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Confirm Age & Enter SiteAt the end of last year, cigar connoisseurs from all over the globe were saddened by the news that one of the tobacco industry’s greatest icons, José Orlando Padrón, had passed away. At 91 years of age, Padrón had certainly made his mark in the world of tobacconists and was best known as the founder of Padrón Cigars Inc., which he successfully ran for 53 years. However, he was also described as “a much-loved leader and devoted family man”. Here at Havana House, we wanted to pay tribute to this legendary figure by taking a look back over his life and success.
It’s here! The cigar of the year, as decided by Cigar Aficionado Magazine has been announced, and this year the accolade is awarded to Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark!
The blend used for this top cigar is based on that used in the original Don Carlos cigar, which was released back in 1976. As with most Don Carlos cigars, the wrapper originates from Cameroon, while the interior tobacco is grown in the Dominican Republic and then well-aged. In keeping with their usual style, the exact blend remains a well-guarded secret! The taste remains familiar to fans of the Fuente cigar; however, there is a welcome twist that has certainly contributed to elevating it to the top spot on Cigar Aficionado’s list.
The shape of the cigar surely contributes to it’s winning spot also, as it is intriguing compared with the more standard sizing seen with many cigars. The Eye of the Shark cigar is not box-pressed or conventional in shaping. Instead, the bottom-half of the stogie is pressed, while the upper-half tapers, as with a regular rounded belicoso. While Fuente has used a similar shape before, that has only been for limited releases, so the somewhat peculiar shaping remains refreshing and surprising. The name of the cigar can also be attributed to the shape; as the cigar arguably takes the form of a shark’s body!
Of course, the taste is what everyone cares about the most. The Shark gives off its phenomenal flavours as soon as it is lit. With a range of flavour notes present, from spices to citruses, there are many complex layers apparent in each puff. As you continue to smoke the cigar, tones of nuttiness, cider and cedar make themselves known, contributing to a truly fantastic flavour!
Cuban cigars consistently rank at the top of many cigar aficionado’s favourites lists. However, with weather conditions changing for the worse due to global warming, how is the Cuban cigar industry being affected? We take a look at some of the effects on Cuban plantations: Back in 2015, the El Niño season led to an intense period of drought in Cuba; the worst in over a century. Following this, the opposite weather hit hard in the winter, with heavy rain hitting what is normally a dry season. Tobacco plants are incredibly delicate, leaving them vulnerable to harsh, and unpredictable, weather conditions.
These heavy rains during the 2015-2016 harvest left many plantations with far less usable produce. In an attempt to salvage the harvest, many farmers planted new tobacco plants out of season. However, for many, the damage was already done. Somewhat inopportunely, this occurred around the same time that travel bans were being lifted between Cuba and the United States. This increased demand for the famous cigars, putting further strain on the farmers and their ruined crops. The full impact is yet to be exposed, as typical cigar making processes take around three years to complete. With the practice of curing, fermenting and ageing the tobacco still underway, it may be a little while before the cigar industry feels the full effect of climate change. However, tobacco farmers predict that more weak harvest seasons are to come.
Tobacco needs a lot of sunlight during the day in order to reach its full growth potential. Normally, the weather conditions make the soil in Cuba absolutely prime for crop growth. However, the periods of drought and heavy rainfall brought on by climate change has severely impacted the soil quality; drying it out and then turning it into sludge. The rain also rots the tobacco plants, meaning that they cannot be used to form the cigars. San Juan y Martínez and San Luis produce eighty-six percent of the tobacco used for Havana cigars, meaning that when these areas become badly affected by the weather conditions, these cigar types are at risk of falling into danger.
It is clear that reducing the speed of global warming is essential in order to preserve the quality tobacco needed to ensure the continuation of the cigar industry. A recent study analysing the effects of climate change on tobacco growing in Cuba predicted that the industry would be safe enough over the next few decades. However, they conclude that as global warming increases, crop yields are certain to decline. The effects are already starting to be seen on a number of plantations, with the conditions becoming unsustainable for the production of the delicate tobacco leaf. As Cuba’s third-biggest import, keeping these tobacco plantations alive is a must for the farmers, and for the economy as a whole.
Due to the ever-present threat of climate change, new types of tobacco plantations have been cropping up in Cuba. Local grower Alcides Hernández Pérez, who lives in the Guamuhaya mountains, innovated a new facility in which to grow the plant. Built almost entirely of bricks to enhance the humidity, the buildings have turbines to heat the plants when the weather is making it cooler.
These controlled conditions mean that the tobacco is grown and kept in the environment needed for optimum quality. Facilities like these may be what the future holds for many growers who are being damaged by the changing climes. What do you think about the future of Cuban cigars and how climate change is affecting their growth? Let us know on social media and in the comments.
Even a person who has never smoked in their whole life is bound to know Cuba’s reputation for being the go-to spot for sourcing the best cigars. But why are these cigars so renowned?
Perhaps looking at the history will give us some answers. Back in the 1960s, growing tensions between the US and Cuba were compounded by a trade deal with the Soviet Union. Due to this, sanctions were raised resulting in a trade embargo in 1962; one that is yet to be fully lifted. Of course, the illegality made it much more difficult for you to get your hands on Cuban cigars in America, which only served to elevate the cigars to a forbidden fruit status that everyone wanted a taste of.
Cuba has been at the top of the cigar game for centuries though, long before the trade bans ramped-up the excitement of Cubans. This extensive history has served the quality and technique well, as the expertise is passed through the generations. Having perfected the craft, the production of a Cuban cigar now involves over a hundred detailed, strictly followed, steps for each cigar. The hot climes and top soil quality have made Cuba the ideal environment for growing superior tobacco plants too, already putting it at an advantage over other cigar producing regions.
Cuba is the origin for many, now common, practices in the cigar world, such as playing around with flavour through the tobacco fermentation process, and using different parts of the plant to compose the wrapper, binder and filling. The corresponding leaves to each of these cigar components are even grown in different regions, where the conditions for each type of leaf will be at its prime. This also allows for the growers to become absolute experts in the particular leaf they are responsible for, allowing them to be cultivated to the absolute specifics required to ensure the supreme quality Cuban cigars are known for.
Cuban manufacturers furthered the progression of the cigar industry by constructing the cigars themselves at the source, rather than sending raw leaves off into the world. Besides, sealed cigars are more likely to make it overseas in a good condition, which may contribute to their appeal.
While everyone certainly knows Cuban cigars, their unique and powerful aroma makes them unpopular with those less accustomed to the world of cigar smoking. So let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media; are Cubans the best type of cigars or do you prefer a different type?
First impressions count, and as the first thing the smoker notices when looking at a cigar, the colour and sheen of the wrapper are incredibly important for revealing the quality of the cigar. The cigar wrapper essentially acts as a marketing tool for the cigar, and the manufacturer, trying to sell us the stogie with its appeal of attractiveness. But does the look of it sometimes forsake the flavour?
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The English capital of London was once, believe it or not, the smoking capital of the world. While it is still possible for people to sample cigars in the shops and lounges of Britain, the smoking ban of July 2007 instantly changed the way cigars can be enjoyed with friends. Still, tobacco houses are engrained into British culture, and many aficionados can even encounter this forgotten past in a visit to a specialist store.
When you think of great western movies, it’s not only great cigars that are seen being lit up by the Cowboys; you often see a wily character sat out on deck, surveying the carnage and spitting, with great accuracy, into a metal pot. (more…)
Rocky Patel cigars are introducing a new blend to their esteemed ‘Vintage’ line, with the new addition set to delight cigar aficionado’s the world over, and further solidify Rocky Patel’s reputation as one of the world’s leading cigar makers. (more…)
Davidoff cigars have divulged the ‘hush hush’ details of their ‘Davidoff Limited Art Edition 2017’ that will start shipping next month. (more…)
Although you can shop for a fine selection of cigars online in our store, there are some cigars that are just so rare that veteran collectors and aficionados will go to the grave without ever having seen one of these beauties, let alone smoke it!
Many of these stogies are hidden in private collections, sat in an ageing room of a millionaire somewhere, or even in the suitcase that Samuel L. Jackson carries off at the end of Pulp Fiction; we’ll just never know!
Here are eight of the rarest cigars in the world, just to tantalise the taste buds a bit more: (more…)
Plus, you’ll get the inside scoop on information, latest products, our biggest savings and more!
