When I took a public speaking class I talked about Cigars. Here it is...it was designed to inform the novice and provide details that might be missed by the new to the leaf club. It scored me an A.
Before Guavaween and Gasparilla, Ybor City was affectionately known as “Cigar City”. At one point in its rich and diverse history, it boasted 120 companies that called Ybor City their home. According to “The Immigrant World of Ybor City” , it was in one of those cigar factories that the patriot, José Marti spoke of a desire to liberate Cuba from Spain. He started the independence fight with the money donated in those cigar factories.
Cigar smoking is a culture unto itself. The names of many famous brands can be directly linked to the fine job that the Lector performed. The Lector would sit on a square raised platform and read aloud a famous book. The Lector was a rotating job that encouraged reading; some of the better Lector’s used animated hand gestures to act out the famous works. Romeo Y Julietta, was taken from the works of Shakespeare. Montecristo, from “The Count of Monte Cristo”, by Alexandre Dumas, Sancho Panza was Don Quixote's sidekick. These novels and plays transported the rollers and packers to far off lands and romantic adventures replaced the daily mundane work of hand-rolling cigars.
In order to appear knowledgeable, one must know how to cut a cigar, light it, and finally smoke it. Magazines devoted to rating these and raise public awareness to them are Smoke and Cigar Aficionado . Tampa even hosts a nationally syndicated radio call-in show called “Smoke This”. Cigars are named into groups, depending on their size, where they're made, and the tobacco leaves used. Knowing this impacts how a connoisseur would cut it. After paying top dollar, the last thing an aficionado would do is ruin it by not understanding the steps necessary to enjoy their premium cigar.
According to Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia , cigars are broken down into groups. There are several categories of cigars classified by their shape and size. These are the most common names, and knowing that makes the decision of which cutting tool to use easier. The Churchill, named after Winston Churchill himself who made the cigar one of his trademarks, measures 7 inches by 47-ring gauge (refers to the measurement for the diameter of a cigar). The Torpedo, is a cigar that’s oddly shaped. It features a pointed head (like a cone) that flares out with a bulging body and usually has a closed foot. This popular cigar type is usually a 6½-inch long cigar with a ring gauge of 52. The third most popular type of cigar is called The Robusto. This is favored by those that want to enjoy a cigar, but don’t have sufficient time to spend smoking it. It’s a much shorter cigar that measures 5-inches in length and has a 50-ring gauge. This style is expertly crafted and formed with a neatly shaped head and trimmed foot.
Now that the size and style of cigar is chosen, it’s time to pick the proper cutting tool. Each cutter performs a different task, and cannot be used on every cigar. Each cutter offers a different draw, and most times it’s a personal preference or a desired result that imparts this decision. The most common cutter is a guillotine cutter. This device is a single or double bladed instrument that chops the head of the cigar. Before cutting, bring the blade down towards the cigar just enough to tap the cigar. This ensures that the blade is positioned properly and aimed at the right spot on the cigar. The proper spot to cut is right where the cap of the cigar meets the wrapper. It’s important to leave sufficient space to ensure that enough of the cap is left surrounding the wrapper. This will prevent it from unraveling and falling apart. The punch cutter seems to be the easiest to use, but it cannot be used on all styles of cigars. This device is used by gently pushing and using a twisting motion with the enclosed circular blade. With using enough force it’s possible to ensure a perfect circle opening in the cap of the cigar. The last cutter type is the cigar scissor. This is not the same kind that is used to cut paper. This tool is specially designed for cutting cigars. The manner in which this tool is used is similar to the guillotine cutter. Leave enough of the cap so it won’t unravel.
The cigar is cut, and now it’s time to light it. To the novice this is an easy task. They would use any match or a common lighter to light it. The decision to light a cigar is as important as the type of cut made on a cigar. Using a normal match could leave a bitter ammonia-like taste, and using a Zippo style lighter would ruin a cigar with a lighter fluid taste. The most common ways to light a cigar are with butane lighter, wooden matches, or with cedar wood strips. When using one of these three methods, it’s important to use the same technique. Take the cigar in your hand and light your flame. Slowly rotate the cigar in your fingers as you lightly toast the tobacco on the foot of the cigar. Try not to let the flame touch the foot as you rotate the cigar in your fingers. Put the cigar in your mouth and continue to light as you rotate the cigar, gently puffing in every few seconds. When the cigar is lit, remove it from your mouth and look at the foot to make sure it is burning evenly. If it isn't, you can gently blow on the foot causing it to ignite the tobacco, which is not burning, or you can re-apply a flame to that area.
After the cigar is lit, it is time to enjoy it. The most pleasurable way to enjoy a cigar is to remember never, ever inhale the smoke. Inhaling cigar smoke has brought more than one person to their knees in a coughing agony. Those that smoke cigarettes usually make this mistake. Draw enough of the cigar to taste its flavors. Each region has a specific taste. Some have fruity and spicy undertones that tantalite the tastebuds and others have a creamy, buttery smooth taste that lasts on the palette. The manufacturers use master blenders to bring out the rich tobacco flavors. These people are highly knowledgeable, and keep their recipes a secret. Their talent in choosing the right amount of filler and binder leaves and aging can keep a company in business for decades.
It’s important to remember that one needs to devote time to this endeavor. This is a time for monumental relaxation. An adult libation or a friendly game of cards goes hand-in-hand with this pastime. A premium cigar can cost in upwards of $45.00, and take as many as 5 years to reach a local Tobacconist. Why ruin the cigar and its heritage by puffing hard inhaling it’s strong smoke? Relax, and enjoy a book. Strike up a conversation with a fellow cigar aficionado. Chances are that new or stronger friendship will be made. There are many brands out there that appeal to the cigar novice all the way to the seasoned cigar lover. In today’s era of political correctness it’s unwise to enjoy a cigar just anywhere. There are cigar stores and clubs where one can seek refuge from the non-smoking broods. In some of the most upscale restaurants there are even designated cigar rooms complete with walk-in humidors and specialized ventilation equipment to ease the most allergenic of people. The cigar fan has received more unjustified bad reactions due to cigarette smokers and their constant harping of “smokers’ rights” than any group deserves. Enjoy being a responsible member in The Brotherhood of the Leaf, but also know that others will always despise that “filthy habit”.
Bibliography
1) The Immigrant World of Ybor City by Gary R. Mormino and George E. Pozzetta
2) Magazines – The Cigar Aficionado and Smoke
3) Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia by Richard Perelman
4) Cigarweekly.com and Cigarbid.com – internet forums and information sites.
