There are two ways a cigar may be constructed, either by hand or by machine. For the purpose of this article let us ignore the latter method as it is inelegant and commercial. Hand rolling cigars most likely started in Central America many thousands of years ago. The tobacco plant migrated northward from South America brought through trade from the Incas and their predecessors to North America. There are two species of tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum and rustica. Many native cultures in the Caribbean and North America cultivated and smoked rustica based products. Mayans mastered the arts of blending and rolling with the tabacum species. These cigars were used in ceremonies for the priests and holy men to communicate with the gods. Other than the priests only those who were high in the social standing smoked cigars. It was not for common people.

This changed when the Spanish came to the New World. There they encountered the Tainos and Caribes smoking cigars. They called this the Devil’s weed because smoke was being exhaled through their nostrils much like demons were imagined to exhale. The first cigar shop in the New World was named La Joya de Nueva España which translates to the Jewel of New Spain in English. In Veracruz, Mexico many of the workers in this new shop were of Mayan descent. When Mexico declared its independence Spain spread the seeds of the tabacum plants to other islands and colonies it held such as the modern Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Peru, Colombia, the Philippines, and of course Cuba. This of course changed the genetics of the leaves and the various soils affected the flavors.

Today cigar manufacturers source leaves from all over the world including locales such as Cameroon in Africa, Brazil, Sumatra, Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately politics excludes Cuban tobacco here in the United States. All of these sources have their strengths and weaknesses in varying parts of the construction of a cigar. Cigars are made up of three most basic parts, the filler provides most of the flavor and the fuel for the cigar to burn, the binder is usually tasteless and it holds the filler together, and the wrapper is a post-Hispanic influence to improve the appearance of a cigar and also contribute flavor.

A blender of tobaccos is responsible for how the cigar tastes. Much like a recipe, the blender combines the varying tobacco leaves into a cigar and he or she blends for a specific flavor. Blending is only done by few people in the cigar world. It takes many years to know leaves well enough to make them complement each other. Blends are often passed down through the generations much like family recipes. Rolling on the other hand is a manual skill that most people can acquire.

Rolling starts with the filler leaves. There is an accordion style bunching method that is inferior and is the reason many manufacturers have installed draw test machines. The more traditional and most effective manner of bunching is called en tubado, using this method the roller takes each piece of filler leaf and rolls it into a tube before bunching, this assures air flow and superior draw. Once the filler is bunched the binder is applied to make a stable tube. In the traditional pre-Hispanic Mayan rolling style the construction would stop here and the cigar would be ready to smoke. However, European influence and preference have led to the following processes. After the binder is applied the cigar manufacturer presses the cigars into molds for up to 90 minutes at a time to ensure that it retains the desired shape. A box pressed cigar is slightly innovative and is still not quite accepted by those that are deeply steeped in tradition. After the cigars are taken from the molds the wrapper is applied to finish the cigar. The wrapper leaf is often the most expensive leaf in the construction due to low yields and fragility. The cap is then applied to the cigar to seal off the head. The traditional Cuban triple cap is more elegant however not all manufacturers utilize this method. Cigars are often stored for a short period of time after the construction is completed so that the oils can marry.

Matt Parsons. TexCigars, Inc.