What makes a cuban cigar better than the rest?

[Rbraczyk]

I'd really like to know, because as true as it is, its damn puzzling!

[kevin7]

All the hype and BS that comes with it.

Truthfully they are just anotherb good cigar for the most part. Don't wear yourself out looking ,buying ,and smoking them. I have had great ones and horribly crappy ones.

K7

[Dmitri]

Well, I've never had a bad ISOM, but there is the fact that they are all hand made from quality tobacco. But the tobacco itself is different than others because anywhere any plant is grown, it inherits traits from the soil.

[cigarsarge]

I prefer the flavor profile of good Cuban cigars. There are also many good domestics to be had. Just smoke what you like...After all smoking is a personal thing.

[Island Epicurean]

Cuba, Especially the Pino Del Rey Region (I know this is not spelled right), has incredible soil for toabcco growth. They are quite possibly the best growing conditions in the World......

[Cohibanut]

I think it's probably the same thing as with French wine. First of all, centuries of savoir faire have impacted on the quality of the stuff. Then the climate which is , in both example, absolutely ideal for both.

Having said that I guess both Wines and Cigars (had to put a capital letter on those two God given marvels.... ) will have the same challenge to face namely countries catching up in making very VERY decent products. France may not hold the flag of exceptional wine making much longer just like Cuba may not for cigars.

Still, I'll have a glass of fine Bordeaux and a Cohiba over an Australian Shiraz and Jamaican any day!

[stjohnroe]

Pesronally I smoke mainly Cubans with a very small fraction of my intake being from elsewhere (generally Dominican). Cubans in my opinion have a much fuller flavour with greater complexity and just offer greater satisfaction.

Having said that I am visiting the USA soon and look forward to trying some of the wider selection that seem to be available over there.

There's allways hope that I will find something to my taste, and I plan on reading through the forum for sugestions before I leave.

[CoventryCat86]

Well, I've never had a bad ISOM, but there is the fact that they are all hand made from quality tobacco. But the tobacco itself is different than others because anywhere any plant is grown, it inherits traits from the soil.

Uhhhhhhhh NO

There are machine made Cuban cigars as well as hand made, short filler Cuban cigars.

[Hugh Jorgan]

From an agricultural standpoint, there are many unique factors: the soil composition, the microclimates of the geographical area, the continued enrichment of the soil subsystems, the annual rainfall and temperature zone, the specialized harvesting and curing techniques, etc. all contribute to the special flavor profile of Cuban tobacco.

[Island Epicurean]

There are many Machine made Cubans, like Guantenenamera Cristales....

[Hugh Jorgan]

There are many Machine made Cubans, like Montenagro Cristales....

Do you mean Guantanamera Cristales?

[Island Epicurean]

Do you mean Guantanamera Cristales?

Sorry, the hands never communicated what the brain said....

[Hugh Jorgan]

Sorry, the hands never communicated what the brain said....

Montenagro Cristales isn't even close to Guantanamera Cristales!

Looks like you might need to do a little more die-hard research.

[basil]

From an agricultural standpoint, there are many unique factors: the soil composition, the microclimates of the geographical area, the continued enrichment of the soil subsystems, the annual rainfall and temperature zone, the specialized harvesting and curing techniques, etc. all contribute to the special flavor profile of Cuban tobacco.

While surfing, came across this site: http://www.american.edu/ted/cigar-trade.htm (Although my name is here - could be an acronym, it's only coincidence). Here they discuss intellectual property based on geographic factors, production process, etc. They also use other products for examples; e.g, Feta cheese, Scotch whisky, etc. Fascinating read.

[CoventryCat86]

There are many Machine made Cubans, like Guantenenamera Cristales....

For cryin' out loud, Hugh Jorgan corrects your error and you STILL can't spell Guantanamera correctly..........

You sloppiness is incredible and no, I'm not on a "superiority trip" to use your words. As I mentioned to you a while back, if plan on being taken seriously as a lawyer, you really need to be more careful when you write.

[TheSilentChamber]

For cryin' out loud, Hugh Jorgan corrects your error and you STILL can't spell Guantanamera correctly..........

You sloppiness is incredible and no, I'm not on a "superiority trip" to use your words. As I mentioned to you a while back, if plan on being taken seriously as a lawyer, you really need to be more careful when you write.

[thepyrofish]

[Neuromancer]

Cuba, Especially the Pino Del Rey Region (I know this is not spelled right), has incredible soil for toabcco growth. They are quite possibly the best growing conditions in the World......

Pinar Del Rio...and nearby is the Vuelta Abajo region...they say this is where the best tobacco leaf in the world comes from...personally I think the Dominicans have caught up with the Cubans and seeing as Cuba is such a cash poor country they've been pushing production and I think (IMHO) that they've fallen off quite a bit in recent years...

[Hugh Jorgan]

Pinar Del Rio...and nearby is the Vuelta Abajo region...they say this is where the best tobacco leaf in the world comes from...personally I think the Dominicans have caught up with the Cubans and seeing as Cuba is such a cash poor country they've been pushing production and I think (IMHO) that they've fallen off quite a bit in recent years...

I have seen you make this same statement recently on various cigar forums. It is such a broad statement on the current tobacco industry, I was wondering if you could explain your point of view, as well as your personal experience.


I understand it to be two points:

1.) "I think the Dominicans have caught up with the Cubans"

I feel the Dominician cigar production has improved greatly in the last 10-15 years , thanks to the likes of Padron , Arturo Fuente and Davidoff. Excellent, consistent quality and production control. These improvements have come at a a cost. MSRP has also skyrocketed, standards $2- $8 , premium $12-$25 and upwards of $35+ for limited production.

Many DR company's are taking the time to have their finished cigars aged before being shipped, which means tha they are ready to be smoked right out of the box. In comparision, the majority of most Cubans which are shipped 'young' and need to be properly stored / aged to reach their full potential. Personally I find the aging requirements of Cuban cigars to be part of the interesting aspects of the hobby.

DR tobacco has a distinct flavor profile, as does Cuban tobacco. Is one better than the other? No, just different.

2.) "Cuba is such a cash poor country they've been pushing production and I think (IMHO) that they've fallen off quite a bit in recent years..."

I agree Cuban is a cash poor country, due to obvious reasons. I think it is the inference that Cuban quality has declined in "recent years" that needs defining here.

In the last 3 years? 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? 20 years?

What is your personal experience with cuban cigar production in these time frames?

Some notes of signicant changes in Cuban cigar production in the last ten years -
1997: Some blends changed, much to the dissappointment of some enthusiasts
1999 -early 2001: Poor quality control (loose/ tight rolled/ plugged/ H2000 wrapper) and production issues due to factories/workforce expansion.

Do you feel 2003/2004/2005 production do not have the potential in tens years that the 1993/1994/1995 are exhibiting currently?


Thanks Neuromancer, I appreciate the interesting discussion.

[Scientific]

3 words "Magical Tabacco Fairys". Fly over the island once a night putting cigars under all the good kids pillows, and Tompson Cigars in all the bad kids shoes.

Recently "cigar magazine" did a whole article on this subject. To much info for my lazy azz to type, but you should see if you can find it. It was eaither the spring 05 or summer 05 issue.

Somthing bout Lithium (yes the mood drug) in the soil, and there for in the cigars.