EVER SO often, I come into contact with people who complain about the high prices of authentic Cuban cigars. Contrary to popular belief, the world’s most famous cigars offer excellent value for money!

Although sometimes a bit on the expensive side, significant effort is poured into making sure that each Habano meets the highest standards of quality possible. One important aspect of the “quality assurance” program for Habanos is the technical tasting conducted daily at each cigar factory in Havana.

This technical tasting or sensory evaluation of Habanos is conducted by a group of persons known as tasters or catadores. They evaluate the production of the factory based on six criteria: Draw, Aroma, Combustion, Flavor, Strength and General Quality; verifying that the aroma and flavour profiles of each cigar reflect the traditional characteristics of their respective brands.

This first article in a series on the technical tasting of Habanos, covers “The Draw”.

The Draw

The draw of a cigar is the ease or difficulty with which the smoke stream passes through the body of the cigar when air is inhaled through the tip of the cigar by the smoker. This is called the Chimney Effect. Draw is evaluated on a scale from “insufficient” – when it is difficult to fill the mouth with smoke (a full puff), and when the smoke enters the mouth at a cool temperature – to “excessive”, when the smoke stream reaches the mouth too easily, and at a high temperature. A good draw is one that provides for an easy full puff with warm smoke as it enters the mouth.

Various factors influence the draw of a cigar. Chief among these is the skill of the roller. Only an experienced roller can bunch the tobacco leaves correctly to create a fill for the cigar that provides a good draw. If the leaves are disengaged (loose), then the draw will be excessive; if they are too tight, the draw will be insufficient. The humidity at which cigars are stored also plays an important role in determining draw. Humidity should be between 65% and 75%, although some markets prefer a range of 55% to 60%.

Higher levels of humidity will lead to insufficient draw. The shape of the cigar can also influence draw; thin ring gauge cigars will have less draw than thicker ring gauge cigars, and the draw of Torpedo-shaped cigars will depend on the size of the tip, after being cut. Today, all factories make use of machines to check the draw of every cigar produced. This practice guarantees the quality of the final Habano.

The next article in this series will cover evaluation of the aromas of a Habanos cigar, by the catadores.

by Orlens Guerra.

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