A cigars journey starts from the tiniest of seeds and it’s said the resulting tobacco passes through two hundred hands from the time the seed is planted to when it hits your mouth. Discover the journey of a premium cigar from seed to shelf – through two hundred hands, fermentation, curing, aging and rolling.

Greenhouse Beginnings

  It all starts in the greenhouse with an almost microscopic seed, the seed is allowed to establish itself over 6 to 10 weeks and grow roots deep enough to be transplanted. Once it’s hearty enough it gets transported to the fields and carefully transplanted in perfectly spaced rows. The plants are carefully tended for several months and checked for growth and signs of any disease or beetles.

Seed to Leaf

Depending on the farm, type of plant and desired method of harvesting it’s either allowed to grow to full size, often towering six to eight feet high, and then cut at the bottom of the stalk or the leaves are carefully harvested in pairs (called priming) from the bottom (volado) to the strongest leaf at the top (ligero) over time. Plants generally spend 2 to 4 months in the fields before they’re either stalk cut or the last leaves are harvested at their peak maturity.

Curing The Leaf, From Green To Brown

Once cut the leaves are sorted, they’re sewn together at the stems then hung over poles that are arranged in specially constructed curing barns. The barns generally are bult facing north to south to take advantage of the east-west winds. The humidity in the barns and airflow are carefully regulated to help the leaves dry, they slowly turn the leaves a rich brown as the chlorophyl changes to sugars and the humidity drops to roughly 20%, this can take anywhere from 45 to 60 days. Some manufacturers speed up the process by a method called fire curing where aromatic woods are burned in the barns, this imbues the tobacco with a distinct campfire flavor.

Fermentation, Science And Craft

The next phase is the second longest in the process of manufacturing a cigar, the fermentation. Fermentation is an art and a science that can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 plus years depending on the leaf and the final goal of the master blender. The leaves are sorted according whether they’re being used as a wrapper, binder or filler and carefully piled in to what’s known as a pilon. Pilons can be anywhere from 6 to 8 feet high and are carefully monitored for internal temperatures, as the temps get high the pilon is taken apart and restacked so the leaves ferment evenly. The fermentation process removes impurities in the leaf like ammonia, reduces the bitterness, smooths out the nicotine and helps develop the aroma of the tobacco. Wrapper and Connecticut leaf are generally fermented at lower temperatures to maintain the color and elasticity of the leaf. Tobacco designated as a maduro leaf is fermented at higher, more intense temperatures, this helps bring out more of the natural sugars in the leaf.

Aging And Rolling The Final Product

Once fermented the leaf is packed again, traditionally in palm leaves, and stored for extended periods of time – anywhere from 6 months to an astonishing 20 plus years for some brands before they’re brought to the rolling floor and the finished cigar is ready. The cigars are then placed in humidity controlled, often cedar lined, aging rooms for 3 plus months to give the oils in the tobacco the chance to marry together and produce the final tasting notes before being wrapped in cellophane, placed in a box and then shipped to your local retailer and placed on the shelf.

It’s a long, arduous process involving a lot of people from the field workers to the tobacconist that hands you your cigar. It takes some science, a lot of craft that’s learned over years of experience, time and patience to get to your hands. So take your time with your cigar, honor those hands that made it.