Home >  About the Habano 1. Tobacco Paradise Nowhere in the World grows tobacco better than Cuba. But even here, only a few selected farms are judged good enough to grow the tobacco for Habanos. Vuelta Abajo The finest cigar tobacco-growing land in the world. Vuelta Abajo is the main source of tobacco for Habanos, and the only region that grows all types of leaf. But even here less than a quarter of the tobacco-growing land enjoys the Vegas Finas de Primera status that is required for the growing of tobacco for Habanos. Pinar del Rio: Name of the province that embraces all of the important growing zones in the west of Cuba, and the name of the provincial capital. To the south of the city is some of the finest land for growing Habano tobacco The Vizcaino plantation, for instance, which is famous for its wrappers. San Luis: Small town at the epicentre of Cuban tobacco culture, known above all for the cultivation of wrapper leaves. Here you find the world-famous El Corojo Vega; also Cuchillas de Barbacoa, location of the celebrated Robaina family farm. San Juan y Martínez: The other famous small town, this one with a particular reputation for the cultivation of fillers and binders. The famous Hoyo de Monterrey plantation is located here. Semivuelta The other tobacco region situated in the western part of Cuba, known mainly for its cultivation of binder and filler leaves. However the area employed for Habanos is very small, barely one percent of its tobacco growing land. It is also good soil for producing seeds. Most Semi Vuelta tobacco is grown for other purposes. Partido Historic group of tobacco-growing zones founded during the early 17th Century in Havana province. Partido specializes in the cultivation of wrapper leaves. La Habana: Havana, capital of Cuba. Gave its name to Cuba’s most famous export because its natural harbour provided the port from wich Habanos were originally shipped. Also it remains the location of the most famous Habano factories. Vuelta Arriba Region to the east embracing two widely separated tobacco-growing zones: Remedios:Cuba’s largest and oldest tobacco producing zone, and the source of the leaf two particular Habano brands: José L. Piedra and Guantanamera. The soil and climate have their own distinctive character, but methods of cultivation used here for Habano leaf are the same as in other regions. Oriente: It was at Bariay in the extreme eastern part of this region that Columbus landed in 1492 and discovered Cuban tobacco. Tobacco is still grown here, but not for Habanos. Go Back 2.The perfect leaf Every leaf in a Habano is Tabaco Negro Cubano - native Cuban Black Tobacco – directly descended from the plants that Columbus first discovered here more than five hundred years ago. Two distinct forms of cultivation produce the different types of leaf required. Wrapper leaves are grown in tapado (covered) fields shaded from end to end by muslin cloth. Filler and binder leaves are grown in the open, enjoying the full benefit of the Cuban sun. In each case the leaves have different characteristics at different levels of the plant, and each leaf is classified accordingly. Each leaf has its own destiny. Go Back 3.The anatomy of a Habano It takes five types of tobacco leaf to make a Habano, each type specially grown and prepared for its purpose. Three for flavour… Three types of leaf are blended to form the filler, or tripa, source of the rich flavours and aromas that immediately distinguish a Habano from de rest. Light-flavoured VOLADO leaf, especially valued for its combustibility – also known as Fortaleza 1 (Strenght 1). Mediun – flavoured SECO, the most important leaf for aroma – Fortaleza 2. Full – flavoured, slow-burning LIBERO for a touch or strength – Fortaleza 3. one for structure… The binder, or CAPOTE, es the special leaf that wraps around the leaves of the filler, defining the shape of the cigar and perfecting its smoking quality. …and one to delight the eye The wrapper, or CAPA, is the exquisitely thin and supple leaf that forms the outer surface of the cigar. The wrapper contributes little to the flavour of a Habano, But it stands as the ultimate symbol of the cigar’s perfection. Go Back 4.The grower’s magic touch Work starts in the burning heat of June and July, and continues without respite for nine months. Different fields are planted at different times so as to spread the burden of work in each season. The time from planting the seed to completion of harvest is around 17 weeks for shade-grown plants, and 16 weeks for sun-grown. Tobacco plants flourish in the loosest possible soil, so fields must be ploughed very carefully in a certain pattern to a certain depth several times before planting. Animal traction is still used, so as not to compact the soil. Seedings are grown in special seedbeds, with a covering of straw for protection. Some are now grown by a new method, in floating polystyrene seed containers sheltered inside plastic-clad “tunnels”. After 45 days when the seedings reach a height of 13-15 cm, ther are ready to be planted out. Some 18-20 days after planting out, the soil is banked up around the base of the plant to promote the development of strong roots, a process called aporque. As each plant reaches the desired height, the top bud is removed (desbotonado) to concentrate growth on the development of larger leaves. Removing the top bud causes an explosion of side shoots. The farmer must make repeated visits to each plant to remove them. This is called deshije. Around 40 days after planting our, the harvest can begin – a laborious task because each leaf must be picked by hand. Only two or three leaves can ben taken at a time, with days to wait between each picking. The harvesting of a single plant takes close to 30 days to complete. Go Back 5. Harvesting Leaves are picked at intervals from the bottom up, allowing time between pickings for the plant to develop its remaining leaves. Shade-grown plants are taller with more leaves, and so they require more pickings. The Mañanita leaves that are picked first are too small for Habanos, but they are the perfect size for Cuban mini cigars (Mini Cubanos). Go Back 6. Processing the leaf Many months and in some cases years will pass before the leaf is ready to make a Habano. Air Curing The first process for the newly harvested leaf, on which the success of the whole crop depends, is a slow and careful period of air curing which removes moisture and turns the leaf by stages to golden brown. Air curing in the traditional manner. Most leaves are cured in traditional curing barns (Casas del Tabaco) that depend entirely on the natural effects of the climate. The leaves are sewn in pairs and hung astride poles which are placed on racks in the barn. As the leaf cures, so the pole is raised progressively higher in the racks. Ventilation and light must be constantly adjusted to allow for natural variations in temperature and humidity. Controlled curing for shade-grown leaf. The 1990s saw a major investment in temperature and humidity control for the curing of the precious wrapper leaves, to overcome the unpredictable conditions in a conventional barn. This is air curing at its most refined, with optimum conditions replicated around the clock. The time it takes is vigilance and adjustment as the condition of the leaf develops –the more so, because the process now runs at full pace day and night. Leaving the farm Once the leaf is cured, the farmer’s job is done and the task passes to the Empresa de Acopio y Beneficio del Tabaco – the “organization for the gathering and improvement of tobacco” which buys the leaf from the farmer. The cured leaf, separated picking by picking, is now ready to go to the Sorting House for its first fermentation. First Fermentation The cured leaves are tied in bunches called gavillas and taken from the farm to the Sorting House, or Escogida, There they are placed in cloth-covered piles and undergo an entirely natural process off fermentation, triggered by the moisture in the leaf. Fermentation is essential to the smoking quality of the cigar. It sweats our impurities in the leaf, reducing acidity, tar and nicotine. It smooths the flavour of the filler leaves and evens out the colour of the wrappers. Leaves that were grown higher up the plant need a longer period of fermentation because they are thicker and richer in oils. The fermentation process is precisely the same as takes place in a garden compost heap. Moisture and compression combine to generate heat. Constant supervision is required to ensure that things do not go too far. Sorting And Classification. It is now time for the leaves to be sorted for the roles they will ultimately play in the making of a Habano. Size, colour and texture are the three criteria that guide the sorters. Wrappers as you might expect get the closest attention. First they are moistened and aired to prepare them for handling. Then they are classified into a bewildering array of some 50 different categories designed to ensure that only the most perfect will ever dress a Habano. Any leaf below a certain standard is rejected and set aside for other purposes. Sun-grown leaves are sorted into three sizes and the three essential categories of flavour or tiempos that come together in the blending of the filler: LIGERO, SECO and VOLADO. Leaves picked from the lower levels of the plant supply the lighter-flavoured VOLADO (also termed FORTALEZA 1) and the largest and best of these are selected as binders. Leaves from the middle provide the medium – flavoured SECO (FORTALEZA 2). Leaves from the top provide the fuller – flavoured LIGERO (FORTALEZA 3). As with wrappers, some leaf is certain to be rejected at this stage and set aside for the making of non – Habano cigars and cigarettes. Once sorted and rested, the wrapper leaves, which being thin only need one fermentation, are now ready to be packed in bales known as tercios for transfer to the warehouse where they will be left to age like fine wine. Sun-grown leaf however requires further attention …… Stripping And Final Classification The sorted filler and binder leaf is now transferred to the Stripping House (Despalillo) where the first process is a moistening – or moja – that makes the leaf pliable for stripping and supplies the moisture that will drive the second fermentation. The sure fingers of the Despalilladoras strip out the lower portion of the central vein in each leaf. At the same time they conduct the final classification into the three tiempos (LIGERO, SECO and VOLADO). Once again any leaves that do not make the grade are rejected. Finally the leaves are stacked in small piles and pressed between boards. Second Fermentation Filler and binder leaves are now fermented a second time. The piles are much larger and the fermentation is longer than the first. One again the thicker, fuller – flavoured leaves get the longest fermentation. The thinner, lighter-flavoured leaves get the least. The temperature of fermentation has to be watched with care. Shen it gets too hot, the pile is broken up, the leaves are allowed to cool down and the stack is rebuilt the other way round (bottom leaves to the top, top leaves to the bottom). This may happen several times in the course of the fermentation. Ageing After the second fermentation, the sun-grown leaves are aired on racks for a few days, then packed and transferred to the warehouse where they join the wrapper leaves for the final patient process of ageing. The fullest-flavoured leaf is aged the longest and the lightest-flavoured leaf is aged the least. Like a fine wine, the longer the leaf is left to mature, the better it will be. Filler and binder leaves are packed in Hessian bales called pacas. Wrappers are packed in tercios made from Yagua which is the loose bark of the Royal Palm tree, a material used for many purposes in Cuba. Every bale carries a label rich with information about the leaf including its size, the year of harvest and the date of packing. Tercios are also marked with the code for the escogida where the wrappers were sorted. In addition the labels on pacas indicate the leaf’s tiempo as well as both the escogida and the despalillo where the binders and fillers were processed. It is this that indicates to the blender the specific local character of the leaf which is the key to the distinctive blending of each Habano brand. Go Back 7. How a Habano is made Time has done its work, and the leaf is ready at last to play its part in the making of a Habano. The wrapper leaves are now aged and it is time for their final sorting and classification. They must also be stripped of their stems. A moistening, or moja, brings them to the supple condition required for stripping and sorting, and their final purpose of wrapping a cigar. The gavillas or buches of 40 to 50 leaves are held under a fine spray of pure water. Excess droplets are then shaken off with practiced flourishes to avoid any staining, and the leaves are hung on racks so the moisture is absorbed evenly, Next the tender hands of highly skilled women perform the despalillo (stripping) and the rezagado (grading) One movement deftly removes the entire central vein of the leaf leaving its two halves ready to be graded into some 20 finely distinguished sizes and shades. These women work from piles of leaves on their laps, lending weight perhaps to the popular myth that Habanos are rolled on maidens’ thighs! Preparing The Filler Leaves Filler and brinder leaves are carefully removed from their bales for examination. If necessary they are aired on racks to remove excess moisture. Then they are placed in wooden barrels for storage until they are judged to be ready. Composing The Blend The task of selecting the blends for each brand according to its own recipe starts well before the bales reach the factory. As soon as the factory’s future production schedule for brands and sizes is known, the Ligador or Master Blender draws up a list of all the tobaccos he will need to make them. Al the central warehouse a selection is made from a huge stock of vales containing every type of leaf, each classified by its tiempo (ligero, seco, volado and capote) its size, its age and most important of all by its zone and area of origin. It is a remarkable feature o Cuban tobacco that such a small acreage of Vegas Finas de Primera can produce such a wide variety of flavours from area to area. Literally the tobacco grown on one side of a road in the Vuelta Abajo can taste completely different from the tobacco grown on the other side. There is an established link between the factory and the areas that supply the leaf for the brands is manufactures. Nevertheless it is the Master Blender’s responsibility to sample the flavour of the tobaccos in use from day to day. He carries the recipe for each brand and size in his head and is the guardian of their consistency. The ratio of each type of leaf that the Master Blender specifies for the cigars in production is assembled by the blending department in batches and issued to the cigar rollers for the day’s work. They call the blending department La Barajita – literally “the pack of cards” – because the process of assembling the leaves for a blend is similar to shuffling cards. Finally, three years or more since the oldest leaf was picked, it is now about to become a Habano…. Go Back 8. The craft of the Torcedor All but a few Habanos are made as they have always been made, by the Torcedores and Torcedoras, whose practiced hands no machine can ever match. This is how they do it. For tools they have only a wooden board (tabla), two cutters (the flat-bladed chaveta an the little discutting casquillo), a guillotine a pot of colourless and flavourless natural vegetable gum (goma), a template to check length and girth (cepo) – and the skill of their fingers. There are four grades of Torcedor and only the top grade es allowed to make the biggest, most complicated Habanos. It takes many years to reach the peak of this time-honoured craft, but one thing at least has changed. Most Torcedores these days are women (Torcedoras). By tradition, a reads to the Torcedores as they work, from the daily newspaper and from novels selected by popular vote. First the Torcedora lays out the two or sometimes three half leaves that form the binder, placed so that the veined undersides of the leaves will face inwards when the cigar is formed. Next she gathers together the leaves of the filler, folding and aligning each leaf to ensure a straight passage for smoke in the finished cigar. Al leaves are placed with their lighter-flavoured tips towards what will be the foot (the lit end) of the cigar so that the flavour will intensify as it is smoked. The stronger-flavoured, slower-burning ligero leaf is alwas placed at the centre. Now the Torcedora forms the ‘bunch’ by rolling the filler into the binder to the precise diameter required for that particular Habano. Rolling starts at what will become the foot of the cigar. Compression of the filler must be consistent at all points. The word torcedor translates as ‘twister’, but this is precisely what the torcedor must not do at this stage. The head (the mouth end) of the bunch is then cut square with the guillotine. The torcedora makes her bunches in batches and presses them for 30 minutes or more in a wooden mould to set their shape. Next the torcedora prepares the half leaf for the wrapper, still moist so that it will form perfectly to the shape of the bunch. She lays it on the board with its most veined side facing upward, leaving its smoothest side to be visible on the outside of the cigar. She lightly trims the leaf with the chaveta blade, paying special attention to the edge that will be seen on the finished cigar. The bunck is laid on the wrapper and rolled, starting at the cigar’s foot with the tip of the wrapper leaf. Sensitive fingertips carefully stretch and straighten the leaf as the bunch takes up the wrapper. The tension in the leaf has to be perfect. Next comes the ‘cap’. First a section called the ‘flag’ is cut out from the spare wrapper leaf. It is then wound round the head to close off the open end and secure the wrapper. To add the finishing touch, a small disc of wrapper is cut out with the casquillo and secured on the head with vegetable gum. Finally the cigar is guillotined to length, and the work is complete. In a day a good Torcedor can make between 60 and 150 Habanos in this fashion, depending on the size and complexity of the shape. The Tripa Corta technique The trimmings from the bunches of long-filler cigars are combined with other selected chopped tobaccos to create the blends for short-fillet Habanos. The Torcedor rolls the filler into whole binder leaves with the aid of a flexible mat fixed to his bench to form a firm bunch. The wrapper is applied by hand in the normal fashion. These cigars too are Totalmente a Mano – totally made by hand. The making of a Mecanizado Habano. Machines have been used in the making of some Habanos since the 1950s. They are capable of both ‘long-filler’ and ‘short-filler’ construction, but only in comparatively small sizes. The tobacco is all from Vegas de Primera in the Vuelta Abajo and Vuelta Arriba regions. Mecanizado Habanos are les expensive to make and therefore less expensive to buy. Go Back 9. Checking the work. There are stict quality control tests all stages of hand making. Cigars that fail will never become Habanos. Everyday the Workshop Manager (El Jefe de Galera) supervises the work of the cigar rollers. At the same time supervisors, who are themselves top grade Torcedores, oversee each brigade of 30 to 40 workers watching their technique and checking the dimensions of the cigars they are making. Finished cigars are tied in bundles of 50, known as media ruedas – literally half-wheels, wich are labeled with the Torcedor’s number, the type of the cigar and the date of manufacture. On the following day the bundless go to the quality control department where technicians check the cigar for weight, length, girth, consistency, construction and appearance, particularly examining the tightness of the wrapper and the finish of the cap. Samples of each Torcedor’s work are regularly taken apart to verify their internal construction and blend. When problems are found the cigars are deducted from the daily quota – a serious matter for the Torcedor who are paid by piecework. The very latest quality control technique is a machine that checks the draw of the bunch by suction. The test takes place after the bunch has been pressed in the mould and before the wrapper is added. It was first introduced at the end of 2001 and is now widely used. There are more quality inspections when the cigars go for colour grading and finally before the box I sealed. Tasting the result. Every factory has its team of cigar tasters – the Catadores – who meet every day to test cigars and score them according to a six-points quality checklist for draw, burn, aroma, flavour, strength and overall quality. 3-5 different cigars are tested at each sitting. If any deviation from the normal character of any brand and size is detected, they recommend adjustments to the blend. The Catadors are the from line of the National Commision for Tasting which is ultimately responsible for the blends of all Habanos. Time to rest. Between making and packing, the cigars are taken to the conditioning room or Escaparate. Here in cedarlined cabinets, they are left to rest while they shed the excess moisture that was gained in the rolling process. After a week the cigars become smokeable but the longer they stay here the better. Conditions are strictly maintained at between 16 and 18 C and 65 to 70 percent relative humidity, noticeably cooler and drier than the ambient Cuban climate. The Escaparate is often referred to as the Treasury. It is here that the true wealth of the factory is stored. Go Back 10. Looking good No product on earth enjoys a more painstaking with the perfect colour-matching of the wrappers. Sorting the colours Wrappers come in many finely distinguished shades of colour, and great care is taken to ensure that all of the cigars in any one box are the exact same shade. The colour of a Habano wrapper is purely natural in origin – no artificial process is used to force it. Leaves from the upper levels of the plant are naturally darker, and become darker still in the course of fermentation. Among the most senior workers in the factory are the Escogedores colour graders – who work in pairs to colour-match the wrappers in any box or bundle of Habanos. One Escogedor sort the cigars en masse, dividing them by colours and shades of each colour in a pattern of columns and rows that may well represent 60 or more finely distinguished shades. A second Escogedor then sorts the cigars within each shade, one box-full at a time, ordering them so that any slight differences in tone run dark to light from left to right across the box. The Escogedor also chooses which face of each cigar will face upwards in the box. At any stage in these processes the Escogedors will reject any cigars that do not look good enough. Applying the bands Cigar bands were introduced in the 1860s by Don Gustavo Bock, a European who had arrived in Havana to make his fortune in cigars. Legend has it that his idea sprang from a desire to protect the white-gloved fingers of his more refined customers from staining. True or not, cigar bands grew to become the Habano’s most potent popular symbol, prized by collectors and copied by every rival. The Anilladora – or ‘bander’ – delicately applies a band to each cigar and places them in ther part-dressed box, following the Escogedor’s arrangement in every detail: same face upwards with the banc appropriately aligned, and the same order left to right. Dressing the box Cuba was first to introduce the classic labeled cigar box in the mid-19th Century, and it remains the best-known form of Habano packaging. The extravagant paper trimmings on the box are called habilitaciones, literally dressings. Each label has its own time-honoured name and all of them are applied by hand. Go Back