Previous to 2003 Cuba did not age their tobacco - they literally rolled it and sold it. I know sometime around 2003 in a move to compete in a market that was being taken over by other countries producing wonderful cigars they implemented more stringent manufacturing and QC measures to improve their cigars. One was to use equipment to determine how tightly the cigars were being rolled (there were a whole lot of issues with plugged cigars) and also to start aging tobacco before the rolling process (not unlike most of the non-Cuban cigar manufacturing world).
I have smelled the ammonia and tasted "sick" cigars - and I'd oftened wondered why Cuban cigars were made that way. I think there's some pretty good evidence of the changes in using aged tobacco in some of the newer creations coming out of Cuba - such as the Cohiba Behike - is yielding incredible results. I have also noticed a consistency in their cigars that has been unlike anything I'd experienced 10 years ago.
I don't think Cuban cigars are going 'flat', but I do think any cigar heavily depends on the growing conditions during a given year. I was fortunate to have sampled quite a few 98 vintage Cuban cigars. I can't imagine there will ever be a year like that ever again.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks