inconsistent Cuban cigars when you can get the finest cigars in the world right here. Long Ashes, Baby
FIVE TIPS FOR DUDE’S TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT CIGAR THE LOOK. You don’t want to see heavy veins. Light, thinner veins mean a higher- quality cigar. THE FEEL. Slightly pinch the cigar with the tips of your fingers and your thumb all the way up and down the entire shaft to make sure there are no hard or soft spots. The cigar should be consistent and slightly spongy. THE DRAW. After you open and begin to light the cigar, it should draw easily. THE BURN. If you light the foot 100 percent, it should burn evenly throughout the entire smoke. THE LONG ASH. It should develop a long ash as your smoke progresses. LONG ASHES BABY! JOE SWEIGART Joe@cigartainment.com 404-441-4438
Fall/Winter 2010-2011