There are hundreds of thousands of cigars in the market which can sometimes make you go bogged down by endless choices, confusing messages, and opinions posing as fact. This makes it a complicated and confusing hobby even for a longtime smoker.
In order to get more information related to cigars, keep reading this article that aims to give insight and perspective to every level of cigar aficionado whether you are a noob or pro.
While if you are looking for cigars or other things related to smoking then visit Sunburst Smoke Shop which is a well-known smoke shop in Peoria, AZ. Coming back to the article, have a look at these things that you didn’t know about cigars.
Cigars are a Natural and Artisanal Product
Cigars are made of only one thing; tobacco. Pure and unadulterated tobacco. Not a single leaf is chemically treated or artificially mixed for the taste. Everything from flavor to color is achieved through natural means and that is the only part of the cigar’s inherent beauty.
In fact, few consumable products are so natural like perceptible flavors that are naturally occurring. While the various shades of brown are achieved through an organic process free of dyes or ripening accelerants. Also, premium cigars don’t contain any preservatives to increase the shelf life and no sweeteners, artificial or natural. Such products are used in cigarettes and machine-made cigars which are produced in billions.
On the other hand, rolling the perfect handmade cigar is an artisanal skill. While blending tobacco is as much art as it is science and because tobacco is subject to the idea of nature, the blender should be able to work efficiently with an ingredient that can change from year to year due to crop variation.
Hundreds of Pairs of Hands in Making
It is often said that around 200 pairs of hands touch your cigar before it reaches you. This simply means that whenever you light a cigar, many people with different skills are contributing to bringing you the ultimate handmade product.
It all starts with seed selection and greenhouse cultivation. At first, cigar tobacco starts as a tiny seed that is most often planted in a tray and grown in a greenhouse. Once the seedlings grow to a few inches high, they are then transplanted to the fields where they can flourish.
When they reach full height and maturity, the leaves are removed by hand and then are harvested and hung in a curing barn to dry and turn brown. After that, the cured tobacco is taken to a facility, unpacked, and piled up for fermentation. After the fermentation completes, the tobacco pile is separated and is laid on a drying rack to let the air out.
After that, it is repacked and stowed for aging. After a few years, the aged tobacco is unpacked again, rehydrated in a special chamber, and categorized for color. During this process, the outer wrapper leaves will also undergo a destemming process where the thick, central vein is removed from the leaf. Sometimes this process is completely carried out my hands
The next step is the rolling process which requires appointed factory workers to dole out the proper proportions of aged tobacco to the rollers each day. A cigar roller takes his piles to the table and creates a cigar according to the cigarmaker’s blend, bunching and rolling each cigar by hand. Although the blend is formulated of exacting proportions of very specific tobaccos to impart a particular smoking experience.
Finished cigars are sorted out according to color consistency and are sent to the aging room. Finally, they are banded up, boxed, and sent out. These were the basic steps of how cigars are made. However, there are many other quality-control steps that vary from operation to operation.
Conclusion
These were some of the things that you might know about cigars. Although, premium cigars are entirely handmade. So, if you are looking for quality cigars or premium ones then you can buy them from Sunburst Smoke Shop which is a popular smoke shop in Peoria, Arizona.
