Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

How to Buy a Cigar

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To make a cigar experience worth your while, you must know how to buy the right one.  Cigar have so many variants to choose from that it is impossible to say if a person with no previous experience with cigar would like his/her first try.  It would be advisable to ask the recommendation of a local tobacconist who understands the differences in the variants.

Newbie cigar smokers can get easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices.  It is impossible to make the right choice just by looks since the magic of cigar lies in the flavor.  Since it is impossible to try each and every brand and variant, it would be wise to have a certain idea of taste preference.  Most tobacco flavor variants are self-explanatory and are referred to in relation to food items.  These include spicy, sweet, cinnamon, peppery, butterscotch, vanilla, apple, grape, and orange, among a very long list of cigar flavors.  There are also other terms used such as cedar, woodsy, copper, and even leather.

For the first buy, newbies are advised to do it the old-fashioned way which is through actual physical inspection.  Some of the things that can provide a clue to a cigar’s quality include freshness and color.  Wrappers should not break when pinched.  Cigars that are fresh have been properly stored in humidors which ensures maximized enjoyment.  Inconsistent coloring of cigars in  a batch may signify lack of freshness since this should not happen among cigars that have been manufactured within the same batch.

Determining the best cigar to buy requires real “tasting” .  Inhalation of smoke is not recommended in trying to establish cigar taste.  First-time cigar adventurers should try their first in a full stomach to avoid possible stomach cramps.  Online cigar stores can provide information to people interested in smoking cigar.  In buying a cigar, hand-rolled versions are considered superior over machine-made.

 
About the Author:
Teresa is a researcher-writer on a wide range of topics.

Cigar Production in the Philippines

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The Philippines has been producing cigar for quite some time and is one of the largest producing in Asia.  The introduction of tobacco in the Philippines is credited to Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who brought tobacco seeds from Cuba to Spanish missionaries staying in the Philippines.  The cultivation of these seeds paved the way for the birth of what would be a successful cigar industry.

The Spaniards chose to cultivate these seeds in the Philippine soil which was a colony during that time.  Thus it came to pass that Spaniards propagated the commercialization of tobacco production while spreading the Christian faith.  The tobacco had a ready market in Spain and other countries and was so much in demand that Filipinos had to suffer through forced production of tobacco to meet the high demand.  Filipino tobacco farmers eventually found the chance to produce tobacco voluntarily and under better conditions.

There are at least 27 tobacco-producing provinces at present offering four types of tobacco including the native variant, Virginia, Turkish, and burley.  It is the Virginia tobacco which is the most prevalent in the country.  Most are grown in the province of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, and La Union.

Some of the Philippine cigar brands include the Alhambra, Calixto Lopez, Flor de Filipinas, Fighting Cock, Independencia 1898, La Tabacalera, and 1881, among others.  La Flor de la Isabela and Tabaquena de Filipinas were among the more reliable cigar producers in the Philippines.  A cheap variant was made available through local cigars manually done by individual tobacco farmers. Although they do not offer much in looks, they still offer good taste and flavor.

Dominican Republic- the Cigar Country

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Given that Cuba is the most popular cigar-producing country, it would be logical to think that it holds the title of being the Cigar Country.  Apparently, this isn’t so since the prestigious title has been bestowed to the Dominican Republic, paradise located in the very heart of the Caribbean.  Why this became so was a result of historical events that not even the people of Dominican Republic could have anticipated.

The cigar industry of the country started quite small but even then, it boasted of good soil and perfect climate for tobacco.  The trade embargo imposed by the US on Cuba during the 1960’s started a series of events that would end up benefitting the cigar industry of Dominican Republic.  Many notable Cuban cigar-makers opted to transfer to Nicaragua and Spain to take advantage of the low salaries of trained cigar-makers.  Dominican Republic merely saw this as a chance to export tobacco leaves to these two countries.

The Cuban cigar families that chose to move to the Dominican Republic contented themselves in selling cigar on a wholesale basis.  The production of cigar in the Dominican Republic remained the same until the move of big cigar manufacturers due to the civil war in Nicaragua, and the increased taxes in Spain.  These people found an ideal place within which to continue their profitable cigar-making operation.  Noted cigar-makers from Florida also came and established themselves in the country.

Dominican Republic became a haven for these big cigar manufacturers because of the country’s duty-free industrial parks and conducive lifestyle.  The tobacco planters of the country who were formerly poor peasants became proud cigar makers with good income and stable jobs.  The Dominican Republic has indeed become the cigar country.