Cuban Cigar Factory Question....

[Ryan]

Close enough with the farms idea but factories have no idea what farms their tobacco comes from. Tobacco goes from the farms to the sorting houses. At the sorting house, tobacco from all over that area's farms is mixed together and sorted by leaf type, size and colour.

I'm not making this up. I only found this out really in the last year or so. I have heard it from farmers, sorting house staff, factory blenders, and Habanos staff. I've seen it myself in factories and sorting houses.

So the closest a factory gets to where the tobacco came from is the sorting house, they can't trace it back any further. That level of traceability doesn't exist.

There are a lot of sorting houses though. I've heard 22 in San Juan y Martinez alone. So I suppose a level of 'terroir' could come from there.

What Carlos and Berta said in the video is that bales from El Laguito get sent to other factories to roll Cohibas, not bundles. The bundles are assembled in the other factories according to weight charts, like the one pictured.

As to whether different robustos, for example, get different blends. In that chart pictured, there is a different blend, i.e. Ratio of weights of tobacco, for Cohiba Robusto and the other 'Robusto'.

As for other Robustos, as in do they know if it's a RASS or PSD4 for example. I have been told by rollers they know what they are rolling due to different ratios in the filler. I have been told.

[Ryan]

I'm typing this now on a phone so it's a pain but just one other point. Just because there's a chart, like the one pictured, doesn't mean that that is the only chart ever.

They could have a different one every day, depending on what is being rolled.

[Smallclub]

if one factory is rolling lets say 3 robustos(PSD4, Choix, RASS) for example, if all 3 have similar weights of tobacco as mentioned in chart above and video, I assume all 3 have different variations of the ligero, seco and volado to give them their 3 distinct profiles? All 3 have same weight as robustos but different "blends", correct?

Provenance of the tobacco has to play a role here. I don't think they can't make 2 different robustos (like say, D4 and Epicure2) just by adjusting the ratio of each leaf.

And the chart is not set in stone, obviously it's made to be erased and rewritten at will…

[Cmontoya79]

I believe it not only depends on what ratio of leaf is blended, but also what type of leaf or where it came from matters.

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[Ryan]

I have been told by various people in Cuba that the origin, i.e. sorting house the bale comes from, plays a part in the blend too.

It makes sense.

I have no reason not to believe those sources.

I have never seen direct evidence linking sorting house to blend (unlike how for example that chart links weights to blends) so I cannot say definitively that that is the case.

As I said though, it would make sense that tobacco origin plays a part in the blend. That's all I can say though.

[JohnnyO]

Farm X will sell leaf to a factory rep(s) with notes. Bail "A" contains this, bail "B" contains that. The rep(s) will take the leaf/notes to the factory along with recommendations as to what they could be used for. The opinion of the farmer may or may not always be what the factory does with it. Once at the factory 2-3 "managers" will have the farm notes and begin to put together the blends they are looking for. Up to a dozen tasters will give they're opinions on the blends. The blends could be changed due to the results. The rollers will be given their leaf and orders what to roll. The rollers will know what they are rolling for as most factories only roll certain vitolas. If they are rolling for another brand they will be notified as well. However, at no time does the roller know if the leaf came from bail A or B (which is the most secretive information). The cigars are a success, and their is much demand. The cigar is a hot item for months, but about 6 months later the cigars are not the same. What happened? The factory ran out of bail A and B and now are rolling from another lot and possibly another farm. I think some trends are coming in the next few years. Bad production of crops over the past two years (due to hurricanes/flooding) will limit the production of cigars over 6". There just isn't enough longer wrapper to go around and what is available does not have the cosmetic qualities one looks for. It seems like some of this years Vuelta Abajo crops will also have to go in the mashup bin for cigarettes, which is a sad thought. I'm sure I left something out but I'm still suffering a massive hangover from Bartolomeos what happens in Havana stays in Havana stories. John

[Smallclub]

Farm X will sell leaf to a factory rep(s) with notes. Bail "A" contains this, bail "B" contains that. The rep(s) will take the leaf/notes to the factory along with recommendations as to what they could be used for. The opinion of the farmer may or may not always be what the factory does with it. Once at the factory 2-3 "managers" will have the farm notes and begin to put together the blends they are looking for.

I'm sorry but this story completely contradicts what is said in the literature (official or not).

What about the stemming (despadillo) and the maturation at the escogida? These steps are not performed by farmers.

Or, do you use the word "farm" for "sorting center"?

[shlomo]

When do they spray the cigars with rum and fruit juices?

[Smallclub]

When do they spray the cigars with rum and fruit juices?

Just after they introduce the tobacco from Nicaragua in the blend...

[Guest Robo]

There are a lot of sorting houses though. I've heard 22 in San Juan y Martinez alone. So I suppose a level of 'terroir' could come from there.

I have been told by various people in Cuba that the origin, i.e. sorting house the bale comes from, plays a part in the blend too.

It makes sense.

I have no reason not to believe those sources.

I have never seen direct evidence linking sorting house to blend (unlike how for example that chart links weights to blends) so I cannot say definitively that that is the case.

As I said though, it would make sense that tobacco origin plays a part in the blend. That's all I can say though.

This makes the most sense to me. I wouldn't expect a large difference in tobacco sourced from neighbouring farms as much as I would expect it from farms on either end of San Juan y Martinez. Most likely a sorting house services the farms in it's vicinity, hence each sorting house would have a distinct origin or terroir, more or less.

[JohnnyO]

The terms I use are general terms. Otherwise the story would be loo long and confusing with details. The leaf is handled by many before it reaches the factory. The idea of my comments were that the roller does not have specific information as to origin and any other details that only upper management would have. John

[sw15825]

Sorry of quality but readable if u enlarge it. This is from Habanos," The world of the Habano". Pages 44, 52-53.

[...]

Is there any barrel (ex-rum or other) aging of tobacco done in Cuba?

[JohnnyO]

BTW...the term for stemming is despalillo. John

[sw15825]

Is there any barrel (ex-rum or other) aging of tobacco done in Cuba?

Cohiba

[Fuzz]

Regardless of the literature, rumours / hearsay, or first hand accounts, I still believe tobacco elves bring the bundles to each factory in the wee hours of the morning...

[Guest Robo]

Sorry of quality but readable if u enlarge it. This is from Habanos," The world of the Habano". Pages 44, 52-53.

20141125_143921.jpg

"The labels indicate the specific local character of the leaf which is the key to the distinctive blending of each of the sizes in all the Habanos brands"

"At the central warehouse a selection is made from a huge selection of bales containing every type of leaf, each classified by it's tiempo, its size, its age and, most importantly of all, by its zone and district of origin"

"It is a remarkable feature of Cuban tobacco that such a small acreage of Vegas de Primera can produce such a wide variety of flavour 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 that it manufactures"

There you go…

[habanolover]

Great stuff! sw15825, thanks for posting