CIGARS AND THEIR QUALITIES
QUALITIES OF CIGARS AND CIGAR LEAF. IMPORTED CIGARS. HAVANAS. DOMESTIC
CIGARS.
CIGARS AND THEIR QUALITIES
A cigar consists essentially of three distinct parts: the body or inner
part called the _filler_; the covering of the filler which is called the
_binder_; and the outside finishing cover which is called the _wrapper_.
Cuban cigars, however, consist of filler and wrapper only.
Except in the case of cigars made in Cuba the wrapper leaf is usually of a
different class of tobacco from the rest of the cigar, as the qualities to
be fulfilled by each part is different. The qualities required in a cigar
must be viewed both from the smokers' and the manufacturers' standpoints
and the leaf must be such as to conform to these qualities. Thus the
smoker is concerned with the burning quality, the taste, flavor, aroma,
color, general appearance and strength of the cigar. The manufacturer in
addition to seeking leaf that will answer the smokers' requirements also
has an eye to economy and requires the leaf to have qualities regarding
size, weight, texture, etc. Therefore, in the best cigar leaf the
following qualities are more or less essential: (1) good color, (2) fair
body, (3) a continuous pleasant aroma, (4) fine texture combined with a
certain toughness, (5) small ribs and veins, (6) good combustion so that
it will hold fire for 4 or five minutes. The burning must be free and
even with a white or whitish-brown ash which remains intact until cigar is
three-fourths smoked, (7) good size of leaf, (8) must be elastic and
souple, must not be brittle, (9) it must be free from spots and light in
weight.
Some of these qualities are essential in filler leaf; some in wrapper
leaf. Thus the _color_ of filler leaf does not matter; neither does the
aroma of the wrapper the essential qualities of which are color, lightness
and elasticity.
The cigars consumed in the U. S. are either (a) Imported or (b) Home
Manufactured.
(_a_) IMPORTED CIGARS
The most important of the imported cigars are those that come from Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippines.
Up to the time of the Civil War cigars were imported principally from
Germany and Cuba and the value was about 4-1/2 million dollars annually.
High import duties have, however, altered this and the number of imported
cigars is nearly 90 per cent less than formerly. The value of the import
has not, however, fallen so much, that is to say only the higher grades of
cigars are imported. The value of cigars now imported does not exceed 3
million dollars annually and they are principally Cuban.
CUBAN, OR SO-CALLED HAVANA, CIGARS
As the strictest laws are enforced in Cuba against the importation of
tobacco, it follows that all genuine so-called Havana cigars are made of
Cuban tobacco. The Havana Tobacco Co. controls about 260,000 acres of the
best Cuban tobacco land and has 25 factories in the City of Havana. Here
Havana cigars are made in all grades from those which can be bought at 2
for 25c to those which cost $2.00 each. The high priced are very limited
in quality, being made from tobacco grown in specially favored districts.
The Province of Pinar del Rio produces 70 per cent of the whole Cuban
crop, and includes the celebrated District of Vuelta Abajo in which the
finest cigar tobacco in the world is grown; the Provinces of Havana and
Santa Clara each produces about 13 per cent of the Cuban crop. Havana
Partidio leaf is of very fine quality and is used principally as wrappers
of clear Havanas. Havana Remedios leaf comes from Santa Clara, has a high
flavor, rather heavy body and is used mostly for fillers.
The very finest Havana cigars never leave Cuba, for the merchant keeps
them for his own use. He is a smoker before a trader. The crop of the very
best Vuelta Abajo tobacco is so small that not more than about 30,000
cigars can be made from it. These are kept for private purchasers and
none go on the market. The finest Havanas are of an even tint of rich dark
brown, free from all stains and spots, burning freely to a white or
whitish-brown ash, and holding fire for 4 or 5 minutes. Altogether the
District of Vuelta Abajo produces about one-quarter million bales of leaf
annually and about one-tenth of this is high class and produces up to 20
dollars per lb. on the spot.
As stated previously, Cuban cigars have no binder. They consist of filler
and wrapper only and are all hand-made. The unique position which these
cigars have held for so long is due not only to perfect curing and
blending of the leaf, but also to the superior skill of the Cuban workmen
who are the most expert cigarmakers and blenders in the world, and who in
the best factories are allowed to take all the time they need in making
the cigar. Some of these "Tabacqueros" have been making the same brand of
cigar for 20 years or longer.
Of the total annual output of Cuban made cigars, England takes about 40
per cent, the U. S. about 25 per cent and Germany 13 per cent. In 1913,
the U. S. imported 659,358 lbs. of cigars and cheroots from Cuba valued
for $3,999,410.
PORTO RICO CIGARS
From Porto Rico the U. S. ships about 125 million cigars annually.
PHILIPPINE CIGARS
The laws in force between the U. S. and the Philippine Islands, governing
the tariff, provide for the importation annually from the Philippines to
the U. S. free of import duties, of cigar wrapper leaf and filler leaf
mixed or packed with more than 15 per cent of wrapper leaf, not in excess
of 300,000 lbs.; of filler leaf alone not in excess of 1,000,000 lbs.; and
manufactured cigars in number not exceeding 150,000,000. The shipping must
be direct.
As the Philippine leaf is excellent and labor there is cheap, the U. S.
smoker is thus enabled to get a very good smoke at a small cost. The full
number of cigars allowed at least is imported. In 1913 the importation of
Philippine cigars and cheroots to the U. S. was 1,641,832 lbs. valued at
$2,296,823.
HOME MANUFACTURED CIGARS
For the home manufactured cigar trade the leaf used is either imported or
home grown.
Imported cigar leaf comes principally from Cuba, Dutch East Indies
(Sumatra, Java, etc.), Porto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines.
Imported Cuban leaf is used both as fillers and wrappers. The U. S. as
already stated imports about 26 million lbs. annually. The leaf varies in
length from 8" to 18"; is a rich brown color, and its principal
characteristic is its fine flavor and aroma, which is unequalled by any
other tobacco in the world.
The Sumatran leaf is perhaps more important in the U. S. cigar trade than
the Cuban leaf. It is used exclusively as wrappers, on account of its fine
light brown color, its elastic texture and light weight. The genuine
imported leaf is much less in weight than that grown from Sumatran seed in
Florida. About 2 lbs. of imported Sumatran leaf will wrap 1,000 cigars.
Its length is usually from 14 to 20 inches and the U. S. imports annually
about 7 million lbs., valued at about 5 million dollars. The use of
Sumatran leaf as a wrapper for home-made cigars has increased remarkably
in the last quarter century. In the quinquennium ending 1885 the number of
such cigars was 34 millions. In the last quinquennium the number exceeded
2,000 millions.
The Sumatran leaf has little aroma or flavor and its value is for
appearance only. The average prices paid by the United States for imported
cigar leaf in 1914 was: for leaf suitable for cigar making, 127c per lb.;
for "other leaf," 50.44c per lb.
OTHER IMPORTED CIGAR LEAF
Since the introduction of tax-free manufactured cigars from the
Philippines the importation of leaf has declined.
Mexican leaf is used as a substitute for Cuban, to which it is inferior.
The imports of cigar leaf tobacco from Porto Rico and Brazil are
relatively unimportant.
CIGAR LEAF TOBACCO GROWN IN THE U. S.
The home grown tobacco leaf used in the cigar manufacturing trade of the
U. S. is grown principally in the states of Connecticut, New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. The
Connecticut leaf is used for wrappers and binders. The Ohio and
Pennsylvania leaf almost exclusively for fillers. Wisconsin produces
binder leaf particularly. The leaf grown elsewhere is used mostly as
wrappers. It is usual, however, to use the imported and Sumatran leaf as
wrappers for all high class home-made cigars.
The finest American grown wrapper leaf is raised in Connecticut. The best
known brands are known as Connecticut Seedleaf and Connecticut Broadleaf,
both varieties raised originally from imported Havana seed. The leaf is
destitute of thick fibers and has a fine texture. They run from 14" to 26"
in length, giving good wrapping capacity.
The Pennsylvania leaf is also classed as Seed and Broadleaf. It is about
the same size as the Connecticut, but does not equal it in quality. The
principal varieties in Ohio are the Gebhardt, Zimmer, Spanish, and Little
Dutch. These do not usually exceed 20" in length. Florida cigar leaf is
usually small, running from 10" to 14" in length.
(_For references see Chapter XV_)