Cigar 雪茄

cigar ... a special topic for me to write about as I am not a smoker. Just found few pack of cigars on the table which the packaging caught my eyes. Those cigars were given by my uncle to my aunt who is having her holiday with us now. I took a few photos of them just for fun and searched for some basic informations to share over here...

Cigar ( 雪茄 in mandarin was translated by a poet 徐志摩 ) is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. It undergoes 5 processing steps :

1. Curing 烟草加工
2. Fermentation 发酵
3. Sorting 甑选 ( bale, inspection, unbale, reinspection and bale again repeatedly as it continues its aging cycle )
4. Rolling 捆卷
5. Keeping 保存 ( suggested 21°C & 70% relative humidity in a wooden box )

Cigar is made up of 3 compositions - wrappers 茄衣 , binders 茄套 and fillers 茄心.

Wrappers 茄衣 are the outer layer used to wrap the fillers which determines much of the cigar's character and flavour. The colour of the wrapper is used to describe the cigars.

• Double Claro 青褐色
• Claro 淺褐色
• Natural 自然色
• Colorado Claro 暗红褐色
• Colorado Maduro 深褐色
• Maduro 咖啡般的深褐色
• Oscuro 近黑色

Binders 茄套 are used to hold together the bunches of fillers.

Fillers 茄心 are the main composition of a cigar. The flavor of the cigar depends on the blending of the tobacco leaves. The leaves from the bottom of the plant produce less flavour compared to the middle of the plant, whereas the upper leaves give the strongest flavour as exposed to the most sunlight. The fillers can be grouped into 3 types :

1. Long fillers - uses the whole leaves ( the highest quailty )
2. Medium fillers - uses larger pieces of leaf than short filler without stems
3. Short fillers - uses the chopped leaves, stems and other bits

The best cigar is said from Cuba ...

p/s: Cigar has higher level of cancer causing substances, toxins and more tar than cigarette. It is also a major source of indoor air pollution. So, think twice before you smoke :)