Vous pensez qu’un cigare ce n’est qu’une “grosse” cigarette sans filtre ? Vous voulez découvrir la composition du cigare ? En apprendre plus sur la structure d'un cigare ?
Nous allons vous montrer les entrailles d’un cigare !
Et vous allez le voir, c’est plus complexe qu’une cigarette, mais c’est aussi bien plus passionnant ! Bien qu’il y ait pléthore de cigares différents, ils sont à peu près tous fabriqués selon le même procédé d’assemblage de feuilles de tabac.
Pour autant, vous vous en doutez, cet assemblage n’est pas fait au hasard et est souvent le fruit d’années de réflexion et de tentatives avant le résultat final. À l’instar du vin, il peut être utile de s’intéresser à la structure d’un cigare pour comprendre les subtilités liées à sa composition. C’est ce que nous allons faire dans cet article !
A cigar consists of:
- The wrapper: the outer leaf, which gives the aesthetic appearance of the cigar.
- The binder: the intermediate part that binds the inner tobacco to hold it together.
- The filler: the core of the cigar, where the tobacco "filling" or "charge" is located.
To delve deeper, we will explore:
- The composition of a tobacco plant.
- The role of each of its leaves.
- The external composition of a cigar.
- The internal structure of a cigar.
Let's get started!
Why learn about the composition of a cigar?
Wine has its grape variety, its soil, its climate, its oak barrels, and its aging process. Like wine, cigars have their set of "parameters" that distinguish one cigar from another.
By learning to identify and understand these parameters, you will be able to better grasp your preferences and, therefore, make better choices when selecting your cigars!
Different parts of the tobacco plant
To fully grasp the role of each part of a cigar, you need to know the different leaves of tobacco plants and the "functions" they serve in cigars.
During its growth, the tobacco plant forms three different types of leaves.
Here they are:
1. The Volado tobacco leaf
The lowest leaves on the plant receive much less sunlight as they are shaded by the other leaves. This results in a leaf with very little flavor.
However, being light and very thin, volado has superior combustion abilities compared to the other two types, contributing to the even and consistent smoke of the cigar.
It pairs well with other types of leaves that have poorer combustion.
2. The Seco tobacco leaf
Seco is the leaf found in the middle of the plant. Unlike volado, it is coarser (but less so than ligero), while maintaining a sweet and light taste. It's an incredibly balanced and oily leaf with subtle, highly aromatic flavors.
In fact, seco serves as a compromise between the fine volado leaf below and the thick ligero leaf above. It often plays the role of a softener when the ligero content is too strong.
3. The Ligero tobacco leaf
Finally, at the top of the plant, there's the ligero tobacco leaf. Exposed to maximum sunlight, it produces a thick and highly aromatic leaf.
To enhance its aroma even more, harvesters might choose to pick the leaves just below the highest ones, allowing nutrients to concentrate solely in these upper leaves.
The ligero leaf is thick and not particularly "beautiful" (meaning it's grainy, irregular, veined, etc.). Moreover, it tends to burn unevenly, but this matters little since its characteristics make it ideal for filling the core of the cigar.
Now you have an overview of each leaf and its potential use in a cigar. From now on, we can delve into the aspect that interests us: the composition of a cigar.
The cigar from the outside
Let's first focus on the external appearance of the cigar as we see it when holding it.
It can be divided into the following four areas:
1. The Head and Cap of the Cigar
It might seem obvious, but let's reiterate to avoid confusion: the head of the cigar is the closed end where you'll draw smoke. It's distinguished by the faint fold line on the top, where the edge curves (also called the shoulder). On this cigar head, you'll find the cap that needs to be cut before smoking.
A classic cigar shape like the Robusto, for example, has a round and less pronounced shoulder, while the Torpedo's shoulder is longer and takes on a pointed shape.
Highly experienced rollers apply the cap with nearly perfect symmetry, and sometimes even a triple cap in the Cuban rolling tradition, in comparison to the traditional double cap.
2. The Cigar Band
The cigar band, or cigar ring, emerged during the 19th century to differentiate imported Cuban cigars. Nowadays, cigar bands have become common, although some so-called "secondary" brands still don't use them for economic reasons.
Similar to choosing a wine bottle, the label plays a role in catching the potential customer's eye. The same holds true for cigar bands. They serve to convey the brand's identity and traditions. Marketing does the rest to influence our preferences.
Illustrations on cigar bands cover a wide range, from colorful landscapes to coats of arms and intricate calligraphy, all with the aim of evoking a sense of prestige and luxury.
3. The Body of the Cigar
The central part of a cigar is also the longest. It determines the shape and weight of the cigar compared to the various body profiles that exist. The body of the cigar also determines how long you will smoke: a long and heavy cigar will take more time to burn than a shorter and thinner one.
This might seem obvious, but with the wide variety of cigar formats available, it's useful to be reminded.
4. The Foot of the Cigar
As you might guess, the foot of the cigar is opposite to the head, and while it might not seem particularly interesting at first glance, it's actually more important than it appears.
This is where the combustion of the cigar begins, along with potential issues if not given proper attention. For the cigar to burn evenly and preserve all its flavors, it's crucial for the foot's combustion to be even and uniform.
Use wide-flame lighters to prevent the foot from burning faster on one side than the other. Ensure that the flame covers the entire foot's surface, leaving no darker areas.
The Cigar from the Inside
A cigar is composed of a blend of tobacco leaves as we saw at the beginning of the article. For this blend to be cohesive, the tobacco leaves are assembled from the center of the cigar and layered outward.
Here are the three layers in question.
1. The Cigar Wrapper (or Outer Leaf)
The wrapper is the outermost leaf of the cigar, covering the inner tobacco blend. The wrapper is the first thing we see on a cigar. Often very delicate, it receives special attention from torcedores (cigar rollers).
While aficionados agree that the wrapper isn't everything, it remains the most expensive leaf of the cigar. This is partly due to its meticulous selection based on precise criteria to fulfill its role perfectly – attracting the eye. Although its impact on the final taste of the cigar is secondary, it does influence the aromas it emits.
The wrapper leaf should be fresh, smooth, and attractive with a beautiful color, appealing to both the eyes and the taste. This automatically excludes tobacco leaves with spots, those that are too thick, or have irregular colors or textures.
2. The Cigar Binder (or Binder Leaf)
Since the wrapper is very thin and fragile, it's not sufficient to maintain the cigar's rigidity. This task falls to the binder leaf. It lies beneath the wrapper and encloses the tobacco blend to hold it in place and bind it with the cigar's surface (the wrapper).
Beyond structural integrity, the binder also ensures consistent and uniform combustion. Some cigars may contain two binder leaves.
Even though these primary functions (structural support and proper combustion) are not closely related to the final taste, some manufacturers use the binder to add a unique aspect to their cigars.
For example, the Punch Vintage from Cuba and Honduras uses a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, adding sweetness and earthiness to the cigars. Some wrapper leaves that don't meet aesthetic criteria during selection can be reused as binder leaves.
3. The Cigar Filler (Tobacco Filling)
The filler, also known as "the blend," is the heart of the cigar. It's a mixture of leaves from the upper and lower parts of the tobacco plants. The filler imparts the taste and character to cigars, comprising the majority of their volume.
On certain premium cigars, it's sometimes possible to see the leaf folding by looking at the foot. The filler consists of ligero leaves in the center, seco leaves around the ligero, and volado leaves that wrap around the entire bundle.
Regarding the leaves that make up the filler of cigars, they can be of two different types:
This term generally describes tobacco that has been chopped before being sorted into clusters, in either large or small pieces.
Long fillers are cigars made from tobacco leaves that extend the entire length of the cigar, folded or wrapped, but not cut before rolling.
Only long filler leaves are used for hand-rolled cigars. In contrast, machine-made cigars, while cheaper, are of lower quality and use small fillers, often coarsely chopped.
Make Your Own Experiences!
Once you understand the anatomy, the role of each component of a cigar, and the influence of different types of tobacco leaves, you're ready to embark on your own journey!
Don't stop there; have fun examining the various shapes, blends, or constructions of your favorite cigars to capture the details that make them unique. Knowing the structure of a cigar is a real advantage!
It's the best way to enrich your experience and better understand your tastes, which will help you choose cigars more aligned with your palate.
>> In the meantime, to complement your exploration, equip yourself with our cigar accessories designed for true cigar enthusiasts.
