Been smoking more Havana's lately and wondering what gives them that distinctive tang?

I taste it in Montes, and in Jose Piedra machine mades, I taste it in the RyJ coronita en cedro, I even taste it in the tiny LGC minis! My cigar vocabulary is not evolved, but upon exhale I always perceive a tasty tang that lingers long.

If it's in the soil, I would think that our advanced ag chemists could analyze it and re-create it through additives. If it's in the climate, I would think that other caribbean countries would be sufficiently identical.

I would also think that this question's been asked like a million times, but I don't ever recall seeing it.

location location location

As lucrative as you might think cigar business is, I don't think that the research needed to do a soil match will be worth in the long run. With that said, I don't beleive that the taste can be duplicated, it is just a Cuban thing!

It's the soil.

From what I understand, Cuban soil is lacking in Magnesium which is the reason for the dark grey ash and, of course the distinct flavor.

I would think it could be quite difficult to remove magnesium from thousands of acres of tobacco farm land.

"...Cuban soil is lacking in Magnesium..."

Well, that makes some sense. If the difference was that Cuban soil was rich in magnesium (or any element) then that could be added by soil amendments. But removing magnesium? Can't be done.

"You know, cinch bugs, you know, manganese. A lot of people don't even know what that means."

http://www.carlspackler.com/sounds/143.wav 

"Cannonball!"

It's like thse Hagen Das Ice Cream commercials.

It's not what they put in ...

... it's what they leave out.

Cuba's growers are poor people, and the farmers do not have a lot of money to put fertilzers and amendmnents into their soil, so it's pretty much the 'waste' from their animals and livestock that they use to fertilize.

Also, there are 'micro-climates' and certain other soil conditions in Cuba that are found nowhere else in the world ...

There's nothing like the smell of manure to get me excited about a cigar!

Anyone know of any non-ISOMs that smell (literally) like a barnyard? I know the Brazilia's do.

Skatty,

The Torano Tributes and JL Salazars have the Habano barnyard fragrance. Both are outstanding gars too.

E4A

I tell you the truth " CUBA sold it's soul to the devil"

That's why they taste so good!!!

And it seems like half of us are on the same path, coma!

Coma-

My wife is from CUBA and the devil will "assume room temperature" at some point. Hopefully, the people will get their soul back along with everything else. In the meantime...Smoke'm if you got'em

lrg

They are rolled on the thighs of young virgins.

Fidel pees on each & every tobacco plant.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's the tobacco...

;-)