The Humidor: June 2016

The Humidor J U N E

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4 Steps to a New Humidor

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Father’s Day

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Wome n in Cigars

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Drew Estate Cigar Safar i

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Con ne cti c ut , USA

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Bra nd Break down

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The Humidor is a publication of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

Copyright 2016 ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Reprinted reviews remain the copyright of the original publisher.

Allie Smallwood

Editor

Meghan Guarino

Contributing Editor

abcfws.com

4 Steps to a New Humidor Allie Smallwood

Seasoning is something you do to a new humidor. Re-seasoning is something you do to your great uncle Gary’s humidor after you’ve “borrowed” it from his estate sale.

New or old, seasoning and re-seasoning follow (sort of) the same path.

The path always forks though, doesn’t it? Many cigar aficionados swear by the sponge wipe method, while other cigar experts swear by NOT wiping.

It’s your choice, but you’ll definitely need some distilled water (tap water can lead to unwanted bacteria growth!) and a brand new sponge.

Repeat, a new sponge. If you want to turn your humidor into a petri dish, have at it!

1. REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM YOUR HUMIDOR Trays, dividers, humidifier, hygrometer… all of it!

2. APPLY MOISTURE Choose your method: WIPE: With an unscented, clean, distiled water-saturated sponge wipe down any visible wood (trays, dividers and interior lid count too). After wiping, you’ll want to rehydrate the sponge with more distilled water and set in a bowl or on parchment paper inside the humidor.

NO WIPE: Put an unscented, clean, distilled water-saturated sponge in a glass bowl (one that fits in your humidor), so that it doesn’t touch any wood. Leave for 24 hours.

Do not oversaturate. There should never be puddles or excess water!

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3. REPLACE EVERYTHING YOU TOOK OUT Close the lid and let it humidify for 24 more hours.

4. MONITOR YOUR HYGROMETER A turn-key humidor will be at a comfortable 65-75% humidity.

One thing is sure, and that’s that the wood inside of the humidor must absorb some humidity before it can properly host your sticks.

Since we live in an already humid climate, it’s ok to make sure it’s closer to 65%.

HUMIDOR MAINTENANCE • Rotate cigars at least once a month • Place humidor in a dark, temperate area (70 degrees is perfect) • Try not to open the humidor frequently to keep humidity levels stabilized • Cigars with the cellophane wrapper age better and stay fresher longer

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F A T H E R’S

DAY

Steve Mungeer Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarmungo

With Father’s Day right around the corner,

La Historia E III. These four smokes are

what better way is there to celebrate Dad

highly rated and pack a bit more power but

than to surprise him with a gift of his favorite

are extremely smooth.

smokes? With so many choices and options available, you can make Dad feel special whether he is a long-time cigar smoker or a brand new and inexperienced adventurer into the world of fine tobacco.

We also have the bold, full-bodied smokers covered! Pick up an assortment of smokes that includes, but is not limited to: Ashton VSG Sorcerer, La Gloria Serie R #6 Maduro, Oliva Serie V Torpedo and Joya De Nicaragua

If Dad is a cigar smoker of many years, most

Antano Gran Consul. Those exhibit lots of

likely he has a favorite cigar. Find a discarded

peppery spice, bold flavors, complexity and

cigar band or look for an empty box and you

a big, bold kick. This assortment is for the

might just find out what that favorite smoke

experienced dad!

is. Consider gifting him another full box of that favorite cigar he’s smoked for years! But maybe you found out that his favorite cigar is a $12 stick and you weren’t expecting to pay $300 for a box of cigars—no worries! Buy a gift bag, stuff it with some tissue paper and grab 4-5 of his favorite smokes! A small gift box measuring 6x8x2 from your favorite card shop or party store also makes a great presentation.

If Dad is just venturing out, start him off with a great lineup of mild to medium cigars that will not overwhelm his palate. An outstanding group of Connecticut wrapper smokes is my choice for the beginning smoker. Set Dad up with a Rocky Patel 1999 Vintage Toro, an Oliva Connecticut Series Double Toro, an Arturo Fuentes Double Chateau Natural and an Ashton Classic Churchill. These are

But if you’re not sure what Dad smokes or

outstanding mild, yet flavorful, cigars that are

you’re looking for something a little different for

very smooth and have a nice cool draw. If Dad

him, here are a few options. Try gifting Dad a

is a beginner you will need to pick up a basic

sampling of cigars from—wait for it—yes, My

guillotine cutter and a simple butane lighter

Father Cigars! A very highly recognized and

as well.

highly regarded producer of cigars from Estelí, Nicaragua, Tabacalera My Father is a perfect choice to commemorate Father’s Day! With the Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of the Year for 2012, Flor de las Antillas Toro and the #1 Cigar of the Year for 2015, Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo, this is a winning combination! Cigar Snob’s #1 Cigar of the Year for 2015 was also from My Father, El Centurion H2K! I would recommend another of their cigars for this outstanding package, Jaime Garcia Super Gordo. This combination of cigars is a gift fit for a lover of outstanding smokes.

For the father who loves that medium to fullbodied smoke, check out Liga Privada #9

There are so many options for the cigar lover on Father’s Day. We have full boxes and creative samplings of outstanding smokes.

Maybe Dad has plenty of cigars and would appreciate a good cutter or a good lighter instead—your ABC store has a selection of Xikar and Lotus lighters and cutters to fit all budgets. Torch lighters, soft flame lighters, V-cutters, cigar punches and guillotine cutters make great gifts and quality accessories make the cutting and lighting of his favorite smoke so much easier. These suggestions will be sure to please any dad just looking to relax!

Wishing a Happy Father’s Day to all and stay smokey!

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Corona Doble, Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic, Rocky Patel Royale Toro or EPC Page 3

Women in Cigars Makenzie Ladd Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abcbeermakenzie

This has been the year of the woman. In

for the Fuente family’s public relations team

Then the blending bug finally bit—Viktorsson

beer, in technology and in politics, the female

and helped her mother arrange cigar events.

decided to try her hand at the intricate art of

leader is being recognized in fields where she

She quotes her grandfather as being part of

cigar blending. Her Freyja line is named after

once was perceived as just a fly on the wall in

the inspiration behind her love of cigars—

the Norse Viking goddess and on the personal

the background of a crowded room. Recently,

Carlos Fuente Sr. began a tradition that when

side, serves as a symbolic representation of

the industry that is experiencing a surprising

the family gathered to smoke cigars, he would

the connection between her Swedish ancestry

influx of women contributors is the cigar

talk in-depth about each cigar being smoked,

and the cigar-making of present day. This

world—the increased percentage of women

explaining the origin of its name, what kinds

artistic endeavor was guided by her palate only

smoking, blending and directing things behind

of tobacco leaves were used to make it, and

– a palate refined by years in the business and

the scenes has created a new niche for their

why that cigar was made the way that it was.

a passion for cigars.

gender in an area predominately known for its

These memories, along with spending time

male contributors. Whether their interest begins

walking the tobacco fields as a child with her

Just when the industry is wondering, “What’s

with ties to family or knowledge acquired

grandfather, helped strengthen Christina’s

next? What’s new?” the entrance of a fresh,

through their job, recently emerging female

interest in cigars and give her background

feminine perspective might just be what the

figures who have taken on the cigar industry

she needed to succeed.

cigar lover ordered. As women who love cigars with a smoldering passion are added

are beginning to have an impact on the public’s perception of their gender’s involvement in

When the interviewer inquires how people who

to the ranks of the Tobacconist University’s

the business.

are not familiar with the cigar world react to

Certified Retail Tobacconist accreditation,

seeing a woman smoke a cigar, Suarez admits

cigar consumers will have the opportunity

that she is greeted with surprise by onlookers.

to share in stories like Christina Suarez and

She goes on to say that women should be

Emma Viktorsson’s. Innovation and progress

proud to smoke cigars because the creation and enjoyment of a cigar is an art. She is proud of the fact that her family created such an art, and people should enjoy art.

can be exponentially increased by forming a community of men and women with an appetite for “cigar art.” Art, after all, is something that transcends language, gender and race and can enjoyed by everyone. s

In 2015, Emma Viktorsson embarked on a journey to create her own such an art.

Viktorsson’s involvement in the cigar industry is extraordinary. For five years she worked for Swedish Match’s Premium Cigar Group where she became a Marketing Area Manager whose work area included 10 countries in Eastern Europe. During this time she met and married Jose Blanco, a prominent figure in the cigar In a recent video interview with Cigar Aficionado, Christina Suarez opens up about what it was like to grow up as part of a royal cigar lineage. The daughter of Cynthia FuenteSuarez and Wayne Suarez, Christina is the niece of Carlos Fuente Jr. and granddaughter of Carlos Fuente Sr. of the Arturo Fuente cigar brand. After she graduated college, she worked

industry who is known for being a master blender. After leaving Swedish Match, she followed her husband to Joya de Nicaragua where she continued to expand her knowledge of cigar construction and blending. After their departure from the company, she went on to help her husband create the cigar company Las Cumbres Tabaco in the Dominican Republic where she helped to design the company’s first cigar line.

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Drew Estate Cigar Safari Liz Holland Certified Retail Tobacconist

It takes 300 sets of hands to make one single

went to one of the curing barns. Four rows from

that is consistent for every stick they produce.

cigar. It is easy to smoke a finished product in an

around six feet off the ground to the roof of the

They then take those leaves and wrap them in

hour and wonder, “Why does this stick of dried,

barn all filled with bunches of tobacco leaves all

the binder and place in the press for several

aged and rolled leaves cost as much as it does?”

hung to cure and remove color.

hours. The rollero takes the pressed cigars and

When you have the pleasure of attending a Drew Estate Cigar Safari in Estelí, Nicaragua, you can’t help but wonder why they aren’t more expensive.

Later that day we were invited to tour the factory of Joya de Nicaragua (“Jewel of Nicaragua”).

Joya was the first premium cigar factory in Nicaragua, established in 1968. We selected our own blend of leaves using what we learned in the fields about strength and combustibility; I look forward to trying one of my blends when they are no longer moist from the rolling process.

applies the Ligero as a wrapper. It’s so quick that each rollero makes around 200 sticks per day. These sticks are inspected on the factory floor, then moved to another room and inspected again to make sure the cigar was not rolled too loosely or tightly. Then the cigar is inspected one more time and separated by color. They are then bunched and placed in a climate-controlled room to dry before packaging.

Our last full day in Nicaragua was dedicated to production at the Drew Estate facility; it is the largest Cigar factory in Nicaragua. We started our morning in the fermenting rooms. The pilones, or “piles,” of fermenting tobacco stood around three feet tall, and were placed all through the room. When the temperature reaches around 95 to 100 degrees, the piles are deconstructed and reconstructed so that the ammonia is “cooked” out of the tobacco evenly. After around 30 days The rich soil from this mountain town creates an excellent palate for the tobacco seeds to flourish.

the fermented tobacco is bailed and aged for about two years.

The tobacco from Estelí is slightly sweet, earthy

The next phase is the one that carries all of the

and spicy, which is a perfect mix for some of

romance of cigar production. The buncheros have

the premium cigars that are produced by

no idea which cigar they are rolling, they simply

Drew Estate.

follow the recipe. The buncheros have piles

Next, our safari visited the Oliva family farms, not to be confused with the Oliva Cigar Co. (same name, different group). We were able to

of leaves spread out before them, they select the leaves and have a process of tearing and bunching the leaves to make the correct blend

Drew Estate employs Subculture Studios to create all of the artwork that you see in their packaging and marketing. They design and make all of their cigar boxes and have painted murals all over the factory. They also create all of the “swag,” like hats, ashtrays, wall art… really

look at the seeds and see the whole process

anything you can think of! The packaging is the

from seedling to full grown plant. The part of the

last part of the production phase, a great deal of

plantation we visited housed shade-grown plants

time and attention to detail goes into every box.

that had gone through the first stage of priming, with the Seco leaves removed and hanging in the curing barn. In about 15 days, the Viso leaves will be removed and another 15 days the top layer of the nutrient-filled Ligero leaves will also be removed. The shade-grown plants are unique in that they are allowed to flower. The flowers pull nutrients from the leaves leaving a softer, milder leaf that complements the Connecticut wrapper quite nicely. After we finished in the fields we Page 6

The pride in their craftsmanship and the genuine friendliness of the Nicaraguan people makes them a great host for this company, and it is no wonder they are so successful. They employ happy people that work hard because they are valued and they know it. I am so honored that I was chosen to tour their facility and experience some of the hospitality that they and the country of Nicaragua have to offer. s

c e t n icut n o C

USA

Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris

It is hard to argue against the fact that we

We left the Gershel Farm and headed down the

growth of even larger and thicker leaves, the

live in a “golden age” of cigars—these are

road where they were “topping” some broadleaf.

tops of the plants are chopped off. Instead

the greatest days to be a cigar lover. Some will

Broadleaf, unlike its canopy-protected cousin

of having this done by hordes of machete-

point to the good ole days when Cubans were

Connecticut Shade, is a thick and hearty leaf

wielding workers, the job is completed by just

able to be had at the corner drug store, but

that grows in the sun. To encourage the

one tractor and two men following behind.

their arguments are short-sided and overlook

The tractor has a special mower attachment

two key facts: Habanas aren’t what they used

that evenly cuts the tobacco while one man

to be and there is better tobacco being grown

trails making sure the machine is functioning

in many different places.

correctly and a second hacks anything left

Now the purpose of this story isn’t to disparage Cuban cigars for there are still many of fine quality. The Robaino family in Vuelta Abajo

standing. This operation is a perfect example of allowing a piece of equipment take the place of many workers.

still grow great tobacco, but sadly they have

Our next stop was another field that had been

become the exception to the rule. I want to

“topped” the week before. The difference in the

highlight the greatness of Connecticut tobacco

size of the leaves in just that short of a time

which often gets overlooked in today’s

frame was remarkable. It’s hard to describe the

cigar world.

size of the leaves, pictures certainly don’t do

With such great leaf coming from Nicaragua,

them justice.

Honduras, Ecuador, Indonesia, Brazil, Dominican

After watching some tobacco being harvested

Republic and Mexico, just to name a few,

we went to the final step of the process and

the United States often gets left out of the

checked in on a few curing barns. They had

conversation. Sadly, in all of my cigar travels

just been fired that morning and the humidity

I am embarrassed to say that until this year

inside was already much higher than the cool

I had yet to visit the Connecticut River Valley.

Connecticut outside the barns. As we stepped

Sure, I know about how great and expensive

inside the barn it was if we were stepping

Connecticut Shade tobacco is and I love the

outside our homes back in Florida, it was warm

wonderful, rich and dark flavors of Connecticut

and wet. The smell of that fresh cut tobacco did

Broadleaf, but I never bothered to go see it

make me forget about the fire coming off the

up close.

propane heaters if only for a moment.

Steve Mungeer and I were invited to visit

We ended our trip back at Gershel Farm,

several farms owned and operated by Altadis

having lunch and few cigars before our

USA. They are the makers of such iconic

afternoon flights back to Florida. There were

brands as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and H.

several things I took away from the visit. How

Upmann, among others. We started our visit

much more carefully they have to manage

at Gershel Farm. It was here where we got to

their work crews and also being on the lookout

look at the machine that places the microscopic

for new technologies that can ease the labor

seeds into trays and inspect all of the tractors

costs are never-ending tasks. But above all

and heavy equipment used to plant, fertilize

these business management practices, it really

and aid in the harvesting of the leaves. The first

comes down to tobacco and these folks are

difference that one notices here in Connecticut

great tobacco people. The amount of effort and

is the smaller number of workers as opposed

detail they put into making sure that only the

to those working in Nicaragua and Honduras.

best tobacco is grown and cured is second to

The higher cost of labor has definitely forced

no one, anywhere. I am certainly glad I made

the growers here to be more efficient and

the journey and still don’t know why it took

to use more machines than their Third

me so long. s

World counterparts.

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8989 South Orange Ave.

The Humidor

Orlando, Florida 32824

Brand The Camacho Connecticut is the top-selling line of cigars produced by Camacho. They have quickly become one of the most popular sticks in our humidors. Here are just a few reasons why:

Breakdown PRODUCED IN HONDURAS WRAPPER LEAF: Ecuadorian Connecticut BINDER: Original Corojo (Honduras) FILLER: Dominican Republic and Honduras

LOOK: The cigar is gorgeous with its Ecuadorian

SIZE: At ABC we offer this cigar in five vitolas (sizes):

Connecticut wrapper and bright yellow cigar band.

Gordo (6x60), Churchill (7X48), Figurado (6.1X54),

The look of the stick boils down to quality.

Toro (6X50) and Robusto Tubo (5X50). s

PALATE: The cigar is a mild to medium smoke, closer to the middle portion of what Camacho refers to as their “intensity” scale. Those who enjoy this cigar will most notably enjoy its rich creamy flavors that coat the palate and blend with the subtle kick of the Corojo binder, without making it too strong. Creating a mild

GORDO

FIGURADO

TORO

cigar with a little bite isn’t any easy task but Camacho has accomplished that mission nicely here. There is also a sweet nuttiness that comes through as well and this can be attributed to the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, quite the departure from the grassy, earthy qualities of Connecticut, USA. It isn’t to say that one wrapper leaf is better than the other, but Ecuadorian fits the bill in this blend.

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ROBUSTO TUBO

CHURCHILL