A Translation Question

[CuritibaRex]

Some months ago I bought a box of 5 Jose L. Piedra brevas. The price was low (for Cubanos) and the vitola looked about right for a medium length of time smoke. Last night in anticipation of finally smoking one, I got out the box, looked it over, took out a cigar and explored it without lighting. I then went to a Cuban cigar ranking/review site online to see what others thought of this cigar. On the box it is printed "Totalmente a mano," which I always thought meant "Totally by a person" or handmade. But the site description of this stogie contended that the J.L.P. breva is machine made.

Here is my question: Am I not interpreting this Spanish term correctly, when applied to cigars?

 

[gibbleguts]

The site gave you an older description. It was a year or two ago that they switched from I believe machine made hand finished. I believe the only easy to find machine mede cigars other then club and mini sizes are the guanatamerra's. But I was shown new tubed troya's and Belinda's that should be out soon.

 

[hdroadglide]

i've noticed that some of the boxes i've read about on a review site are listed as machine made, but according to more current sources, they are now handmades.

 

[CWS]

Some are machine bunched and then hand finished.

 

[Phrankenstein]

C-Rex, After having the smoke what did you think of the J.L. Piedra Brevas?

 

[CuritibaRex]

At approx $3.75 (U.S.) apiece and the cheapest Cubano I have ever bought, I did not expect much. But the J.L.P. Breva was surprisingly good! It had that CC cache and something a lot of the higher priced CCs don't - flavor and aroma evolution that denoted a starting point and an ending. Many of the higher priced (and sadly VERY high priced) CCs I have smoked have been one-trick ponies from beginning to end. I had the J.L.P. with a large, steamy hot cup of rich, strong Brazilian coffee (it's winter here) and that helped bring out the moca, coco and choco-aromas; in addition to the natural Cuban loam/sandy earth tones that seems to come through almost all CCs. I will think of these again when thinking to buy a Cubano in the future, for sure! Unlike many CCs, one thing I can definitely say it WAS NOT .... and that is over-priced.

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

Some months ago I bought a box of 5 Jose L. Piedra brevas. The price was low (for Cubanos) and the vitola looked about right for a medium length of time smoke. Last night in anticipation of finally smoking one, I got out the box, looked it over, took out a cigar and explored it without lighting. I then went to a Cuban cigar ranking/review site online to see what others thought of this cigar. On the box it is printed "Totalmente a mano," which I always thought meant "Totally by a person" or handmade. But the site description of this stogie contended that the J.L.P. breva is machine made.

Here is my question: Am I not interpreting this Spanish term correctly, when applied to cigars?

This no longer means long filler, totally hand made cigars.

According to Min Ron Ni, they can also be machine-bunched
hand-finished with cut leaves, or long filler, but always with hand
rolled wrappers.

From his descriptions, it appears that "Totalmente a mano" really
only means hand wrapped now. At least that's the way I interpret it.

If the cigar designation begins with 4,5,or 6 then they are totally
handmade with long filler.

 

[reliefdvm]

According to the online bible "cubancigarwebsite" Since 2002 all
Cigars sold by Habonos sa are totally hand made (no more machine bunched and hand finished). They can have short filler which is designated by a TC under the Totalmente a mano most of the time. As I understand it all the JLP are short filler.

 

[strife]

Hmm, used to be that machine bunched and wrapped by hand was called "Hand Rolled" not "Hand Made". Then again that was years ago.

 

[blooz4u]

Thanks for the info! How do these smoke?

 

[Phrankenstein]

Thanks, C-Rex...You might be interested in trying Quintero, not bad for the price. I say they are on par with the JLP's. Decent, economic smoke.

 

[gibbleguts]

According to the online bible "cubancigarwebsite" Since 2002 all
Cigars sold by Habonos sa are totally hand made (no more machine bunched and hand finished). They can have short filler which is designated by a TC under the Totalmente a mano most of the time. As I understand it all the JLP are short filler.

Pretty sure this is wrong. Guantanamerra's are entirely machine made. There is also the brand new Troya's and Belinda's that I believe are machine made. We haven't brought these in yet, they were just released but I did see them at Habanos Festival

 

[reliefdvm]

You are correct - I needed to be more specific. I was addressing the practice of machine made and hand finished being called hand made - that was stopped in 2002. Are the 3 machine made brand that you listed being marketed by Habanos sa? 2 of the brands (Guant and troya) are not even listed by Habanos and the 3rd brand (Belinda) while listed does not have any cigars listed under it.

 

[gibbleguts]

They are. I have been told that the guantanamerra's have been discontinued but that there is a huge surplus of them floating around still. One high ranking Habanos official denied it but a couple more confirmed it, typical Cuban confusion. The other two are brand new quiet releases. I was shown on the way to the airport at the end of the Habanos festival. Was just informed last week that they are now available here in Canada. We haven't brought them in yet but here's hoping they are better then the guantanamerra's.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[sli38]

"Unlike many CCs, one thing I can definitely say it WAS NOT .... and that is over-priced."


To each his own, but I find the opposite to be true. I have to spend a lot more to get a decent NC than a CC. For $4 to $6 a stick there are multitudes of CC's that are heavenly and I would much rather smoke than a PAM or Opus or Tatuaje or whatever that costs much more......

 

[terrantheman]

$3.75 is way overpriced for this stick, you should be looking from the $2-$3 range. Hell for a quarter more you could be smoking a Boli PC at that price you could be smoking a RASCC or even Party short and it all of these you're getting tobacco from better growing regions.

 

[sli38]

SC principes for even less....lol

 

[terrantheman]

true dat

 

[gibbleguts]

Depends on your tax region. Here in canada a it is $19 for a party short and $7 for a JLP cazadores. Our customs is on top of most so mail order doesn't work well either. You guys don't know how good you have it with your low taxes and ease of getting things shipped in.

$3.75 is way overpriced for this stick, you should be looking from the $2-$3 range. Hell for a quarter more you could be smoking a Boli PC at that price you could be smoking a RASCC or even Party short and it all of these you're getting tobacco from better growing regions.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[strife]

The Party Habanero at $1.90 a stick. It may be small and while not the most complex as far as flavors go it kicks it up enough in the last third to make it well worth the price.