Cigar Thoughts 4

How the Master Blender Determines Flavor

Based on popular demand, as well as a few threats, this will likely be my final Cigar based blog. I may drop in a few comments at a later date on extraordinary sticks that I have stumbled upon, but this information has been Basic Training for afficionados, and boring as hell for people who could care less about anything cigar related. Without further ado, here are my final meanderings on the subject.

The flavor and strength of tobacco grown in different soil will gain its characteristics from the genetic signature of the soil. A master blender will use their knowledge of the different tobaccos at their disposal and will set out to create a cigar masterpiece by blending several different tobaccos. The master blender will usually start out with an idea of the type of cigar they want to blend. Perhaps they want a full-bodied cigar with more spice and less sweetness. Or maybe they want a medium-bodied blend that has a lot of sweetness and shows more complexity. Whatever the case, they will choose from their stores of tobacco to achieve their goal.

As the master blender works with the different tobaccos, he or she may end up using 3-5 different tobacco types (and sometimes more) in the filler blend. The strength, body and flavor characteristics of these different tobaccos will determine the extent to which the wrapper tobacco will contribute to the flavor of the cigar. The filler blend must be matched with the wrapper and binder leaves and the talented master blender can control the contribution of the wrapper and filler to the overall flavor of the finished cigar.

If a cigar maker wants more strength in a cigar, their recipe will favor fuller-bodied, stronger, and more flavorful tobacco varietals and will favor higher priming leaves. To create a lighter bodied blend, the master blender will favor lighter tobacco types and will use a higher percentage of lower priming leaves.
A filler blend with more body, strength and/or flavor will compete with the wrapper in terms of its contribution to the overall flavor of the cigar. On the other hand, a mild filler blend will compete less with the wrapper tobacco. A wrapper that is stronger and fuller in body and flavor will assert its flavor characteristics over a light to medium bodied filler blend.

I am going to enjoy a “God of Fire” cigar now – I am tired of trying to convert neophytes. Experiment at your own leisure and time – it is much more fun than trying to write something remotely interesting every week. From here on, if you have an interest in anything “cigar” oriented, please just call Tom at Fidel’s. He has forgotten more in the last two hours than I will know in a lifetime of cigar smoking.

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