The Humidor: June 2017

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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