Whoever said variety was the spice of life probably had a wide array of cigars stowed in their humidor somewhere. From Connecticut, Corojo, and Criollo, to Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and American, the types of cigars available to us are more expansive than ever.
Malheureusement, il n'y a que peu d'heures pour fumer dans une semaine. Donc on fourre nos cigares dans un boîte à cigares correctement assaisonnée, creating a cache for a later date. Since the majority of people rely upon a single style of humidor box for cigar storage, yet prefer to smoke a range of tobacco strains, the contents of these humidified containers tend to be a bit of a smorgasbord.
This is due in part to the advent of services like abonnements aux cigares de la boutique, which provide tobacco enthusiasts with a broad array of smoking options every month, all delivered directly to their doorstep. As these smokes stack up,
Bien qu'un environnement correctement humidifié et boîte à cigares bien entretenue can keep a cigar in prime condition for months to years, not every stick sitting inside is constructed from the same sort of tobacco. Furthermore, certain types of tobacco do require additional care and may influence how you store and smoke your cigars.
Tobacco Nerd Note : The portion of the plant that is harvested, the amount of direct sunlight it receives, soil quality, and even elevation can all affect the flavor, color, aroma, and texture of the tobacco leaf itself.
Des cigarettes différentes pour des gens différents
À l'instar du vin rouge, de la bière artisanale, des cocktails et d'autres produits destinés à la consommation adulte, les cigares se déclinent en plusieurs catégories. éventail impressionnant de couleurs, de saveurs, de formes, de styles et de mélanges maison sur mesure.
For generations, various strains of tobacco have been cultivated, cured, fermented, and crafted into particular cigar styles, all in the hopes of providing the consumer with an enjoyable and memorable smoking experience.
Despite there being a plethora of spin-off subcategories and brand-specific namesakes, all cigars can be categorized by either a "natural" ou "maduro" descriptor. Natural wrappers run anywhere from a light shade of straw to a rich reddish hue, whereas maduros are always an opaque pigment.
Outside of the obvious variance in color and opacity, the profiles associated witquite different in how they taste, smell, feelet also age. The latter of these points is of particular interest to us today, as the cigar aging and storing process does require a un taux d'humidité de l'humidificateur soigneusement contrôlé.
But before we get into all of that jazz, let’s back up for a moment and revisit the trusty old cigar wrapper style guide. Despite there being a multitude of nationally labeled tobacco plants (Oui, Cameroon wrappers actually come from the country of Cameroon.), the following types of wrapper are the most recognizable.
- Double Claro wrappers (a.k.a. Candela) were exceedingly popular decades ago, but have since fallen out of favor with mainstream smokers. These cigars are typically of a light green chlorophyll colorUn side-effect of the leaf’s expedited drying process and heavily canopied growing climate.
- Claro wrappers are more khaki and are typically a shade-grown plant. Premature harvesting and air-drying make these wrappers exceedingly mild, and in many cases, exceedingly delicate.
- Colorado Claro cigares tend to have a reddish-brown wrapper. While they can be either grown in direct sunlight or beneath a canopy, the lengthier growth period required to further enhance their profile is man. A richer, Colorado wrapper variant can also be found in circulation, which can be procured in either shade or sun-grown form. This style of leaf is left to mature on the plant for even longer than its Colorado Claro cousin.
- Maduro tobacco is the darkest of the lot and tends to be sweet, earthy, rich, and often coffee or chocolate-like, with strength levels reaching every centimeter of the spectrum. This type of wrapper undergoes heavy fermentation and/or heat treating, and is left to turn a dark brown color before being harvested from the tobacco plant.
- Oscuro is the big brother to maduro wrappers and is the sort of smoke that relies upon the final harvesting toward the top of the plant, where the most intense concentration of sun is captured. This is almost always followed by an insanely lengthy fermentation schedule, thus earning this type of jet-black smoke its popular nickname: "The Double Maduro."
Tobacco Nerd Note : Le terme Naturel is used loosely in the cigar world to describe most forms of cigar tobacco that sont pas exposed to the heat and fermentation that maduro wrappers require. So if it doesn’t pack an "Oscuro" ou "Maduro" surname in its descriptor somewhere, that cigar you are enjoying is "100% natural," regardless of how dark or light it may appear.
Foncé ou clair : Quel cigare supporte le mieux les changements d'humidité ?
Alors que tous les les cigares ont besoin d'un taux d'humidité constant (65-72% tends to be the sweet spot), there are certain types of tobacco that handle fluctuations in atmospheric moisture better than others.
Oily, sun-grown wrappers with a thick, darker complexion, like a Maduro or even a Corojo, tend to be a bit more on the robust side, both in flavor and construction. In contrast, cigars sporting something like a Connecticut shade tobacco leaf as a wrapper often (but not always) offer a far more delicate smoking experience. And by that, we mean they are the most sensitive. While it is rare, lighter Natural wrappers are the most prone to splitting open after leaving the safe confines of a humidor.
Over the years, this has led to a debate as to whether or not humidity is directly to blame for the untimely demise of more delicately wrapped cigars. Although some may argue that it is due to the quality of the tobacco leaf itself, others lay blame on how a cigar is constructed. Another school of thought is that, unlike lighter-colored cigar wrappers, darker tobaccos like Maduros and Oscuros have been trained from seedlings to handle harsh environments.
That’s not to say that golden honey-colored cigar in your humidor is going to self-destruct if the humidity outside isn’t just right. It also doesn't mean that your Double Maduro isn’t going to dry out underneath the Arizona sun, or expand and crack when hit with too much humidity.
All cigars and cigar humidors react to the environment around them. But even in cigar form, different types of tobacco tolerate a lack of humidity and intense heat better than others. This explains why it is so important to keep a close eye on that humidity level, and why products like digital smart hygrometers for humidors are considered mandatory cigar gear nowadays.
Tobacco Nerd Note : While medium and full-bodied variants do exist, many Maduro cigars retain velvety, roasted undertones that are quite smooth. However, due to their opaque appearance, many Maduros often end up being labeled as "super strong" by inexperienced cigar smokers. An inaccurate strength assessment that products like Irish Stout tend to suffer from as well.
Bouffées d'adieu
Regardless of whether you enjoy a Claro with your morning coffee or prefer to puff on an Oscuro with your oyster stout, knowing the body, strength, and flavor of a cigar is vital. Knowing that les différents types de cigares nécessitent un peu plus de précautions en matière d'humidité et de manipulation.
As for cigar wrappd. This causes this type of tobacco leaf to be the priciest component within the cigar itself, which is why maintaining an ideal level of humidor humidity and réviser les connaissances fondamentales sur les caves à cigares is a core pillar in the cigar-collecting venture.
It is also worth noting that a massive amount of the tobacco intended for use in cigar wrappers doesn’t make the cut. Uneven coloring and spotting due to entirely too much or too little sun exposure, damage during harvesting and/or hand-rolling, and fermentation flukes can all cause a cigar wrapper to end up in the tobacco scrap bin or be relabeled as filler or binder grade.
If that doesn’t put things into perspective, maybe a split cigar wrapper or an uneven burn will emphasize the importance of keeping the right amount of humidor humidity on hand at all times. Fortunately, a well-maintained Klaro humidor should negate these issues.
