Whether you are wanting to get informed before buying cigars or gain more knowledge before trivia night, here are some interesting facts about cigars that just might do you good.
VITOLA FINE CIGARS carries the best lines of premium cigars and is a top site for anyone looking to shop for all the best cigar brands in one place. Brands like Montecristo, Rocky Patel, La Gloria Cubana are just the beginning to what we offer.
How Long Does It Take to Manufacture A Cigar
The cigar manufacturing process takes time. In fact, that fine cigar you are smoking has gone through a five year process which includes the cultivation of tobacco, curing, fermenting, stripping, and rolling by either machine or hand.
The Manufacturing Process
The cultivation of tobacco can take up to 40-60 days to harvest. After cultivation, the curing process begins and tobacco leaves develop their characteristic aroma. Curing can take up to five years to finish and before continuing on with the manufacturing process, farmers must watch the tobacco leaves turn from green to yellow to brown . Once they are ready, cured leaves are then sorted by their size and color.
The size and condition of the leaf determines whether or not they will be used as the cigar’s filler or wrapper. Larger leaves are used for the outer wrapper and small,broken leaves are used as the filler. 10 to 15 leaves are tied into bundles called hands and the hands are then packed in a box called a hogshead.
In the hogshead, leaves experience chemical changes and manufacturers refer to this process as the fermentation period. After fermentation, the stripping of leaves begins. The process consists of removing the stems from the leaves that will be used for the cigar filler. Stripped leaves are then stored for fermentation again in bales. The last step is rolling the cigar. Cigars can be machine or hand rolled depending on the manufacturer and brand.
Where Did the Saying “Close, But No Cigar!” Come From
Now, this is a fact to keep locked away for your next trivia night! “Close, but no cigar” was a phrase carnival barkers would use when participants would fall short of losing carnival games. During the early 1900s, if you won a carnival game you could receive a cigar. The popularity stemmed from here and now there are around 17 million cigar smokers in the United States today!
Connecticut Broadleaf Was the First U.S. Based Cigar Company
Founded in 1820, Connecticut Broadleaf became the first United States based cigar company. Connecticut Broadleaf is a type of tobacco grown in the Connecticut River Valley and their leaves are used to make the wrappers for maduro cigars.
Vitola carries a AJ Fernandez Enclave Broadleaf Churchill cigar which includes the same broadleaf wrapper and incorporates a blend of their own Nicaraguan tobacco. Purchase the 7×52 single cigar from our site to try it for yourself!
“Cuba Will Always Be On My Lips.” – Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was known to always have a cigar in his hand. Rumor has it he smoked up to 10 a day! His love for cigars inspired him to spend some time in Cuba, where smoking tobacco has been popular throughout the culture’s history. Needless to say, one of the top Cuban cigar brands, Romeo y Julieta, came to name a cigar after him!
To understand why Churchill had such a love for cigars, you should try one for yourself! At VITOLA FINE CIGARS, we are a top site for anyone looking to shop for all the best cigar brands in one place. Shop our premium cigars today!