The summer 2004 Smoke magazine has a very interesting article on cigar legends and weather they are truth or myth. Legend #7 is regarding the use of "pre-embargo cuban tobacco" in cigars.

Seems all the experts consulted agree that there is no such thing (guess they forgot to ask K. Hansotia). They say raw tobacco just doesn't have a shelf life that would support it. Two folks quoted in the piece are Kiki Berger, and Tony Borhani.

Makes you wonder about those $100+ 5-packs. Don't know what was in them, but if you believe the folks who live this stuff it wasn't Cuban tobacco.

Talk to the Canadians, they developed a fairly conclusive chemical test. If a competitor company wants to talk trash, they should put up, and have the cigars tested.

when did the summmer smoke mag come out, did you buy it at a store or do you have a subscription?

GIG'em

I've been saying that for the past couple of years now ... the so called 'pre-embargo' leaf just never seems to run out.

Where do they keep finding this very old tobacco?

... it just doesn't make sense.

That was a fun article. I have to say, I have always been suspect of a cigar that claims to be Pre-Embargo, and costs more than a mid-priced hooker! Sure you get less chatter from the cigar, but by all acounts you still get F*'d by both!

Re: Summer Issue of SMOKE: I must have been a good boy....I got a free copy with my last C-BID order. No matches, but rather a great magazine! The order was $300 plus.

Craig

Yup....interesting article and it says if there was some tobacco leaves around not rolled they would be dust by now.

Either way, that Pinar P3000 I smoked was d@mn good IMHO, but I was disappointed that there are so many companys that would deceive if it isn't true.

John L

Just like Club, got my copy with my last CBid shipment. I'll take it over matches any day!

I've heard a lot about missing bundles found in some corner of a drying hut that had 50 year old Cuban leaves. I can't buy that as true. Don't tobacco leaves have to be turned and handled from time to time to prevent uneven humidity and excessive fermentation (or composting)?

How can you miss a batch of Havana leaves?

I just don't think there's such a thing as "Pre-embargo" unless someone kept some rolled cigars in a very strictly controlled environment.

It's probably like when a soup company makes chicken noodle soup & drags a chicken carcass through the big vat of soup.

Or like the Energizer bunny.

Or Timex....takes a lickin' & keeps on tickin'.

OR!!! Area 51! You don't think they really spend $20,000 on a toilet seat do you?

Some pre-embargo tobacco may have existed in the begining but only the people involved know for certain. However, the fact that it never runs out,kinda like the "one time release Partagas 150" makes think. X

Sorry I don't buy it 🙂

I just bought an antique box full of real pre-embargo cuban cigars. I will post a picture.

WOW, I don't suppose your planning on sharing those with us?

Had to ask. Would love to see the pic.

JohnL

Supposedly the leaves are (ideally) fermented/aged at 70/70. Why wouldn't they last as long as a cigar?

Jerdog, can you share with us the circumstances of how you bought an atique humi full of pre-embargos? Its one of my greatest fantasies. Were they in decent condition? Have you smoked one yet?

http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y01/apr01/06e8.htm 

Test can tell genuine Cuban cigars from cheap fakes

Heather Sokoloff. National Post. Canada, April 6, 2001

Scientists at Canada Customs have developed a chemical test to detect counterfeit Cuban cigars.

The test to looks for a unique chemical signature in tobacco leaves processed and grown in Cuba and tests tells scientists which cigars are fakes brought in by smugglers. Cuban cigars range from $200 for a box of 25, to $1,500 for rare brands.

The test also enables customs officials to find cigars disguised to bypass duty and taxes. Smugglers roll real Cuban tobacco into fake containers, and repackage them once they have crossed the border.

Last year 1,400 boxes of suspect cigars were seized and sent to a customs lab in Ottawa, where scientists spent days trying to determine their authenticity based on appearance and smell.

The test does the job faster and more accurately, said Lay-Keow Ng, a scientist at the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, who spent a year developing it.

"Tobacco is a dirty, complex mixture. Sometimes we test it and see that it's from Cuba, but made from scrap tobacco leaves," Ms. Ng said.

Ms. Ng isolates acids in the tobacco leaves with an instrument similar to one used to detect drugs in athletes' urine. She compares acid ratios in the suspect tobacco with acids in real Cuban leaves.

The customs scientists may be the first to use science to determine the authenticity of Cuban tobacco, said Ms. Ng. They are expecting interest from U.S. officials, where the sale of Cuban cigars is banned.

Cigar retailers say much of the smuggling is done by Canadian tourists travelling to Cuba.

end of article

It is my understanding that none of the claimed pre-embargo cigars had enough Cuban leaf contained within them for the Canadian acid test to be valid. Here, of course, is the peculiar caveat. There is nothing to prevent the importation of Cuban leaf to those cigar producing countries who have no embargo against Cuba. Blends containing both Cuban and non-Cuban leaf are available in most of the world. Condal from the Spanish Canary islands is a good example.

Cigarick --- I 'borrowed' this from CigarNexus Cigar Consel by Steve Saka ... and I post this verbatim ...

"I wholeheartedly subscribe to the theory that aging has a critical impact on a cigar's body and flavor. Initial aging after their rolling is essential to allow the cigar to dry and stabilize. Not only will this greatly improve the flavor, but also greatly improve the burn and draw. Stabilization takes only 6 to 8 weeks, however allowing your cigars to age even longer will let the flavors of the blend meld and mellow into a more harmonious smoke. A cigar's complexities and nuances will be greatly enhanced with long-term aging in a proper environment.

On the other hand, I am also a firm believer that cigars do not perpetually age for the better. Every cigar eventually hits a peak, and from there on it is downhill. So it is just as important to not overage your cigars, as it is to age them in the first place.

The younger the cigar the more drastic the impact time has upon it; 3 months can mean a world of difference to a freshly rolled cigar, whereas 3 months are negligible when dealing with 15 year old sticks.

Assigning fixed blocks of time is impossible, each box of cigars is different, and it will respond differently to aging. With that said, here are some ballpark figures to use:

1 Year - Cigars should be smoked within a few weeks of being rolled if you desire that "Chincales" type flavor, otherwise they should be allowed to rest for a year without exception. All cigars are better a year later in my opinion.

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1 to 2 Years - This is a good time to start smoking those Habanos and Hondurans. This is also the peak period for many Dominicans, and most light bodied smokes.

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2 to 5 Years - These are the peak years for most other cigars. Typically the stronger fuller bodied cigars age better over a longer duration of time. This is why Havana Bolivars, Partagas, and Ramon Allones are all considered cigars that age beautifully. The same logic applies to all countries of origin

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7 to 10 Years - This is about the maximum aging time for me on almost all cigars. After this point, I find most cigars become too mellow and too pale in body for me to enjoy.

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10+ Years - At this point we enter into the realm of "vintage" cigars in my book. Many of these cigars will be so flat and boring they are worthless to smoke, while others will take on unique characteristics that will make them enjoyable smokes. One such trait is a musty smell and a taste that is similar to snuff. Another rarer long-term aging trait is cigars taking on an odd scent that is commonly referred to as the "stinky cheese-like smell." This odd reference is due to their pre-light bouquet being similar in scent to a ripe wheel of Stilton Cheese. Though it may sound unappealing, these cigars are a delight to smoke and are highly prized by vintage cigar collectors worldwide. Many pay top dollar to secure these smokes. Regardless of the flavor characteristics of vintage vitlolas, very seldom do any of these cigars maintain any quantitative strength at this level of aging. Also, only the fullest bodied cigars have any chance of being worthwhile smokes after this many years.

There are many exceptions to the above, it is only meant to serve as a rough guideline for your convenience. All handmade long filler cigars improve with aging, so before you dismiss any cigar as "bad" you should allow it to rest untouched for awhile. You will be genuinely surprised how many of those poor cigars blossom into enjoyable smokes. However, aging can not improve cigars that are made from inferior or under-cured tobacco.

The best way to determine the impact of time on your cigars is to smoke one occasionally from an aging box and to take detailed tasting notes. I am certain that you will see drastic improvement in the quality of your smoking experience as you allow your cigars to age. However, regardless of the age, once you find a box that no longer is improving with time consider the smoking lamp lit and enjoy them!"

Being that the cigars are around 50 years old, they may not technically be "antiques", but they are older than me. I purchased the box at an auction site from Nick at Gotham Cigar Museum, Clearwater, Florida. Every purchase I have made from Nick has been just as he describes (conditions vary on old cigars) and stored at the proper conditions. They are Blackstone cigars -all havana filler- rolled in Pennsylvania circa 1950. I just posted the picture (not sure how it turned out). The packaging is nothing special or glamorous looking.

These cigars are corona size perfectos and are in superb condition with very yellow cello. The inside of the box has a very pleasant fermented fruit aroma, similar to the box of Torano tributes when I opened it.

I had to smoke one last night and I nubbed it. It had a nice claro wrapper and was rolled like a rock with a great draw and long white ash. On the box it says "Extremely Mild". However, I found that it started mild, quickly progressed to medium, then pretty strong for the last third, almost over-powering at the very end. In general it had a nice rounded cuban flavor with hints of sweet citrus.

While these may not be the legendary pre-embargo Cuban cigars we read about at Christies auctions, they are still a very satisfying purchase for a novice collector like me!

:^)

That's truly one of the exceptions. I am sure there a are a number of well-kept boxes of rolled cigars floating around.

I am, however suspicious of the bundles of leaves "found in the corner of a warehouse in Tampa" that date to pre embargo days. Gotta be in pretty raunchy shape and of little use for making cigars.