Bundle cigars are usually not what they are thought up to be. For most people, they might look like a class below the better quality cigars out there. But in all actuality, they may not be as bad as some may think. Buying bundle cigars may even provide consumers with affordable alternatives to enjoy a puff or two.
Bundled cigars first appeared during the 1960’s. They are actually cigars that are made to be sold as unbranded cigars. Some bundled cigars may also be sold as an overrun of a cigar manufacturer for a particular size. Most bundled cigars can be identified at times by the name of the country they came from. You will hear of cigar shops selling Honduran Bundles or Nicaraguan Bundles. There are also times when manufacturers may produce bundle cigars as one time deals due to demand and may be sold with their own bands. This is most especially done by some popular cigar shops that contract a cigar manufacturer to produce house brands for them.
Bundle cigars can be differentiated from those termed as “seconds” in that the latter are usually ungraded cigars that didn’t meet up with the manufacturer’s standards due to some minor flaws. This does not necessarily mean that they are of bad quality. They are also produced in the same manner as the “firsts”, only to have minor flaws later on such as problems with the wrapper or flaws in the cigar construction that is not up to considered standards. These seconds are also sold in bundles and sold unmarked at less cost.
In choosing the best bundle cigars to buy, close inspection might also be needed. If you have found a shop offering bundle cigars up for sale, here is what you should try to look for. First, it is best if you try to shop for bundles by country. This would depend on the blends that you most prefer. If you are more inclined to enjoy Nicaraguan blends, then you can have your choices in buying bundle cigars limited to those originating from that country.
When you find yourself with a bundle cigar that you like, inspecting them one by one may not be possible. Most bundle cigars come packaged and may not offer the same luxury of inspecting boxed cigars which you can inspect a cigar at a time. The best thing that you can do to inspect bundle cigars is to check if the cigars have been bruised, ripped or crushed.
When buying bundle cigars, choose those cigars that contain long leaf fillers. For better quality bundle cigars, you can also choose to buy those that were manufactured as a private blend contracted by a retailer as an exclusive brand. You can be sure that these cigars are made with a little bit more of quality in mind and at more affordable prices. You can also check where the bundle cigars were manufactured. This will be helpful especially if you have a good idea of a number of manufacturers known to produce the best brands and the best cigars out there.
Posted in Cigars
Although it is Cuba that seems to come in mind when people speak about the finest cigars, the Dominican Republic is not far from being able to reach such a distinction with its own cigars. Just like Cuba, the Dominican Republic is slowly getting the attention of a lot of avid cigar collectors all over the world for their own line of fine quality cigars. Therefore, it is important to learn about the country and how they come upon making cigar one of their prized commodities sought after by cigar collectors all over the world.
The Dominican Republic is actually just a neighbor to Cuba. It is part of the Caribbean island group and occupies the eastern part of the Caribbean island known as Hispaniola, with the Republic of Haiti occupying the remaining portion. The Dominican Republic is the site of the first European settlement in the Americas, eventually becoming the initial site that began the spread of colonization of the Western Hemisphere by the European explorers. Santo Domingo is considered as the first city and colonial capital founded in the Americas which dates back to its official founding on August of 1498.
The history of the Dominican Republic is strewn with instability and frequent conflicts which somehow limited the country to enjoy continuous progress and development despite its richness in natural resources aside from its many beautiful and picturesque locations. Although the country has gone through a lot of economic hardships, its tobacco industry is one of the main reasons why it is still able to keep afloat.
And because of its large tobacco industry, the Dominican Republic has become one of the largest producers of cigars in the world. Although Cuban cigars may still dominate in the mindsets of cigar collectors, the Dominican cigars seem to provide a credible challenge to the distinction. The Dominican Republic seems to have some certain advantages over Cuba when it comes to cigars. First and foremost, the Dominican Republic offers a great variety of flavors, aromas and colors when it comes to cigars. This is mainly due to a more ideal growing environment that allows farmers to grow a wide variety of tobacco made into cigars.
Dominican cigars may also have some Cuban roots. This is due to the fact that a lot of Cubans fled their country during the early times of Fidel Castro’s rule. Along with those who fled are the cigar makers who found their way into Dominican Republic bringing with the tobacco seeds cultivated in Cuba as well as their cigar making expertise. Dominican cigars may have a lot in common with Cuban cigars in terms of quality with the difference coming only from the tobacco used since they are planted in different soils in different lands.
And because Dominican cigars have helped put the country back into the world map, the people have been doing their best to improve the quality of their tobacco as well as their cigars. Farmers carefully manage and care for their tobacco plantations in order to come up with only the finest leaves that go into the best Dominican cigars today. With this rapidly improving system in tobacco cultivation and cigar making, it won’t be long until the Dominican Republic will be able to earn the highest distinction for their cigars all over the world.
Posted in Cigar Country
Every avid cigar collector should have an idea of how their prized cigar collection came to be. Of course, looking at a cigar and one would have a pretty good idea of how it is made. It is just a bunch of dried tobacco leaves rolled carefully to form cylindrical shaped objects and then shipped all over the world. But cigar making is more than that.
The making of cigars begins with the cultivation of the tobacco plants. They start as plants that are propagated first indoors before they are transplanted in the fields after six to ten weeks. As they plants are grown, they are carefully pruned in order to let the leaves grow to its necessary size. Some of the plants are grown to produce leaves that become the outer wrappers of cigars. These selected plants are usually covered with cloth, especially the leaves to protect them from the sun. It takes about three to four months before the plants are ready and mature enough for harvest.
After the tobacco leaves are harvested, they are made to cure for several days in order for them to develop their characteristic aromas. From being fresh bright green leaves, they are cured until they become dry brown or yellowish. In the curing process, the leaves are made to hang attached to narrow strips of wood called laths. They can either be air cured in dry weather or flue cured if the weather does not permit the former. In flue curing, the laths are hung in a small barn that is heated until the temperatures inside reach 32 to 77 degrees Celsius. The temperature is carefully monitored in order to prevent rapid drying which can damage the leaves. Sometimes, sawdust or hardwood is burned in the curing barn to impart some aroma on the drying tobacco leaves.
After the curing process, the leaves are then separated by its color and size. The best leaves are usually set aside to become the outer wrapper. Large tobacco leaves are sorted to become the inner wrapper or binder for the cigar while the small or broken leaves become the cigar filler. The leaves are then bundled in groups of 10 to 15 leaves called “hands”. The “hands” are then further packed and placed in boxes called “hogsheads”. This is where the leaves are made to go through a fermentation process. The leaves are kept for a period of six months to five years in these boxes during which, the taste and the aroma of the tobacco leaves develop. High quality cigars usually make use of tobacco leaves that have been fermented for two to five years.
After being fermented, the leaves are carefully sorted and then have the main veins of each leaf removed. The leaves are then stacked in piles called “books” or “pads” which are then wrapped in bales and then stored for another round of fermentation. It is at this point that the leaves may also be shipped. Just as the leaves are finally ready to be made into cigars, they are steamed first in order to restore lost moisture and make them flexible and then sorted again.
Posted in Cigars
Cigar humidors come in handy especially for serious cigar collectors. In the case of having quite a number of different cigars in your cabinet, you definitely would need a good cigar humidor. A cigar humidor the best place to store your cigars. This is especially useful if you have more cigars that you can possibly use for a long time. After all, that is what cigar collectors do.
In collecting cigars, one must be able to know how to keep the cigars and in good condition always. Cigars are known to dry up over time. The moisture in the cigars may evaporate in time and may lose some of their best characteristics. In collecting cigars, one must bear in mind that they require storing in a special kind of environment that will allow them to remain in their best condition for a long time.
In order to keep your cigars in its best condition, it must be stored in spaces that have the ideal humidity, which falls around 65 to 75 percent. A space that provides this constant humidity will help prevent your cigars from drying up. And cigar humidors may be able to provide just the right environment for your cigar collection. Cigar humidors can be a small wooden or acrylic glass boxes where you can store your most prized cigar possessions. Humidors can also be as big as walk-in spaces that may cover a whole floor to accommodate the storage of a vast collection of cigars. What they all have in common is that they provide a storage space for cigars with constant ideal temperature to always keep them in tip top condition.
Although different humidors are made from several wood varieties, the most common used today is that of Spanish cedar. They are usually crafted in the interiors of humidors as veneers and this comes with good reason. The many good characteristics of Spanish cedar make it ideal for keeping cigars in great condition. For one, Spanish cedar has excellent moisture absorption qualities that helps it maintain the humidity in an enclosed space such as a humidor. The Spanish cedar also gives off a pleasant aroma that can be absorbed by the cigars after they are stored long enough. And not only that, Spanish cedar can also help repel the dreaded tobacco beetles that have been known to ruin an entire cigar stock. They do their damage by not only eating the tobacco leaves but also lay their eggs in the cigars themselves that bring further infestation.
A good humidor will always help keep your cigar stocks in the best condition possible for long periods of time. But it is also up to the collector to help make their humidors maintained. In buying a new humidor, it is always advised that the new ones be seasoned before you start storing your cigars in them. New humidors can be pretty dry when you first buy them. One of the things that you can do to season them is by wiping its interiors with a moist cloth to remove any dust. After that, place a small container of water inside the humidor and leave it there for twelve hours at least with the lid closed. Once the water has been completely gone, the process is repeated for another 24 hours. When the water inside the humidor has stopped from evaporating by this time, you can now place your cigars inside it. You can also place a moist cloth or sponge inside the humidor to keep the wood as well as the cigars moist.
Posted in Cigar Humidors