Most people have only seen the scene of smoking tobacco in movies and novels. Although they feel very familiar with this scene in their minds, one day when a tobacco is actually placed in front of you, you may wonder in your heart: What should I do?
Today I was chatting with a new cigar customer. Are only Cuban cigars the best?
When it comes to cigars, most people’s inherent knowledge is that cigars are produced in Cuba, and they even have doubts about whether other countries and regions can produce cigars. In fact, in some countries and regions near Cuba, there are also cigar leaf fields and cigar production lines that have been in operation for many years. After the success of the Cuban revolution led by the Castro brothers, the private economy was nationalized. A large number of private companies and families engaged in tobacco cultivation, trade and cigar production fled Cuba and settled in nearby Dominica, Nicaragua, and Miami in the United States. The traditional Cuban tobacco leaf cultivation and cigar production techniques are spread in foreign lands.
After decades of exploration and hard work, these three or even five generations of Cuban descendants who have been in the tobacco and cigar business have gradually re-established their family's reputation and inherited and promoted Cuba's traditional tobacco craftsmanship in new forms of expression. The Garcia family of Nicaragua’s Papa Cigar Company, the Oliva family of Oliva Cigars, the Padron family of Dominica, the Plasencia family who have cigar factories in Nicaragua and Honduras, and the Fuente Cigar Company of the United States. The Fuente family, the founders and ancestors of these famous cigar companies, are all of Cuban descent. Before the Cuban Revolution, tobacco leaves were either grown in Cuba or cigar factories were operated in Cuba. The skills of producing cigars have been passed down from generation to generation and have always been adhered to.
There are two factors that determine the quality of cigars, one is the quality of the tobacco leaves, and the other is the rolling process. Whether it is tobacco leaf cultivation or cigar rolling, it is inseparable from human work. Human attitude and skill are decisive factors in giving life and soul to a cigar. Over the years, hard-working Cubans have taken root in Dominica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Miami in the United States, spreading the essence of traditional Cuban cigars to the Caribbean. Today, Nicaragua has become the world's largest cigar producer. In the "New World" cigar camp, it has become the leader. Of the 361 million cigars imported into the United States in 2020, 182.6 million were produced in Nicaragua.
In recent years, Cuba's domestic economic development has been slow and the country is too far away from its political allies in Asia to receive timely and sufficient material support. Under international pressure from the United States, especially after Trump came to power, he tore up a series of cooperation agreements reached with the Cuban government during Obama's term, renewed economic sanctions against Cuba, and significantly reduced the relationship between the United States and Cuba. flights and ship lines, restricting Americans from traveling to and staying in Cuba, and prohibiting American tourists from bringing in Cuban goods, even Cuban goods purchased legally in other third countries. Cuba currently lacks production means and fuel, which have a negative impact on Cuba's tobacco cultivation and cigar production. The COVID-19 epidemic has been raging since the beginning of 2020, and Cuba's domestic tourism industry has been even worse.
The penetration rate of cigar knowledge and culture in mainland China is low, and there are few industry journals in the country. The channels for cigar lovers to obtain information are basically the computer network and mobile phone self-media. Cigars are imported, and many of the sizes, models, or brand names of cigars are in Spanish. Domestic readers have few channels for obtaining first-hand information, and the accuracy of obtaining information is also low. They do not know much about the history and culture of cigar production in countries other than Cuba. few.
In terms of historical origin and popularity, Cuban cigars are undoubtedly the first choice for new cigar smokers. After the establishment of a new regime in Cuba, the original hundreds of cigar brands gradually disappeared, leaving less than thirty brands, some of which had single products and were silent in the market. The big names among them are Cohiba, Trinidad, Monte, Friend, Romeo and Juliet, Upmann, Punch, and Bolivar. Cohiba is even more famous, and everyone thinks it is high quality. Hiba is synonymous with Cuban cigars.
As a cigar brand born after the Cuban revolution, the Cuban government's support for the Cohiba brand is much higher than that of other brands, especially compared to those old brands with cultural traces of the "old society". The Cuban Tobacco Company responsible for the production of cigars also uses the limited domestic high-quality tobacco leaf resources for the Cohiba product line. The Cuban Habanos Company responsible for the distribution of cigars also gives Cohiba no Same treatment and attention.
In view of the historical status and origin of Cuban cigars, coupled with the limited production quantity, Cuban cigars are particularly sought after and welcomed in the traditional European consumer market. As the former sovereign state of Cuba, Spain is now the largest importer of Cuban cigars. You can find some of the rarer styles and sizes in Spain. Relatively speaking, the number of some global limited edition cigars supplied to the Spanish market is larger than that of other countries and regions.
The "New World" cigar-producing countries and regions around Cuba, whether it is Miami in the United States, Nicaragua, Dominica and Honduras, also have relatively concentrated tobacco fields and cigar factories, where countless Cuban descendants work and operate. Exporting skills passed down from generation to generation. The cigar industry maintains strong development momentum amid strong market demand. It can be said that in the hundreds of years before the 20th century, Cuba exported all concepts of cigars to the world and occupied the only chair in the industry. In the decades after the Cuban Revolution, "New World" cigars flourished, demonstrating the development and changes of tobacco leaves and techniques originating from Cuba in the new era.
As far as the composition of tobacco leaves is concerned, all tobacco leaves used in Cuban cigars are grown in Cuba. This is the concept of "origin" that Cuban cigars have always insisted on and are proud of. Most of the "New World" cigar brands use blended tobacco leaves. The wrapper, binder and filler have their own origins, and are blended with different tobacco leaf varieties from different countries and regions to create a richer and more layered taste.
As far as wrappers are concerned, we can often see common ones such as wrapper tobacco leaves from the San Andres Valley in Mexico, Cameroon wrapper tobacco leaves, Connecticut wrapper leaves from the United States, Brazilian wrapper tobacco leaves, and Cuban seed wrapper leaves from Ecuador. Wrapper tobacco varieties. Filler tobacco leaves are mostly produced in countries such as Dominica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
In terms of outer packaging design and brand promotion, the "New World" cigar industry is also more meticulous and in-depth. The outer packaging of the regular line of Cuban cigars has not changed much in decades. The outer packaging design of non-ancient cigars is more gorgeous and unique, and the packaging design of individual brands echoes the rather personalized naming of cigars. For example, the packaging of whiskey barrels, Chinese fast food boxes, and hexagonal packaging boxes are unimaginable in conservative Cuba.
Even for Cuban cigars, there are big brands and small brands, high-end ones such as Cohiba and Trinidad, entry-level ones such as Biada, Quintero, and Veculo, and even big brands such as Romeo and Juliet. , Monte, and Upmann also have some relatively entry-level products.
If you are a new cigar smoker, you can start with Cuban cigars, but don’t let wrong traditional concepts stop you from exploring the “new world” of cigars. All industries are learning from each other and blending, eliminating the trash and retaining the essence. There are many non-ancient cigar brands from famous aristocrats and big names, as well as exquisite products and masterpieces, such as Davidoff, Plasencia, Arturo Fuente, Ashton, and Padre Padron, Oliva, La Aurora, Rocky Patel, My father, etc. You can appreciate it in many ways, and then choose the eggplant that suits you according to your own taste.