This is really spot on. I never really noticed how hard it was to find out the tobaccos used in the bunch until I started rolling my own. No one talks about the fillers they use its always very vague.
Interesting Take On Cuban Cigars
- Thread starter Craig Mac
- Start date
Jfire
BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
Well it's mostly all one blend.
AlohaStyle
BoM Sept '12 & Aug '13
Agreed. Look how long some cigars have been around. It's impossible for a lot of the popular cigars to have the exact same tobacco from year to year. Blends can be as simple as saying a CT Broadleaf wrapper, Estelli binder, Jalapa/Estelli filler etc. If the cigar is good/popular, the manufacturer tries its hardest to replicate the tobacco sourcing/farms but sometimes they can't get the exact same tobacco they used before. It's common for producers to use a different broadleaf wrapper because supply is limited or they find something else they like etc.
The same goes for Cuba. They try to replicate as best they can, but various things come up where it doesn't happen. But, they get tobacco that is most similar to what has been used before. The people that run the blending/sourcing in Cuba know they want Robaina wrapper for Cohiba, Trinidad etc and try to replicate that every year. They can take a different good farm like Prieto and use his tobacco for wrappers on Montecristo, Partagas etc. Other farms can be known to produce good fillers. Other farms known to have good tobacco for binders. It's the same philosophy, just different methods of doing it. But when you talk to the farmers in Cuba, it is true they don't know where their tobacco goes.
Many things go into blending but in general, it's just a recipe to follow from year to year and there can be variances for reasons out of the manufacturers control.
ChefBoyRG54
BoM Sept '14 & BoY 2014
I ordered more today. It was easy deciding what to buy since they're all the same
Smoqman
BoM Aug. 2014
I haven't been to Cuba and seen their cigar making processes from start to finish. I haven't talked to an experienced Cuban torcedor nor anyone else from one of the Mother factories about the information I'm curious to learn, so there is no way I'm could offer any thing I "know" on the topic (as it has transformed from an opinion of one man's claims about the Cuban cigar industry - into a discussion of uniformed opinions and conjecture.
So, I simply cannot comment.
So, I simply cannot comment.
Craig Mac
BoM 4/10 7/11 12/14
Question my reasoning for posting this? Why? Because I work for a retailer? I am assuming that considering the Tootsie roll comment. I said more than once in this thread the assumptions in the OP were some pretty bold claims and even said they were "hard to believe" as well. God forbid there be a passionate thread about cigars on a cigar forum. If you have a personal problem with me take to PM, if you have a problem with this thread, hit the back button.
herfdog
I am no rocket surgeon
I haven't seen that... where? The only forum mentions I got was some habanos forums I know nothing about. Must have missed something somewhere.
--- this is truly a question, as I am really interested about that fact, not a statement that this was never done, nor a way of supporting the specific B&M guy. --- (apparently we need to cover our tail-end with all sorts of explanations in this thread...)
*attempts to derail thread*I ordered more today. It was easy deciding what to buy since they're all the same
what you get?
Jfire
BoM 9/9' 9/11' 8/12'
I'm good mac try to have a good Monday.
ChefBoyRG54
BoM Sept '14 & BoY 2014
I don't have enough knowledge to from an opinion and I obviously love both CC & NC cigars. This thread reminded me of this interview with Pete Johnson a while back and thought I'd post it just to see what everyone thought about his comment. You can skip to about the 8:30 mark where the comment on Cuban cigars today.
Hoshneer
Drew Estate NotRex
I am enjoying this thread. I always love to hear everyone's point of view on different situations it helps me make informed decisions. This is one of the things that make this such a great place. This forum is the only place I've found that has a wealth of knowledge from such a diverse group. It has been a good read. Whether you believe one side or the other maybe even a little of both these things are worth discussing because not everyone is as well informed. Thanks for all the input.
Hoshneer
Drew Estate NotRex
Something weird happened in my mid thirties.. I haven't figured it out quite yet. Don't worry I'm sure I'll still have my moments. I did have some pretty good guys to look up to on here. Some of you guys will never know how much I appreciate it.
I think this was referenced earlier. And I think I am correct when I say it behooves Pete to have CCs go away completely and or suck. Therefore, I believe that this is a conflict of interest. He benefits from telling people that, take his word as the Bible, that CCs are terrible or are only one blend. That way, they'll repeat it all the while saying that Tats are way better and buying them up.
Oh and before you say i didn't like Tats, you are wrong. I love them. I love CCs as well. I happen to like multiple kinds of Tats and CCs, because you know, there ARE DIFFERENT KINDS THAT TASTE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
I don't know about his quote, but I loved the video. Thanks for sharing.
Not that we really need to hammer this home... but this point really underscores how absurd this guy's article is. Take Pepin, for example. So this guy lives in Cuba, develops his knowledge of the cigar craft in Cuba, isolated from the rest of the world, supposedly not ever really "blending" for all those decades, gets asylum and all of a sudden at middle age develops an astounding ability to blend and craft very distinct and refined cigars as soon as he gets to Nicaragua?
Oh yeah that's right I forgot... it was Nicaraguan blenders in Esteli that taught Pepin how to blend. All makes sense now.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2014
- Messages
- 1,543
This exactly. These guys learned this doing it in Cuba, it didn't just happen when they left..Not that we really need to hammer this home... but this point really underscores how absurd this guy's article is. Take Pepin, for example. So this guy lives in Cuba, develops his knowledge of the cigar craft in Cuba, isolated from the rest of the world, supposedly not ever really "blending" for all those decades, gets asylum and all of a sudden at middle age develops an astounding ability to blend and craft very distinct and refined cigars as soon as he gets to Nicaragua?
Oh yeah that's right I forgot... it was Nicaraguan blenders in Esteli that taught Pepin how to blend. All makes sense now.
Mr. McSquirelly
Joe Bananas
Dave just seems like an industry stooge. Not only is his article unreadable, but the whole description of his trip is flat, insipid, and dumb. Here's a guy who has been in the cigar industry for 30 years--so he claims. Now he takes a life-long dream trip to Cuba. His first thought about this trip, "God Bless America." But what he really means to say is, probably, "God Bless the American cigar market." I also don't believe that he got a tour of all the Habanos S.A. production facilities. Habanos S.A. is one of the most secretive institutions in the world. All of a sudden, they're going to pull down the curtain for a group of gringo tourists? No way.
This article undermines the very fundamentals of journalistic integrity. It's the reason real journalists cannot stomach the horrible influx of bloggers like this man. "Get this," Dave writes, "There is no blend." Says who? Some dopey gringo who's convinced himself of the delusion that he's a cigar expert. Anytime a professional journalist makes a statement of that caliber, they need to source it. Who's the source, Dave? Did you speak with the factory manager and he told you this? Did you speak with the current CEO of Habanos S.A., and he told you this? Or is this statement merely the assumption of a pompous and stupid ignoramus? Because that's what it sounds like to me.
That's how the intelligent and discerning reader can separate real professional journalism from nonsensical, uninformed, and presumptuous gibberish like Dave's bullshit. Judge the source! In fact, Dave is the only source in this whole article. There is no authority in the article to verify his claims other than himself. Judging by his impressions of Cuba, by the idiotic way he writes, and by his obvious lack of intelligence and brain-power, I would say Dave's article has absolutely no credibility whatsoever, and neither does Dave himself. Dave is the reason that foreigners, the world over, f-ing detest Americans. Can you blame them?
This article undermines the very fundamentals of journalistic integrity. It's the reason real journalists cannot stomach the horrible influx of bloggers like this man. "Get this," Dave writes, "There is no blend." Says who? Some dopey gringo who's convinced himself of the delusion that he's a cigar expert. Anytime a professional journalist makes a statement of that caliber, they need to source it. Who's the source, Dave? Did you speak with the factory manager and he told you this? Did you speak with the current CEO of Habanos S.A., and he told you this? Or is this statement merely the assumption of a pompous and stupid ignoramus? Because that's what it sounds like to me.
That's how the intelligent and discerning reader can separate real professional journalism from nonsensical, uninformed, and presumptuous gibberish like Dave's bullshit. Judge the source! In fact, Dave is the only source in this whole article. There is no authority in the article to verify his claims other than himself. Judging by his impressions of Cuba, by the idiotic way he writes, and by his obvious lack of intelligence and brain-power, I would say Dave's article has absolutely no credibility whatsoever, and neither does Dave himself. Dave is the reason that foreigners, the world over, f-ing detest Americans. Can you blame them?
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