By Makram Salha
Own Your Smoke
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And when it is a Cuban cigar, it is a lot more than that, according to my good friend and psychologist of choice to the Vatican and Italian courts, Salvatore Parisi. Recently, we happened to open the subject of bespoke cigars and not – as you may suspect – in the hope of deciphering Freud’s well-known idiom. Parisi is in fact one of the foremost minds on custom-rolled cigars and easily owns one of the largest collections in the world. As with all quality products there is a certain process that must be undertaken to end up with that one long and delicious puff.
But first some insights into cigars as a whole. The cigar is made up from different tobacco leaves with each serving a particular function: the thick and perfumed Ligero determines its flavour. Though less perfumed than the former, the medium thickness Seco contributes to taste and combustion while the third leaf, the Volado, is thin, almost perfume-less but good for burning.
When selecting a custom-made cigar, make sure the leaves are of the highest quality, have been properly conserved and are aged for no less than three years. Cultivated for a great number of years and extremely limited in stock (due to the plant being prone to disease) the very expensive and aptly named Pele de Oro or Golden Hair is perfect when choosing a blend for your smoke simply because its small numbers make it a rare commodity – that and an exquisite, complex and strong taste.
There are an additional two characteristics in a cigar that you should keep in mind. The binder, also known as the capote, is used to roll up the blend and is usually made up of a specially selected Volado leaf, featuring very few veins so as not to spoil the overall appearance and sufficiently thin so as not to compromise the combustion. The wrapper (capa) uses the highest quality leaves from the top end of the tobacco plant. Essential attributes to look out for include elasticity for rolling, lack of veins for consistent burning, oiliness allowing for decades of aging, consistent colour and sheen and a mild perfume.
Once you’ve selected your high-quality leaves, a cigar roller known as a torcedor, blends the Ligero, Seco and Volado leaves. The torcedor you engage is very important. I would recommend those that work in Casa del Habano boutiques as they have been handpicked in accordance with a rigorous criteria. For a medium-to full-body flavour ask for the following combo: one part Ligero, two parts Seco and two parts Volado. As with all things perfect, trial and error is a necessary part of the experience, so it may take a few days to arrive to the final bespoke blend.
The final stage is deciding the vitola or size and shape of your cigar. The ring diameter is measured in 64th of an inch whereby a 32 ring will measure half-an-inch and so on. Sizes are generally set in accordance to pre-existing moulds, such as the 164mm 54 ring Sublime, but you can always ask your torcedor to create one of your own choosing – at an added cost of course.
As with everything custom-made, your own cigar doesn’t come cheap. However, prices can vary dramatically. You may find yourself paying 20 USD to 35 USD per cigar. But that could very well jump to 50 USD if you’re the type of person for whom only the best will do.
