The Humidor S U M M E R
P.2 Procigar 2017 P.4 Site Un se en. . . Unt il Now P.6 Make Min e M aduro P.7 David off B ack to Back P8. La Au rora
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The Humidor is a publication of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Copyright 2017 ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Reprinted reviews remain the copyright of the original publisher.
Allie Smallwood
Editor
Meghan Guarino
Contributing Editor
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PROCIGAR 2O17 Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris
To say that I have attended a lot of
Why is the Procigar special? In one word,
cigar festival not only sheds light on the
cigar events over the years is an
culture. Cigars are not only an important
industry but also gives a glimpse of
understatement, but the one that has
economic product for the people of the
the people: who they are, how they live
eluded me thus far is the Procigar Festival
Dominican Republic but they are also
their lives and, most importantly, how
in the Dominican Republic. A week-long
part of their heritage and have a key
they celebrate.
event that is held on the Island of
place in their history. It’s important to note
This year, Steve Mungeer and I were
Hispaniola, the festival and my schedule
that without the people of the Dominican
invited to attend the festival by our good
lined up perfectly this year. It was worth
Republic, the cigars we enjoy from this
friend Abe Flores. Abe is a well-respected
the wait.
beautiful island wouldn’t be possible. The
cigar maker (PDR Cigars) and this year
was added as a member of Procigar.
tobacco leaves the most accurately.
decided that the occasion deserved an
Membership into this exclusive club of cigar
I am proud to say that I won this
after party. Since this was a wrap for Abe’s
legends includes Litto Gomez, Manuel
competition, realizing that I do have
portion of the festival with only the final
Quesada, Carlito Fuente and Jochy Blanco
a future as a male stripper (see Mom,
gala dinner remaining, it meant that the
to name a few, and membership isn’t easily
dreams can come true!).
after party went a little longer than planned.
The first day wrapped up with an informal
After that great evening with friends and
dinner and cocktail party. There were plenty
cigars, we spent Friday resting and relaxing
of cigars, rum and gringos who were not
before the formal gala. Yes, we had to put
very good at merengue.
on our suits and head to the country club
Our second day was spent with our friend
and enjoy a formal evening of dinner and
Abe Flores at PDR. Everyone at the factory
more cigars. The key event of the night was
was in an extra festive mood and they let
the auction, where many priceless cigars
us know it by blowing whistles when we
and cigar collectables were auctioned off
entered the factory floor. Abe spent a lot
for various Dominican charities. It was the
of time answering everyone’s questions
perfect way to end a great week of cigar
concerning the cigar making process and
culture celebration. And of course, this
he even allowed us to blend our own.
was all made possible by the generous
I have participated in many blending
invitation from Abe Flores. Special
sessions but it never gets old playing with
thanks to his business partner and vice
different types of tobacco. I like rolling small
president Luis Rodriguez, who made sure
cigars of just one type of leaf – it really
that us gringos were transported safely
helps develop your palate.
and efficiently throughout Santiago. The
achieved. Therefore, it was an honor to celebrate this momentous occasion for Abe and all the great folks that make PDR Cigars possible. Being Abe’s honored guests during Procigar made it even more special. But enough of the buildup. So what went down during this week-long celebration? We skipped the first two days which were focused on the southern end of the island and picked up the action on days three, four and five in Santiago. We spent the three days leading up to the festival with our friends from Davidoff but that is another story, for another page (page 7 to be exact!). Our first day included a trip to a Jose Mendez farm and processing facility. They have been growing tobacco here for 45 years and the scale of their operation is quite large. We enjoyed the morning sun as we strolled through the tobacco fields, then spent the afternoon touring their processing facility. We also got the chance to get our competitive juices flowing a bit and see who could strip, sort and stack
Day two was capped by a White Party where everyone dressed in, you guessed it, all white. There is nothing cleaner looking
Dominican Republic is a beautiful place, but not the easiest to drive a car in if you aren’t used to the “traffic laws.”
that hundreds of people standing around
If you plan on attending the Procigar
dressed in white but it is very important
Festival in 2018 make sure you book early.
to avoid the barbeque. The party was
The slots fill quickly and hotel rooms can
held at the Monumento a los Heroes de
be hard to find. s
la Restauracion and lasted just shy of midnight. As we were heading out, our host
Make Mine Maduro! Steve Mungeer Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarmungo
Maduro cigars can be frightening for many cigar
and certain Habano (Criollo and Corojo) leaves
leaves are also commonly used for Maduro
smokers whether they are novices or experienced
from Nicaragua and Honduras are the few that
and can produce some extremely dark shades.
enthusiasts. Place a Maduro cigar next to a sleek
can withstand this intense fermentation process.
The Habano wrappers are interesting because
Connecticut shade wrapped cigar with its silky-
The end result of this intensive fermentation
they can also be used as a “natural” wrapper or,
smooth appearance and it might just scare you
process is a wonderfully sweet, rich and mellow
when aged correctly, they can become Maduro.
away from ever trying it. However, like many things
leaf known as a Maduro wrapper. The extended
Padron cigars have been the masters of these
in life, appearances can be deceiving.
fermentation period removes the harshness and
wrappers – for those who sometimes have trouble
potential bitterness that can be found at times in
determining the difference between Natural and
the lighter or “natural” wrappers.
Maduro on a Padron, note that this producer often
The common misconception among many cigar smokers, especially those just beginning the cigar
uses the same leaf for both!
lifestyle, is that light-colored cigars are mild and
Maduro wrappers tend to have notes of chocolate
dark-colored cigars are strong. In many cases this
and leather and spice with a touch of sweetness.
Do not let the darkness scare you! Try one of my
is true, however, in just as many cases it is not.
Where many lighter wrappers try not to impart a
favorites, a Padron Diplomatico Maduro for its
great deal of flavor to the filler tobaccos, Maduro
flavor and smoothness. The recent release of
wrappers definitely add another element to the
Joya Black also showcases the rich flavors and
smoke. Maduro-wrapped cigars tend to be a bit
mellow characteristics of a Maduro wrapper. Try
more complex and rich, but always mellow. The
a Liga Privada #9 or a La Gloria Maduro and
The wrapper imparts over 60% of the flavor and there are upwards of 50 or so different types of wrapper leaves. Maduro is specific in its flavor – the word Maduro, which means mature or ripe, actually describes the fermentation process. Whereas Connecticut Shade or Natural wrappers go through perhaps six months of fermentation, leaves designated to become Maduro wrappers can spend from 3 to 5 years going through the fermentation process. Fermentation occurs in huge piles or “pilons” of the same tobacco leaf where heat, humidity and pressure all interact to cause the leaf to ferment and develop its flavors and characteristics. This extended period of fermentation helps to extract the sugars and to turn the leaves to a much darker color. Thin wrapper leaves, such as Connecticut Shade, Cameroon and Sumatra cannot hold up to this extended fermentation period. Pilons for Maduro tend to have much higher fermentation temperatures and those temperatures combined with the weight and pressure of the pilon for several years would literally cause those types of tobacco to disintegrate. Thick and rugged tobacco leaves such as Connecticut Broadleaf, Mexican San Andres, Brazilian Arapiraca and Mata Fina,
majority of Maduro wrappers use Connecticut
experience the complexity they offer. You too
Broadleaf or San Andres due to their thickness
may soon say, “Make mine a Maduro!” s
and durability and underlying sweetness. Brazilian
DAVIDOFF Back to Back Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris
For those who regularly read this publication
We ended the day at the tobacco processing
We wrapped up our final full day with our Davidoff
you may remember that I recently went with my
facility where we participated in a very special
friends by going out to dinner at one of the finest
friends from Davidoff to visit their factory and
sampling session. We had the opportunity to
steak houses in all the country. Since it was the
farms in Honduras. Most of the production, which
smoke all the components of a Davidoff cigar,
eve of Procigar, nearly every cigar industry person
takes place near the city of Danli, Honduras, is
separately. This wasn’t my first component tasting,
was dining at our restaurant, which was certainly
primarily focused on their Camacho line. In fact,
though it was the first in which our focus was
a final highlight to our Davidoff adventure.
they call their beautiful new factory there the
not on flavor but on where it affected our palate
Camacho Factory. If you want to visit where
geographically. With so much emphasis placed
they make their namesake cigars, take a trip
on taste and strength, this sampling was a nice
to the island of Hispaniola, home of the
departure from the norm.
Dominican Republic. I was very happy to travel down with our Davidoff friends Oscar Butler and J.T. Guagliardo, along with my partner in crime Steve Mungeer, and two of our store managers, Timm Lazzerin and David Nachtwey. Right from the beginning we were treated first class all the way. Because we were there a few days before the annual Procigar Festival, hotels were scarce so we rented a house. It was a great decision because we were on the mountain, overlooking Santiago, in a home intended for a rock star. Our first day was dominated by travel, so we hung out at the house and enjoyed some cigars, drinks and conversation. On day two we visited one of the farms where Davidoff grows its famed tobacco. Some folks will say if you’ve seen one farm then
Our third day included a visit to the Davidoff Cigar
you’ve seen them all – but not me. It never gets
Factory. It is where they roll their namesake cigars
old walking the rows of tall tobacco, and the smell
along with bundles and some private labels. The
of the curing barn is something that will always
rollers in the Davidoff factory are the absolute
bring a smile to my face. The farm we visited
best and I was especially amazed at how much
just northwest of Santiago was picturesque, with
close attention they paid to their tobacco every
lush green fields and rustic barns. I was a little
step of the way. Only the top grade, best leaves
surprised to see the tobacco still in the earlier
make it into Davidoff cigars and they go to great
stages of growth, but spring all over the island was
lengths to ensure that. They even reprocess their
delayed due to some unusually heavy rains just
scraps before chopping it up for short-filler to go in
before the planting season.
cigarillos and “Cuban sandwich” cigars. The term “quality control” doesn’t do their methods justice.
Whether it is in Honduras or the Dominican Republic, Davidoff has only one standard and that is one of excellence. I feel very blessed to see it all in one year. s
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Brand Breakdown La Aurora When you look at the history of cigars in the Dominican Republic, La Aurora is a brand that stands out from the rest. La Aurora was founded in 1903 by Eduardo Leon Jimenes. Though Jimenes was only 18 at the time, he a had a vision of creating a high quality, premium cigar that would have mass-global appeal. His dreams were fulfilled as La Aurora is now run by third generation family member Guillermo Leon Herbert. Though this iconic brand has had to navigate through world wars and a brutal dictatorship, they have persevered and today are a shining example of Dominican cigar greatness. They not only make the top-selling cigar sold domestically in the Dominican Republic, but they also export to over 70 countries. They also provide visitors with one of the top-rated tourist destinations in Santiago along with the Cigar Institute that is geared towards consumers and cigar professionals alike.
Get a taste of this brand with La Aurora. Size: Robusto, Toro, Gran Toro Wrapper: Corojo Seed Dominican Binder: Ecuador Filler: Dominican Cibao Valley and Nicaragua Strength: Medium to full Palate: An elegant and creamy cigar due to the roasted coffee notes with a light touch of spices that mix with floral and leather notes on a woody and dried fruits base. – La Aurora
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