| Cigar Strength | | | | 90º to avoid having prominent lines where |
| Cigars are classified as mild, medium, or full bodied. | | | | the both parts of the mold are joining. Another |
| The body refers to the impact the smoke is | | | | 20-25 minutes under press, and bunches are |
| supposed to have inside the mouth. It is difficult | | | | ready to be wrapped. |
| to measure because it is a subjective perception, | | | | The Bunching Machine |
| which is the reason why cigars are often rated | | | | In fact, for better quality, hand made cigar |
| "mild to medium" or "medium to full". Cigar makers | | | | makers use some tools. Particularly the bunching |
| know what type of tobaccos they have to use | | | | machine has helped to improve the construction. |
| to achieve the desired level of impact. The | | | | A frame holds a belt and a moving cylinder |
| difficulty lies in blending them to get a pleasant | | | | actionned by a lever. It is the same principle of a |
| balance between taste and aroma. | | | | pocket cigarette rolling machine. If the belt is well |
| | | | filled up, the bunch will be rolled regularly by an |
| Cigars are measured by diameter and by length. | | | | even rotating movement. This prevents the fillers |
| Diameter size, called ring gauge, is measured by | | | | from being twisted, which happens easily when |
| 64th of one inch. Length is measured by inches. A | | | | the bunch is made 100% by hand, giving a heavy |
| 50x5 cigar has a ring gauge of 50 times 1/64 inch | | | | draw. |
| and is 5 inches long. Sometimes you''ll see 5x50, | | | | The Natural Way to Smoke |
| which is the same, do not think that the cigar is | | | | If you have only a few tobacco leaves and your |
| 50 inches long! If the cigar is not a cylinder, the | | | | two hands, without any tools or accessories, the |
| ring gauge shown is generally the bigger one. For | | | | only way to smoke your tobacco is to roll a cigar. |
| a torpedo (pyramidal), the smallest and the largest | | | | Of course, you'll need fire to light up your cigar! |
| diameters of the truncated segment can be | | | | But remember that human beings have |
| mentioned as 36-54, for example. Cigars have | | | | domesticated fire for a long time and you should |
| been named according to their size: Churchill, | | | | not have problem to get it. |
| Robusto, Corona, Panatela, etc., but these are not | | | | Hand Made or Machine Made? |
| strict definitions. Each one is in a range of length | | | | Cigars are either hand-made or machine-made. In |
| and diameter. A Robusto is classically a 50x5, but | | | | both cases, they can be long fillers or short fillers. |
| the ring gauge can vary in a 48-54 range and the | | | | Premiums are supposed to be hand-made long |
| length between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 inches. | | | | fillers cigars. |
| Cigar Shading | | | | Handmade Long Filler Bunch |
| Before premium cigars are packed inside the box, | | | | There are two methods for setting the tobacco |
| they are classified by color so that all the cigars in | | | | leaves in a bunch. The wrong one is to stack the |
| the box look alike. It is a very difficult operation | | | | leaves and to roll them together. This is called the |
| and few people are able to make such a sharp | | | | book method, which does not provide enough |
| sorting. A good "shader" goes up to 72 different | | | | channels for air and can give a heavy draw. The |
| colors or tones, including criteria for brightness and | | | | right method is to fold each leaf in accordion style |
| shine. It is absolutely fascinating to see how fast | | | | and place them side by side. The air can pass |
| they can do it, too. | | | | through and the smoke is pleasant. |
| Cigar Drying | | | | Handmade Long Filler Cigars |
| When making cigars, fillers are handled dry (about | | | | A long filler cigar contains two to six full leaves, |
| 16% humidity) and they are quite stiff. However, | | | | depending on the size. They are folded |
| to make the bunch, the binder has to be | | | | accordion-style and wrapped in a binder. Tobacco |
| moistened in order to be flexible enough to wrap | | | | leaves are oval. To get a cylindrical shape with a |
| around, and so does the wrapper. So, the binder | | | | uniform compactness is not that easy. Often, |
| gives water to the fillers and the bunch becomes | | | | wrapping that has something spectacular |
| too soft to be wrapped. The pressing time helps | | | | fascinates people, but making the bunch requires |
| to dry it enough for wrapping. Likewise, the | | | | much more skill. |
| moistened wrapper is going to transmit water to | | | | Machine Made Short Filler Little Cigars |
| the rest of the cigar. Once again, a drying period | | | | Imagine a roll of homogenized tobacco binder, |
| is necessary to reach the proper moisture | | | | natural wrappers cut out in advance and put on |
| content in the cigar. Generally, the time to go | | | | an unwoven material bobbin, a short filler |
| through the quality control is long enough for the | | | | dispenser. All of them are installed on a machine |
| cigars to be ready to be stored in the humidor. | | | | that is going to produce more than 20 cigars per |
| Bunch Pressing | | | | minute. One worker is able to supervise 5 or 6 |
| Once made, the bunch goes into a mold of 12 to | | | | machines, refilling with new rolls and bobbins, |
| 20 chambers. When the mold is full, it goes to a | | | | checking the finished cigars. More than 6,000 |
| press. The bunches will dry during the pressing | | | | cigars in one single working hour ! Meanwhile, a |
| time. It is a necessary operation before wrapping. | | | | cigar roller is going to make by hand some 15-30 |
| After 20-25 minutes under press, the molds are | | | | premium cigars. |
| open and the cigar maker turns the bunches | | | | |