4/8/2008 – Tuesday

4/8/2008 – Tuesday
Today after clinic we had the opportunity to go to a cultural museum and cigar factory. (The cigar factory was smaller then the actually one) However there were individuals making hand-made cigars. The Cigar brand is called La Aurora and was established in 1903. Each individual at the factory makes only 150 cigars a day. The total process from seedbed (planting) to harvest is 75 to 80 days.

Once harvested, the tobacco is kept in barns built on the fields. These curing barns allow the tobacco to naturally lose their chlorophyll, turning from green leaves into the earth colors known in black tobacco.
When the time in the curing barns is through, the leaves are stacked in large piles or pilones to begin the process of fermentation. This is where the leaves release their ammonia as they decay. The heat in the fermentation is carefully monitored because if the leaves get too hot, it can ruin the tobacco. The pilones are constantly tended moving center leaves out and outer leaves in to create an even fermentation. This process can last from 1 to 8 months before the tobacco is ready for baling.
From this point the tobacco leaves are aged. Tobacco that is not aged sufficiently will have a bite that many confuse with strength. Properly aged tobacco will round out, even ligero. Some of the tobacco also spends additional time in old rum barrels that help the leaves marry their flavors for increased complexity.
The tobacco leaves which are selected for the wrapper of our cigars are aged for 1-4 years, which produces the fine consistent color, texture and flavor characteristic of the cigars of La Aurora.
Once the tobacco is ready to be used, workers slowly re-humidify it. As the tobacco ages, it does dry out and can be brittle. The leaves need moisture returned to keep them supple and The leaves need moisture returned to keep them supple and flexible.
When making to the cigars, the employees work in pairs. One forms the basic cigar by bunching the correct amount of filler and then encasing it in the binder. This basic cigar is then inserted into a mold which holds the tobacco under pressure to help keep its shape. These blanks of filler and binder are kept in the molds for 2 hours or more.
After spending time in the molds, the second roller finishes the work. The rollers must be ambidextrous since the wrapper leaves can be either right or left handed. The roller first examines the leaf to determine its orientation (left or right) which depends upon the direction of the veins. The leaf is cut to the proper shape for the vitola being produced. Then with extreme care, the roller applies the wrapper in such a way that the result is visually pleasing.
Just like a fine wine improves with rest and aging, fine cigars do as well. Who would have thought that Papa Plumb and I have so much in common. He enjoys his stogs and I enjoy my wine – both smooth and aged!.Once the cigars are made and pass the quality control, they are sent to our aging room. The cigars from La Aurora are aged up to 7 years.

Okay dad, stop drooling – it was a great experience and the smell was fantastic.