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Cuba &
Cigars
When
mentioning Pinar del Rio you are talking about the best Cuban tabacco
and visiting one of its plantations is like to go to the most important
university, that is why we made this pages where biginners or outstanding
specialists can find the answers to any question concerning the
special leaf.
On
November 5 in 1492, two sailors of Christopher Columbus, who were
exploring the areas of Cuba discovered something which surprised
them greatly. Later, Christobal (Christopher) himself wrote about
it in his diary, "on route they came across a number of people.
The men had a smouldering stick in their hands and certain herbs,
which were dry and wrapped in a musket style leaf that was also
dry, and lit at one end. At the other end they sucked or inhaled
or received that smoke, when they breathed in ..."
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They
had discovered the land of tobacco without being aware of
the extention of their report. Europeans learned the art of
smoking from the native Cuban people. Juan Nicot, French ambassador
in Lisbon, informed Catalina de Médicis that this be
known as the "Queen's herb," until the Swedish naturalist,
Linneo, settled upon the "nicotine," precisely in
honour of Nicot. Later, Francis Drake, introduced tobacco
into thwe UK. At the same time, two famous cardinals popularised
it in Italy, and in this way tabacco spread throughout Europe.
Originating
from Cuba, tabacco is grown and harvested in several regions
of the island, especially in Vueltabajo plantations, situated
in Pinar del Río province. There is no doubt that the
best cigars in the world come from this region. |
The
tabacco plant is very delicate. Selecting the best in all phases
of the process is the plantation manager's basic emblem. In their
opinion, the constant care that tabacco demands, starting from the
preparation of the ground and going through to the packaging of
the product, determines its quality.
Sowing
the small seeds is one of the first steps, but it is followed by
other steps that are equally complicated. These include transplanting,
supervising the period of growth (the plant should not measure less
than two feet or more than five), choosing which leaves to cut,
and threading them onto a string for the purposes of drying, curing
and fermenting in "tobacco barns." Then there is another
selection process for the humidifying stage; afterwards they are
smeared with a special paste, after being separated on the basis
of quality and subsequent use. Finally they are packaged and sent
to the tobacconists who apply their secular craft to the dark leaves
of the cigar-to-be. Different shapes, sizes, strengths and flavours
emerge from their masterly hands..
Tobacco barns stand out on the plantation landscape.
they have a high ridge and are built with wood and palm leaves,
and face from east to west so that they benefit from the early morning
sun. Factories are generally located in cities and towns; they emerged
in the years 1835-1850 and it was in those small workshops where
the first workforces were formed.
Cigars are provided with rings or bands, lithographic
labels of a specific trade name, which represents their quality
seal. Vistas, true works of art, are the leaves placed in with the
cigars for the purposes of protection once the box is opened. There
are thousands of cigar band enthusiasts in the world who passionately
collect these valuable examples of this ancient Cuban art.
Cedar is mainly used in the manufacture of cigar
boxes; it is a prized wood with an intense pleasant smell that keeps
out insects, at the same time as it preserves the cigar's aroma
and maintains the required level of humidity.
The city of Pinar del Río celebrates a Cigar
Fiesta every year in honour of the cigar's importance in the economic,
social and cultural development of the country. This provides an
exclusive opportunity to learn the secrets stored by this historic
crop and to establish strong contacts among people from the scientific
and business worlds or with experts in the sphere of tobacco.
The
next pages will explain you all about the Cuban Cigar, its history,
production and much more ...
Tobacco
Experiment Station of San Juan y Martínez
The Tobacco Experiment Station was founded January
31, 1937, by the National Commission of Defense and Propaganda of
the Habano, it is the second oldest scientific-technical institution
of Cuba. The first investigations in experimental fields of the
area were carried out during the tobacco harvest 1932/1933, which
were the base for the creation of the Station.
It is located in the western region of the island,
in the province of Pinar del Rio, in the municipality of San Juan
y Martínez, well-known as "The Meca of Tobacco",
because of its traditional fame in the development of plantations
of excellent and exquisite leaves, with which the "Habanos"
are elaborated, exceptional cigars all over the world due to their
aroma and quality.
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& Sources:
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