Tobacco 102: Varietals & Primings

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:12

Welcome to the Cigar Rebel community, where indulgence meets authenticity. This is more than a podcast. It's a gathering place for those who savor life's luxuries with unapologetic passion. Here we celebrate the fine art of living through rich flavors, bold spirits, exquisite cigars, and unforgettable experiences.

SPEAKER_06 0:35

Welcome, Cigar Rebels, to the podcast. I'm Mel.

SPEAKER_04 0:38

And I'm Kevin. We're coming to you live tonight from Story Cigars and Lounge, where we're bringing you the next episode or the continuation of Tobacco 101 with tonight's topic, Tobacco 102.

SPEAKER_06 0:49

Yeah, so um, as we had kind of mentioned last week, we had a ton of notes. We weren't able to get through all of them. And uh really this topic had a lot more than we thought. So we covered the growing regions in last week's uh podcast and gave everyone the option if they wanted to vote on coming back to this one this time or moving forward, and everyone chose that they wanted to do a tobacco 102. So we are getting into that show today.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

Absolutely. And so before we go much further, we want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day, and we want to take a moment to remember and honor all of those that sacrificed so that we get to do this little crazy thing called Cigar Rebel. Yeah, so thank you to all of you who have loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice so we could be here tonight. We're so honored to be able to do this on Memorial Day because of the sacrifice that they made. For all those that served, we thank you for your time. I know people argue that's Veterans Day, but I don't think there's any bad day to honor those who served and provide these freedoms for us. And so, Mel, uh, excited to be in tonight's topic. Yeah. Um, varietals and priming is on deck, and I'm extremely excited about that. I'm excited to jump into that. Um, but first though, we got some breaking news that came out in the cigar industry, honestly, moments before we went live last Monday, and we thought about jumping and changing and doing a just a few moments on it then, but honestly, it was just right at the last minute. I mean, we were minutes from going live when I got the text, and so tonight we're gonna jump into that topic for just a little bit. Tell us what that is, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

So last week, the Cigar Association of America they released the quarter one premium cigar import report last Monday.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

Yep, absolutely. And so it's relevant and honestly, it's very, very interesting.

SPEAKER_06 2:46

Yes. Uh but for now, don't forget to cut, light, and settle in.

unknown 2:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

So, Mel, what are we smoking tonight?

SPEAKER_06 2:54

So, tonight we are smoking the ladybug by the elevated humador. It has a aged Habano wrapper, Habano binder, and Dominican, including Palato and Cubano and San Vicente fillers. So um really excited. Uh, everyone here that is with us tonight is smoking the cigar. I know everyone who's got the cigar rebel pack um that's watching at home, also smoking the cigar.

SPEAKER_04 3:20

Absolutely. And so take a couple of cold draws. Dave says, good afternoon, Rebels. Hey Dave, glad to have you. Dwayne, it is so good to see you on tonight. Um, Tammy is smoking the Macau of Silver. Um, so we're excited to begin into this. What do you get on the cold draw, Mel?

SPEAKER_06 3:36

Um, so I always get a little bit of sweetness on this one and then a little bit of nuttiness.

SPEAKER_04 3:41

Yeah, and you know, so many cigars when you take a cold draw, you get earth and hay. And that's not the case on this cigar. I just get almost a little caramely hint, maybe vanilla-chy, which is I normally wouldn't say, but it may be my palate today, what I've eaten. Um, but definitely, you know, those little caramel notes, a little bit of nuttiness on the cold draw. And so I'm excited to light this one up and get into it. Um, and then for those that are with us live, we got a small crowd here with us today, uh, a handful of people. We have something special for them to light up with us in the second half of the show. And so we'll talk about that here in just a little bit. But let's go ahead and light this cigar. Your lighting is brought to you tonight by Big Sky Cigar Company.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

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SPEAKER_01 4:46

Yellowstone River to the Boldie Orn Sole. Madison, the root black with we know. I leave from Nicaragua, San Race to Ecuador.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

And everybody so helps our veterans, man. With warriors and quiet waters, we lend a friend's hand. It's heritage burning and everything draw. Big sky cigars, Montana's pride and low.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Big Sky Cigar. We're heritage full with whatever draw.

SPEAKER_06 5:31

As always, thank you to our sponsors. Now we have our cigars lit. Uh we've taken a couple draws. What are you getting off of that draw?

SPEAKER_04 5:38

Just off the initial draw, I've only taken maybe three or four draws on the cigar male. Um, that creaminess is carried through with a little bit of hint of sweetness, not necessarily the caramely or vanilla notes before, but the sweetness is still there. Um, and it's definitely got a nice roasted nuttiness to it, just on the first initial couple of draws.

SPEAKER_06 5:57

Yeah, I would agree with that. Um smooth, lighty, light, nutty. Yeah, a little bit of spice for me, just a hint.

SPEAKER_04 6:04

But yeah, there's a little bit of spice on the cold draw. Um, if I retro hell, well, the cold draw, on the retro hell, if I retro hell, I get just a little bit of that um flavor. But let's jump into the topic for tonight.

SPEAKER_06 6:17

All right, so the CAA numbers are out for Q1 of 2026, like we just mentioned, and these numbers are always a lot more interesting than the people realize.

SPEAKER_04 6:28

Yeah, and it sounds impossible because most people hear the industry report statistics and they think boring or they immediately begin to fall asleep.

SPEAKER_06 6:40

Right. So buried inside of these numbers um is a really interesting story about where the cigar industry is headed, who's winning, who is potentially struggling, and what cigar smokers are actually buying right now. So, uh, what is that biggest headline in there?

SPEAKER_04 6:59

Yeah, so the biggest headline, and this was shocking, Mel, um, especially because we just talked about it at Tobacco 101, where this country does not get the respect that it deserves, but for the first time ever, Honduras passes the Dominican Republic when it comes to import numbers, and it shocked me.

SPEAKER_06 7:17

Yeah, this, I mean, to me, it's a huge story. So we did talk about, like you said last week, um, that you did not feel that Honduras is getting the respect or the focus that's capable of holding.

SPEAKER_04 7:30

Yeah, and honestly, I have to be honest, I stand corrected because apparently they are.

SPEAKER_06 7:35

So, according to the Cigar Association of America, the numbers are in Nicaragua, is still dominating at 56.8 million cigars imported in Q1.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

So many.

SPEAKER_06 7:48

Uh Honduras jumped to 17.2 million, and Dominican Republic dropped to about 15.6 million. So this is really the first time Honduras has imported more Dominican Republic in premium cigars.

SPEAKER_04 8:05

Yeah, so the first time Honduras is exceeded the imports versus Dominican, right? I mean, I knew Honduras was growing and more had been happening there, and farming has become more refined, fermentations become better. Um, but I've been really shocked by this because for years it's been Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and then Honduras.

SPEAKER_06 8:28

Right. And all of the other countries made up a small percentage combined. And this doesn't mean necessarily that Dominican cigars suddenly got worse. Really, the bigger issue seems to be production disruption at the Tabacolera de Garcia.

SPEAKER_04 8:46

Which has been a huge impact.

SPEAKER_06 8:48

Yes, and that's the really massive factory that's behind Monte Cristo, Romeo e Julieta, H. Upman, and a ton of the um other production.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

Yeah, a lot of Altadis's products come out of there. Um, their production was temporarily halted or shifted to factories in Nicaragua and Honduras, including A.J. Fernandez and Placencia's operations, because of a major issue, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 9:14

Yeah, it was due to the US sanctions, which have since been resolved. Um, however, the relationships forged during the sanctions they remain strong, even though Tobaccalera de Garcia's production has resumed.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

Yeah, even though it's resolved, even though um the halted production is back and running and really going full throttle from what everybody is saying, um the shift um to Nicaragua is going to take probably years, some are talking decades to recover from.

SPEAKER_06 9:51

Yeah, and the Dominican might surpass Honduras again um and develops developments in the Dominican uh to support the industry.

SPEAKER_04 10:01

Yeah, absolutely. And really, it's time will tell where the industry is going. If Dominican will come back into second place or if Honduras will remain there, um, there's a lot of movement happening and developments in Dominican to support the industry. There's a lot of things happening right now, right?

SPEAKER_06 10:19

And a few interesting ones of those include uh the Drew Dominicana, a new factory developed by Drew Estates.

SPEAKER_04 10:26

Yeah, which shocked everybody when they announced that.

SPEAKER_06 10:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:29

Um, and then also you really see the 2025 expansion of the Davidoff factory and their production operations there. Um, and then more recently, um Pro Cigar, which is kind of the organization that oversees quality and manufacturing of the Dominican Republic. Um, they had launched the ProCigar InfoTEP School of Tobacco Artisans in Tambril, Santiago. Um, and so this is a pretty cool academy, if you want to call it that.

SPEAKER_06 10:59

Yes, I would, I think that's a great word. The specialized academy, it was established to train the fresh wave of master rollers and blenders to fulfill the rising labor demands of all these expanding factories.

SPEAKER_04 11:12

Yeah, we talked about last week when Dwayne asked why we can smoke one cigar and then smoke it again later, or even from the same box, maybe a little different. It's rare that they're completely different, although things that you eat that day, your mood can impact it. But we talked about the retiring rollers, the aging up of the master blenders is a concern, especially in the DR. In Pro Cigar, we're like, hey, we're gonna do something about this. And with all of that said, the center of gravity seems to be moving to Nicaraguan Honduras as really the power couple of cigars, if you will. Um, and Nicaragua is you know, it's absolutely crushing the market.

SPEAKER_06 11:56

Yeah, so as we mentioned earlier, 56.8 million cigars in Q1 alone. So that is roughly 62 and a half percent of premium cigar imports.

SPEAKER_04 12:09

Yeah, I mean, Nicaragua's dominating the imports right now. Um, honestly, those numbers have surprised me. They continue to go up, um, but it's really just dominating the market today.

SPEAKER_06 12:21

Yeah, it's it's the perfect storm, you know, fuller body, spice, darker wrappers, stronger blends, more aggressive profiles. Um, it's just crazy.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

Yeah, and so we are seeing traditional Dominican brands coming out with Nicaraguan cigars, um, such as the Davidoff Nicaragua 2026, um, Diadema, the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Azul, which is a Nicaraguan cigar, um, and JC Newman's Sazaretas. And all of these are traditional Dominican companies that in the last 12 to 20 months has launched or released a Nicaraguan blend, which kind of tells you a lot about the industry.

SPEAKER_06 13:01

Yeah, and the uh Honduras growth, it did benefit from that shift, and it did increase imports by 12% over Q1 2025. So that's a huge growth.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

Yeah, and the industry is shifting as regulations, sanctions, and expenses increase. Um, and there are three key takeaways from these 2026 or Q126 numbers.

SPEAKER_06 13:26

Yeah, the first one is we've talked about the numbers, Nicaragua is king, Honduras is rising, and the Dominican, I believe, is currently restructuring and preparing.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Absolutely. To me, this is kind of one of those beautiful things um that really makes cigars beautiful and fascinating because underneath all of the branding, all of the bands, and all of the hype, there's really so much more. I'm gonna stop there because if I go on, this could be the rest of the episode. There just say there is so many things happening that the average cigar smoker, even the enthusiast, doesn't see. We could spend hours. Maybe we'll come back to it in a 101 someday.

SPEAKER_06 14:10

Maybe. So for now, it's time to move on to uh tobacco varietals. So a varietal is basically the genetic uh family of a tobacco plant.

SPEAKER_04 14:22

Yeah, and different varietals produce different flavors, different textures, different aromas, and different smoking experiences. Before we jump in, let's go to a few comments. Okay. Uh Richard, I'm sorry, Leslie said evening rebels. I can't talk apparently. It's a beautiful rainy evening in South Carolina tonight. Enjoying spending time with popcorn and all their rebel family. Richard said just before that, um, saw your cigars at two guys and picked up a few. That is awesome. Thank you. Um saving them for the event next week. The new Perdomos are really good. Hope you get some soon. Um, Richard said the ladybug was placed on the table as you enter sitting area in the um Salem shop, which is amazing. Um, Juan said Ladybug is outstanding. Thank you, Juan. Um, hey John, good to see you tonight. Um, Kilt Man is in the house. We're excited to see him next week. Um, Dave said the ladybug has a rich, smooth, creamy consistent. It is soft on the palate. Um, thank you so much for that review. And then Kevin, is the new Drew Estate going to be used to increase their flavored line? So, Leslie, that's a great question. Um, I've heard directly from them that they're exploring Dominican tobacco, but I've not heard from anything more specific than that. My guess is with the new Drew Dominicana, which is the new flavored, and they just came out with the Nocha version that just released at PCA, um, that they're going to expand that line of Dominicana, is my guess, both in flavored and non-flavored. I've heard a rumor out there, but it is a hundred percent a rumor. Um, please hear me clearly, it's a rumor that they're going to release a Dominican version of Liga. Um, I don't know that that's true. Um, there's some scuttle butt out there. We'll see if it happens in the next 20 or so months because the factory just went online, so we're probably months away for getting too much new out of it. Um, but I'd smoke a Liga from Dominican.

SPEAKER_06 16:22

I'm gonna try one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:23

All right, for idles, what's our first?

SPEAKER_06 16:25

So the first one is going to be Criollo, and that is one of the original Cuban seed families, so it's going to be balanced, aromatic, and elegant. And historically, they have used heavily, they're used heavily in filler.

SPEAKER_04 16:42

Yeah, and I love Criollo, and it's just the hardest thing to learn to say, right? Uh, it's one of the foundational tobaccos grown in the big three producing countries. While the primary function has been filler, as Mel indicated just a moment ago, there's a growing trend to begin to use it as binder and wrapper. Um, so next we're gonna move beyond Criollo and talk about Corojo.

SPEAKER_06 17:06

Yes, Corojo uh became famous as a Cuban wrapper seed. Corojo is known for its robust pepper spice and oily texture.

SPEAKER_04 17:17

Yeah, and the pure original strain is no longer grown in Cuba. It is just completely gone away. We don't have it in existence today at all. And there might be some resurgence of that as Cuba's situation is changing. And I've seen bales of tobacco that's labeled as Cuban Corojo. Um, but from the farmers we talk about and the people that know way more than I know and we know say it's not existent. That's not what it is.

SPEAKER_06 17:46

Yes, today it's primarily cultivated in the Hamashrin Valley of Honduras and in parts of the United States, such as western Kentucky, uh, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, they also produce successful Corojo variants, although these are typically grown from the resilient hybrid seeds such as the Corojo 99, and to prevent disease.

SPEAKER_04 18:12

Yeah, and the locations and seed varietals vary depending on location and soil conditions, although each produce a fairly similar profile of flavor notes, spicy, peppery, and a very rich aroma.

SPEAKER_06 18:28

Yes. Uh when people describe the classic Cuban spice, ferojo is often involved and it often feels sharp and is robust in the flavor and also in spiciness.

SPEAKER_04 18:40

Yeah, and so let's move on to habano, which is honestly one of my favorite um tobaccos. Habano usually refers to Cuban seed tobacco grown outside of Cuba.

SPEAKER_06 18:53

Right. While most premium varietals are historically from Cuba, Habano seeds are now successfully cultivated in the mineral-rich soils in the Dominican Republic. In the I'll I'm gonna butcher how to say this, the Cibal Valley. I know we said it last year. Cibal Valley, in Nicaragua, Esteli, and Jalapa Valley, and also Ecuador.

unknown 19:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

And so a side note that it's kind of interesting. Um, on some of these varietals, we're going to mention the primary growing regions. That doesn't mean that it's not being grown other places or being experimented with in other growing regions. We're just going to talk about the primaries where we're really seeing um these being utilized a lot in cigars right now. And so uh if you want to throw out there that you know it's being grown somewhere else, feel free to do that. We didn't forget it or overleave it. It's just like Mel said earlier, um, we ended up with 91 pages of notes. Um, when we do a podcast, we get through 10 to 12. And so we're trying to uh cover the top pieces, right? And Mel, you made a great point that um these are Habano really is flourishing in Dominican, Nicaragua, um, in so many of those places in Ecuador, which is just creating honestly the most beautiful Habano wrapper in the world right now. Um, it delivers bold, robust flavor. Um, it has earthy undertones, it's got a natural sweetness, and the retro hell provides a beautiful spice.

SPEAKER_06 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:30

So let's talk about another varietal of Habano and talk about Habano 2000.

SPEAKER_06 20:36

Yeah, so Habano 2000 was developed partly for disease resistance, it is a true hybrid revolution. Um, Habano 2000 is popular, resilient tobacco that originally developed in Cuba in the 1990s as the disease-resistant alternative to the Corojo variety because we mentioned earlier that Corojo can have disease problems.

SPEAKER_04 21:00

Yeah, absolutely. It's prized for versatility, um, producing premium cigar wrappers when shaded, and rich binders and fillers when grown in full sun. Um Habano 2000 Mel, it really offers this rich, spicy profile with very distinct notes. You often get cocoa, coffee, black pepper, and little hints of leather throughout.

SPEAKER_06 21:25

Right. And when it's grown under the shade, it leaves the leaves are smooth and elastic and oily.

SPEAKER_04 21:33

It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_06 21:34

Yes, it's very beautiful. Sungrown is going to leave that thicker and stronger texture to it, and it's going to be very velvety in nature.

SPEAKER_04 21:43

So Alex just said it's the Swiss Army knife of the tobacco world. Um, I agree. Um, Kiltman is calling out Alex, and Alex calling him out. Um, sorry, I cut you off.

SPEAKER_06 21:54

No, you're good. I was just gonna say that it has a thick physical structure and slow. Even burn and it has dense smoke.

SPEAKER_04 22:03

Yeah, absolutely. We're smoking a Habano cigar here. The Ladybug has both a Habano wrapper and a binder. Um, and I love it. Yeah, it's spectacular. Um, the tobacco farming and cigar industry constantly adapts. Um tobacco plants are fragile, so it has to adapt, it has to change in order to continue to see these varietals and these seeds growing under what we know is pretty harsh conditions, as Dwayne mentioned last week. About this region gets tropical storms, hurricanes, volcanoes, and so there's these different adaptations to make sure that these tobaccos survive. Um, so now next, let's talk about Connecticut, both shade and broadleaf. And we covered both of them a little bit last week in Tobacco 101 when talking about the U.S. growing region, because it's kind of in the U.S. growing region is kind of defined by Connecticut tobacco. Um, but why don't we go ahead and highlight them again here for just a moment?

SPEAKER_06 23:10

Yeah, so that's a great idea. Shade grown under cloth to reduce light, and then the tobacco is used mostly for wrapper leaf, and the shade cloth reduces sunlight, producing the thinner and very silky leaves.

SPEAKER_04 23:25

Yeah, it's definitely silky. Yeah, I love looking at it and holding it up. You can almost see through it. Um, it's really why this Connecticut shade wrapper feels smooth and creamy and mild. It feels elegant to the touch, but then also on the smoke.

SPEAKER_06 23:42

Right. It has a creamy profile and milder combustion as well to it.

SPEAKER_04 23:48

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06 23:49

So next we're going to talk about the Connecticut broadleaf. This is thick, oily, naturally sweet tobacco that is grown in the direct sun. So it has dark fermentation characteristics, thicker leaves, darker and deeper colors, a higher concentration of oils, and uh that natural tanginess that people really either they love or they hate. Those uh Connecticut broadleaves.

SPEAKER_04 24:14

Yeah, it is. People either love Connecticut or broadleaf or they really despise it and don't like it. Um, broadleaf feels thick. It sometimes feels rugged or chunky. I smoked a um boxed press um Connecticut Broadleaf, um the Elevated Humidor produced limited edition earlier this year, and it really had that chunkiness, that texture to it, that just felt rugged. Um, it's really the perfect winter or cold weather tobacco. Um, it has those classic cold weather or winter flavor notes, bitter sweetness, richness, espresso, um, and what I'd like to call dark earth, or sometimes people refer to it as kind of a loamy type of taste, due to loamy dirt. Um and just throw up there, Alex said the Habana Virato is robust, hardy, and versatile. It's one of the most forgiving of the dark tobaccos, but once it goes bad, uh there's no turning back. Uh, that is true. It can turn and cause you issues. Uh so now let's move to the next varietal, which is another one of my favorites: Cameroon.

SPEAKER_06 25:20

Yes, I enjoy a good Cameroon, and I find Cameroon wrappers to be very fascinating. Um, it's very thin leaf, a very toothy texture, has some sweet spice, and it's very delicate but also very flavorful. Um, it has a very distinct aroma profile. And the interesting thing here is that Cameroon tobacco seed originated from Sumatra.

SPEAKER_04 25:47

Yeah, it really is Sumatran seed that's grown in the Cameroon region. And now that seed has been taken and it's being grown in other regions. Um, the tobacco is typically a medium brown, almost a slight reddish to it. It's thin, it's toothy, it's delicate. Um, it has these nice flavor notes, it's kind of a sweet cedar or woodiness. Um, there's sometimes this cinnamon or nutmeg or baking spice, depending on the priming. Um, and I've seen some reviewers really talk about this raisiness, raisiness. Let's just call it raisin sweetness. I can't spit out the word. Um, and almost this orange orange peel type of zest or floral spice. And um, I could agree with that. The Perdomo Cameroon that they had a while back um definitely had that orange peel zest to it. Um, really enjoyed that. Rocky Patel had a cameroon for a while, maybe still does, but um, that really has that spiciness to it.

SPEAKER_06 26:50

Yes, it's it's very aromatic, oily, and it has a very dense flavor complexity. Um, but it really didn't start that way. The tobacco took seasons, some generations, or maybe even many vintages of crops to really adapt into premium tobacco for cigars. So that's kind of where it gets really interesting. And with that, it's a great segue into the Sumatra seed.

SPEAKER_04 27:20

Yeah, absolutely. Sumatra tobacco often balances earthiness with spice. Um, much of the modern Sumatra wrappers are Ecuador grown. Um, some is still grown in Indonesia, but a lot of it is still growing more and more toward Ecuador. Um, it's becoming popular to be grown in the San Andreas Valley. We're also seeing it grown outside of Esteli. Um, and Sumatra really became famous for the wrapper tobacco. It's elasticity, it's silky, it's got a very smooth combustion, um, it's got a refined um spice, it's got a very dry sweetness that really often comes with hints of breadiness to me. It truly is a great tobacco to balance out other tobaccos and blends because it's not too sweet, it's not too spicy, and it's not too earthy, but there's hints of that throughout in the smoking experience.

SPEAKER_06 28:20

Yes. So uh San Andreas tobacco, we'll move to that one, is grown to in the San Andreas region of Mexico. So the most common expression we see talked about is the wrapper leaf. However, more and more cigar manufacturers are utilizing this tobacco for binder to bring that unique balance of flavor to cigars.

SPEAKER_04 28:44

Yeah, and almost all farms are producing filler leaf from the lower primings, and we're gonna talk about primings here in a few minutes. Um, but those lower primings of the tobacco leaf, uh tobacco plant, and San Andreas is no different. Like I said, it's just not talked about as much. Um, we'll see it utilized in Mexican Puros and other cigars. It simply is not highlighted as much as the wrapper. Um, and most recently, as you said, the binder that's becoming more and more popular, like with some of the um McAuliffe color series.

SPEAKER_06 29:18

Right. And the San Andreas Valley in Mexico has volcanic soil, that high humidity, the dense mineral content, and the tropical growing conditions.

SPEAKER_04 29:30

Yeah, the cre those conditions create a tobacco that naturally develops a very thick structure, a very oily content, an earthy richness. Um, and there's sweetness potential there, but it doesn't come out on the palate, it's more on the finish or the retro hell.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:51

Um but those growing conditions really make this tobacco what it is.

SPEAKER_06 29:58

Right. And when you're discussing San Andreas, there's a natural and then a Maduro leaf. And more recently, we've even seen some Oscuro uh expressions as well.

SPEAKER_04 30:10

Yeah, and it's really all the same leaf, just aged and fermented to different levels or expressions of the leaf.

SPEAKER_06 30:18

Right. For tonight, we are going to talk about the natural and we're going to talk about the Maduro. So starting off with the San Andreas Natural, this one undergoes the standard fermentation. It preserves a tobacco character during the curing and it retains those brighter flavor components.

SPEAKER_04 30:38

Yeah, absolutely. And the leaf is usually lighter brown or a Colorado in color. Um, it's got a medium earthy tone to it.

SPEAKER_06 30:47

Right, and it's still rich, it's just going to be less dark and sweet than the Maduro.

SPEAKER_04 30:54

Absolutely. Um, those flavor notes, and Alex just commented on that. He said coffee and chocolate for amazing to work with, which I agree with. Um, I was gonna say leather, coffee bean, mineral spice, pepper, a dry earth to it. Um, all of those round out. Um, and especially this natural flavor, you get a lot of interest intricate intricate flavor notes. I said, I can't talk tonight for some reason. We were on the road all day trying to get here for tonight. Uh, we had to travel back. Uh, and so I apparently am a little tired, man. Uh, because also he caught what it was, is Alex. You caught me off guard, bro. Uh, the coffee and chocolate, coffee you definitely get in the natural, the chocolate you get in more in the Maduro. And I was just going right in with him. I was all in with Alex, man. It was all in. Uh, before we jump back, he said, funny you mentioned this balance about Sumatra and San Andreas. Um, I needed to add Sumatra and Seco to balance the San Andreas wrapper I used in his latest test blend. That's awesome. I can't wait to taste some of your blends, Alex. Hope to do that soon. Um, so Mel, let's jump back to you. I think you have some comments on the natural San Andreas that's not chocolatey.

SPEAKER_06 32:12

No, so on the natural San Andreas, that really is going to let you taste the soil more directly. So you're gonna get that volcanic mineral character, the natural earthiness, and then the tobacco sharpness with that. And the tobacco is also brighter and more defined with the heavy fermentation process and the Maduro sweetness is covering it up.

SPEAKER_04 32:37

Yeah, absolutely. Natural San Andreas really feels like espresso without sugar, right?

SPEAKER_06 32:46

And tastes like the volcanic earth before the dessert showing up.

SPEAKER_04 32:50

Yeah, absolutely. So, Mel, let's jump into San Andreas Maduro.

SPEAKER_06 32:54

Yeah, so that one is going to have the dark sweetness and the fermented depth, and that's what puts San Andreas tobacco on the map.

SPEAKER_04 33:02

Absolutely. San Andreas Maduro is what's kicked off the change from Mexican tobacco to San Andreas tobacco, and really began to let it shine. Um, San Andreas Maduro uses leaves that undergo a longer fermentation, it has more heat, higher humidity, deeper sugar development, and that's where you get those chocolatey notes that Alex mentioned a few moments ago.

SPEAKER_06 33:26

Right. So Maduro, it literally means ripe or mature. So San Andreas Tobacco handles Maduro fermentation exceptionally well because the leaves are thick, durable, and oil rich.

SPEAKER_04 33:41

Yeah, absolutely. This is why San Andreas has become one of the most dominant Maduro wrappers or tobaccos on the market today in premium cigars. The wrapper leaf is dark brown or black. It's got this chocolatey um color to it. It's oily, it's toothy, it's rich looking, it's dense. It looks delicious before you ever cut it or light it.

SPEAKER_06 34:08

Yeah, so when it comes to flavor notes and profile, the San Andreas Maduro really shines. It's gonna have that dark chocolate, molasses, espresso, black pepper, a sweeter earth, bright leather, and that raisin sweetness you were mentioning earlier.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Yeah, I mean, and depending on the curing and the second fermentation or aging process, you can sometimes get this barbecue richness on San Andreas, um, almost that char or bark like on a smoked meat. Um, you can get a smoky cocoa or a dark and rich fruit, much like a stone fruit or a dark cherry, something like that. Um, it really is unique depending on the fermentation process.

SPEAKER_06 34:53

Right. And it San Andreas Maduro has a heavy smoke texture that often feels very dense and chewy and then oily and also very rich.

SPEAKER_04 35:06

Yeah, so um Alex said almost like burnt ins, which I would agree. And then Richard asked, How many of us have smoked the father and son? I've not smoked it yet. Um, soon is the goal. Um, I'm excited. Um, that is a cigar that they the Perdomo's hybrid crossed a Cameroon and a Habano. So I'm excited to try it because those are two of my favorite.

SPEAKER_03 35:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:28

Um I really do like San Andreas Maduro as well, but the Cameroon Habano is spectacular. Um, when it comes to tobacco, San Andreas Maduro creates one of the best sweet and spicy balances there is in cigars today. It's why blenders love it and love working with it.

SPEAKER_06 35:48

Yeah, 100%. You get the sweetness, the earth, the combustion strength. Um, you get a great texture, the richness, uh, amazing aromas. You get those all at once. Um, and that's a lot on San Andreas. It is so popular, it deserved a little bit more highlighting.

SPEAKER_04 36:08

Absolutely. We kind of went over some of the others quickly. Those are known profiles. San Andreas is so unique, we needed to kind of spend some time on it. Um, so let's move to Brazilian Matafina. Uh, rich aroma, sweet earth, deep body. Um, Brazilian Metafina tobacco is one of the most underrated tobaccos in cigars because it doesn't get marketed nearly as aggressively as other growing regions or varietals. Um, but every serious blender respects Brazilian leaf, especially Medafina.

SPEAKER_06 36:42

Right. And you might be wondering why, and that is because the Brazilian tobacco brings things into a blend that few other regions can. It's gonna bring that dark sweetness, some aromatic depth, the earthy richness, fermentation character, and some amazing textures on the leaf and also in the smoke. Um, Brazilian tobacco often feels luxurious and not necessarily loud, not always aggressive, but it's rich, layered, and also very deep.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Yeah, and the environment creates tobacco that tends to develop thicker oils, deeper sweetness, darker fermentation qualities, and very rich aroma. You can get that aroma before you even cut the cigar. When it's burning, the aroma of the smoke has this richness, this thickness to it. And for tonight's conversation, we're gonna talk about really two different varietals. Talking at first, starting with the Brazilian Metafina. Um, and let's talk really detailed about Metafina and then get into Operica in a moment.

SPEAKER_06 37:48

So the Metafina is a sweet earth and a velvety smoking experience. Uh, Metafina is probably the most respected Brazilian tobacco. Um, it is known for its sweetness, its aroma, uh, smooth earthiness, and luxurious textures.

SPEAKER_04 38:07

Yeah, and it delivers these complex notes, and blenders really like to use Metafina to soften stronger tobacco, to add sweetness, and to really increase richness to a blend.

SPEAKER_06 38:20

Right. It delivers those complex flavor notes that are going to include the cocoa, the dark chocolate, molasses, sweet earth, espresso, and some people get dark fruit in there as well.

SPEAKER_04 38:33

Yeah, that's a great list of flavor profiles for this tobacco. Um, depending on the priming, it can also deliver a woodiness or a cedar finish, a raisin or plum finish to it, a little bit of baker's chocolate. Um, and I've sometimes gotten almost a brown sugar off of that when blended, depending on what it's blended with.

SPEAKER_06 38:58

Right. And now the Metafina smoke, that often is going to feel very velvety and dense and creamy and also aromatic.

SPEAKER_04 39:07

Yeah, it's a it's really a great tobacco, and we could honestly spend as much time on Metafina as we spent on San Andreas because it's so unique, especially something like Metafina. And there's four kind of main growing regions. There's a fifth that's kind of growing a little bit. Um, but we're gonna move on to one other Brazilian tobacco tonight um that we really want to highlight, and it's Airparica. Um, it's the dark wrapper royalty, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_06 39:39

Yes, and it is one of Brazil's most famous wrapper tobaccos. It's known for the dark fermented tobacco. Maduro wrappers has a very oily leaf, and it is complex and has a very sweet richness to it. Um, it's compared loosely to the broadleaf and the San Andreas Maduro, but it's with its own Brazilian identity.

SPEAKER_04 40:04

Yeah, and Alex said Brazilian can be hard to get it, also is expensive, but when you can get it, it's always worth it. Um, we use Brazilian tobacco on our autumn night. Um, what originally came out as the dark night and transitioned the autumn night based on uh some uh trademark issues uh that we don't want to talk about tonight. Um, but the autumn night um uses that for this very reason to really balance out, right? Um getting into um back to our parika, this tobacco's thick leaf makes it perfect for wrapper and binder. It provides robust flavor profiles, including dark chocolate, molasses, burnt sugar, um, sweet spice. There's this deep roasted coffee melt, almost like if you're eating chocolate-covered coffee beans or espresso beans. Um, it can have a rich leather, especially when it's used as a binder, that binder leaf. Um, and it's very, very earthy, not hay, but earthy.

SPEAKER_06 41:08

Right. And the wrappers are usually very dark and oily and toothy, and then also they're very thick and hardy. It's really very beautiful tobacco.

SPEAKER_04 41:19

It is, it's just this gorgeous tobacco, but like Metafina, the smoke is dense and very, very chewy. Um smoking it, um, there's a cigar by um Terra Nova. It's Terra Nova, right? That makes the yeah, they make a dark fire cure, then they make the ara parica. And that is just so chewy, that smoke just fills your mouth. It's just you want to chew it. It's almost like you're taking a drink of like a sip of soup. It's just so chewy. Um, on that, it's really, really good.

SPEAKER_06 41:53

Right. And it tastes like someone fermented those cocoa beans inside of a humidor with a lot of other fabulous aging tobacco.

SPEAKER_04 42:05

Yeah, it's really broadleaf's Brazilian cousin, to be honest. So let's do a couple comments, quick male. Um, Alex said arprica is the unicorn of tobaccos, in his opinion, versatile, sweet, Mexican chocolate, almost a mushroom flavor, thick smoke. Said it's amazing and he's in love with it. Um, Rich had asked, it might have been mentioned earlier, but we could break down the varietals used in Ladybug. Um, I'm gonna come back over here just for a second and pop up that graphic. Um, just so everybody can see it. For those of you watching with us live or on the replay, um, we used a four-year-aged habano wrapper that goes through two fermentations as a part of that aging process. Um, and then it has a two-year-aged habano binder. Um, and then we utilize Palato Cabano and San Vicente for the filler. Um, these primings are all grown. The Habano are both grown in Ecuador, the Palato Cabano and the San Vicente are Dominican grown. Um, we're actually going to talk about, I think, both of those here in a few minutes. Um, those varietals. And it is one of those things that we use a secco and a lajero leaf from both. And so it's actually kind of a four-blend filler along with that binder and filler. This was Mel's project. For those of you that didn't know, um, she spent quite a bit of time, 18 months, I think, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 43:39

It was about 18 months, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:41

Um, blending the cigar. This was a passion project for her. She wanted why did you want it in the petite corona? Tell that story quick.

SPEAKER_06 43:48

Because at the time, I could smoke a petite corona in the time that you could smoke like a Toro or a Gordo or Churchill. Yeah, any anything that. Bigger than a Robusto, and I wanted to be able to have a cigar with you that was the same pace so we could end at the same time.

SPEAKER_04 44:08

That's not the case anymore. She often smokes faster than I do at times, and I'm always laughing about that when it happens. And so, Mel, what's next?

SPEAKER_06 44:18

Uh so next we have more to come after the break because we are going to continue on the discussion uh and of the varietals and then wrap up with the primings.

SPEAKER_04 44:28

And during the break, we're gonna pass out something very unique that very few people get to smoke to those live with us here tonight. One of the benefits of being with us live. Yep. We'll be back after the break.

SPEAKER_00 44:40

We fell in love with cigars not because of the flavors or smoking experience or perceived steps, but because it allows barriers to fall between other humans and build deeper connections. For that reason, we've been super intentional to curate a space where people can find community and enjoyment with others, and cigars just happen to be the way we're doing it. For that reason, we are thrilled to be the one and only cigar retail store and lounge in downtown Lufton. A good story is one of the most powerful tools used to connect with another human. Sharing stories fades out differences and highlights similarities found in the details, or with the storyteller. Over the years, we have seen some of the best stories told over cigars and thus, new friendships are made, passions shared, encouragement given, and so much more. The impact storytelling has on the human connection is why we've decided to name our store and lounge stories. Because behind every good cigar and conversation is an even better story.

SPEAKER_06 45:41

As always, thank you to our sponsors. So during the break, we hand it out to everyone here that is here with our audience today. We have it is extremely rare, the candela ladybug. So this is going to be the same makeup as the other ladybug, but it is wrapped in a candela wrapper instead of the Habano. Um, I usually sometimes I will get the itch to wrap these in a candela. It happens very rare. These are about a year and a half old at this point. Um and so it's whenever I feel like it, and which is not often.

SPEAKER_04 46:17

Yeah, so Mel gets an itch for a candela ladybug. And so everybody here with us tonight got this. We're all about to light this up. It is the ladybug. Um, as Mel said, same binders, same fillers, different wrapper. Um, it's gorgeous. It adds a little bit of that sweetness um and almost a mint to it on the cold draw. And so I'm excited to light this up here and start smoking this. Um, before we jump back into tonight's topic, um, Alex said the Ladybug is an amazing cigar. He could smoke one every day. I'd love it. And a Toro or a Corona, um, we have talked about that, but right now we're focusing on quality for the same um ones. Leslie asked if I had smoked the My Father Law Little Tad. I have not, um, but on my agenda this coming week. Um, he said, sorry for commenting so much, he's obsessed with tobacco, and that is just fine. We love the robust conversation. Everybody feel free to jump in when that's happening. Um, but Mel, before we get back to the topic, let's go ahead and talk about the upcoming shows because we have some great shows on deck. Um, starting with next week, we're gonna be live with the industry conversation. We're gonna be live with Oliver Naveau at United Cigars. We're gonna be recording at the Red Anchor in Nashua, New Hampshire. Um, we're super excited um to be there with Oliver, and we're gonna be smoking the Gold Star. That's the cigar we got to smoke with United, right?

SPEAKER_06 47:47

Right, yeah. Uh on June 8th, we are doing 2026 new releases. These are cigars worth watching. And with that, we will be smoking the Lady Marmalade by the Elevated Humidor.

SPEAKER_04 47:58

And for those, that cigar is not being released until late July. But for those of y'all that are with us live here in um house here at Stories, we will have them for sale and able to be able to smoke here that night.

SPEAKER_06 48:12

Yep, just that night. Um, on June 15th, we are doing the duel. We are doing a 13 versus a 28 cigar showdown, and we will be doing two blinded cigars on that one.

SPEAKER_04 48:23

And that's gonna be an interesting show. We're gonna start smoking with a panel about 30 minutes before the show goes live, so that we'll be able to finish that cigar in the first half and then move on to a second cigar, and it's gonna be a great opportunity for us to choose a winner, which one wins the night. Um, they're both blinded, and so it's exciting. I'm gonna talk a little bit about that more in a moment, but on June 22nd, coffee and cigars, the perfect pairing, and we're gonna be smoking the arts and craft by the elevated humidor. So, guys, we talked about that blinded cigar, the duel. Um, that duel is coming up. Six different panelists, Leslie and um Dwayne Korn, are gonna be with us virtually. We're going to have four panelists here live with us, and we're gonna be smoking those cigars and coming to a final what's the score for both, what's the flavor notes for both, and which one wins out in those contexts. Um would be remiss if we don't throw out there the Rebel pack that does ship out around the 20th to 22nd June's pack will go out tomorrow to all of our subscribers. This is a $43 pack that includes tax and everything included, shipped right to your door. And the great thing is this month's pack includes six cigars, and one of them retails for well over $28. That's one of the blinded cigars, and so you'll be able to smoke that and try that with us. So far, six packs have gone out, Mel. So far, the average retail price per pack is $71.20. So I'm super excited. We're providing great value to all you rebels out there, and we hope you guys tune in with us. As always, if you're watching with us and this is your first time, please go ahead and click that subscribe button. Out on YouTube, you can click the notify button and it'll let you know when the shows are coming. And as always, you can follow us anywhere on social media at Cigar Rebels. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 50:22

All right, so now we're going to check in um on this Pendela Ladybug. I still have some of my other ladybug left, but I wanted to light this one up the rest of the podcast.

SPEAKER_04 50:34

Um, yeah, what are you thinking so far?

SPEAKER_06 50:37

So it has some of the same flavor notes as the other one, but for me, I pick up a little bit more, a little bit more spice, maybe a little bit more of the little bit of zestiness, maybe from the candela wrapper. I will say this is the oldest uh candela ladybug I've ever smoked because normally I've only done two different batches of ever wrapping them. And they usually go so quick and I smoke them so quick they don't stay in my humidor. But these ones I specifically aged for this amount of time. So it's kind of almost a little bit of a new experience from when a fresh roll.

SPEAKER_04 51:16

Yeah, one of the most interesting things is the smoke production is a lot more on this than the normal ladybug. Um, this aged candela, um, it's three years aged before we used it. Yep, it's been aging an additional 18 months. Um, that nuttiness is there, but I almost get like a mint ice cream. It's creamy and it's minty. Um, I got several nods here in the audience that are smoking it live with that comment. So I think I might be on point. We'll see. Um, but Mel, let's turn our attention to the Dominican Republic and jump back into the topic. One of the biggest growing regions, even though Q1's imports don't show up.

SPEAKER_06 51:55

Right. So the Dominican is unique as many of the varietals are going to be based on preservation and the evolution of the Cuban tobacco seed. Um, it's hybridized, stabilized, and adapted to the growing region. So, with that, I was laughing at his comment.

SPEAKER_04 52:15

Yeah, then we should call it the caterpillar.

SPEAKER_06 52:18

Uh yeah, we had someone ask if this was going to be a normal coming into production, and I was very firm in saying it is not.

SPEAKER_04 52:26

It is definitely not. Um, so what is O'Lore? Alor Dominicana or Dominicano is one of the oldest and most traditional Dominican tobaccos grown. This varietal became famous because it thrives in Dominican climate, humid conditions, lower elevated valleys or elevation valleys, and unlike some Cuban seed strains, Allure adapts beautifully to the Dominican Republic naturally without a lot of effort.

unknown 53:00

Right.

SPEAKER_06 53:01

So I'm sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 53:03

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 53:04

Uh so or low or oh now I can't talk. I'm so excited about this cigar.

SPEAKER_04 53:08

I'm just you're so excited about the cigar. Allure tobacco.

SPEAKER_06 53:11

Yes, it tends to grow efficiently, produce thinner leaves, ferment cleanly, and burn evenly. So it became the foundational uh for the classic Dominican blending.

SPEAKER_04 53:24

Yeah, it brings a complexity of flavor depending on the priming and aging process. It has cedar, hay, floral notes, a creaminess, a soft spice, and often has a finish of toasted nuts.

SPEAKER_06 53:38

Right. It occasionally you're gonna get hints of maybe some honey, maybe some almonds, uh, some light citrus. Um, and the smoke is often gonna feel very smooth. It's gonna be very airy, uh, very elegant, and it's also very aromatic.

SPEAKER_04 53:57

Yeah, and what makes allure special is it's prized for its aroma, its combustion, its smoothness, and its blending balance that it really impacts all the other tobaccos around it. A lot of Dominican cigars traditionally or historically have used Allure as the foundation tobacco. We use it for several wrappers in our cigars, I mean binders in our cigars.

SPEAKER_06 54:22

Right. Um, Alar is the Dominican tobacco, really in its purest form. So it's gonna have that smooth, aromatic, and it's gonna be very balanced. So with that, let's go ahead and move on to the San Vicente.

SPEAKER_04 54:37

Yeah, so San Vicente is a Dominican-grown varietal descended from Cuban seed strains. Um, it became important because it introduced more body, richer flavor, deeper combustion structure than Allure. Um, and San Vicente helped Dominican cigars evolve beyond purely mild profiles. It brought the strength.

SPEAKER_06 55:02

Right. And some of the common flavor notes are going to include earth and spice, some coffee, leather, toasted wood. Uh, the different primings provide hints of cocoa, mineral sharpness, and nutmeg.

SPEAKER_04 55:18

Yeah, Krista says she's really liking the candela ladybug. She was thinking more of the bumblebee for the name. And she said, you think three, you need to rethink making this available, Mel. I agree. Uh, Alex said he agreed. I think talking about San Vicente. Um, that smoke often feels fuller, it's denser, it's more textured than Allure. Um, it comes with a much higher nicotine profile and is often considered more of a medium to medium full when it comes to strength because of that tobacco's nicotine oils and oil contents.

SPEAKER_06 55:57

Yeah, and San Vicente gives Dominican blends the backbone, the structure, and the body without losing that Dominican elegance. Um, this tobacco is often the bridge between the aroma and the strength.

SPEAKER_04 56:13

Yeah, and Palato Cabano is what we're gonna talk about next. So let's jump right into that. Um, it's hard to talk Dominican without talking Palato Cabano. It is one of the most important Dominican varietals ever. This Cuban seed tobacco successfully adapted to Dominican soil beautifully.

SPEAKER_06 56:34

Right. Specifically, stronger Cuban-style tobacco grown in the Republic. Uh, Palato Cubano became revolutionary because it proved that the Dominican cigars they could be powerful, they could be spicy, they could be rich, um, and it's not just smooth and mild.

SPEAKER_04 56:57

Palato Cubano tends to grow thicker leaves male. Um, it develops stronger oils, it produces much rich, much richer combustion, and it just burns very, very well and very consistently.

SPEAKER_06 57:14

Yeah, the roebust and the bold flavor notes deliver a really rich, earthy base that's accented by distinct notes really of pepper, mild earthiness, coffee, nuts, uh, some cinnamon, again, that dark fruit, and there's gonna be some hints of light vanilla.

SPEAKER_04 57:36

Yeah, and the smoke and aroma provide this robust, aromatic, creamy experience. Um, and so let's move on to one of our last varietals for tonight, Pelo de Oro.

SPEAKER_06 57:47

Yes, Pelo de Oro is Spanish for golden hair. Uh, it's rare and historically significant Cuban heirloom seed tobacco, known for its very striking blonde coloring, um, intense potency, and the exceptional sweetness. Um, it is really prized for its complex flavor profile and remains very highly sought after by seasoned cigar enthusiasts.

SPEAKER_04 58:18

Yeah, this legendary Cuban origin tobacco is known for incredible flavor, this intense sweetness, and this amazing aromatic intensity. However, Mel, it is historically very vulnerable to blue mold, to crop disease, to instability. Because of this, many growers have abandoned it and just completely quit trying to grow Pelle d'Oro. Um, but some cigar makers continue to experiment experimenting with it. Some farmers wouldn't give up, and the flavor is extraordinary.

SPEAKER_06 58:56

Yeah, I mean it's it's why we grow it and we use it in some of our cigars.

SPEAKER_04 59:02

Absolutely. It's a highlight tobacco in the Velvet series, um, grown on our farm and then rolled into that series. And it just is an amazing tobacco. It has high complex flavors, blending rich earth, black pepper, and toasted bread.

SPEAKER_06 59:21

Right. And it has some more pronounced notes of dark chocolate, um, some cinnamon breadiness to it, uh, caramel, and stone fruit.

SPEAKER_04 59:32

Yeah, and it just delivers this very powerful and highly concentrated nicotine profile. It's also very pungent and aromatic with hints of honey and wood and rustic barnyard or almost this wet earth type of finish to it.

SPEAKER_06 59:48

Yeah, so final thoughts on the Palo de Oro. It's a unique pale blonde golden leaves that have excellent uniformity and make it shine very beautifully. Um, the leaves are very remarkably fine, allowing that tobacco to be used interchangeably as a cigar wrapper, binder, or a filler. And the seed is also incredibly fragile, so it possesses a very low resistance to agricultural diseases, like you'd mentioned, like the blue mold and uh black shank.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:25

Yeah, and as we talk about varietals, there are so many more varietals out there that we can spend time on. Um, there's Biso Delce, um, there's King Nicaraguan, these different ones that are these unique, but they're not as common, and you're seeing them around. Um, Lady Marmalade has some unique ones that we'll talk about here when we smoke that on the show in a few weeks. Um, but we really wanted to kind of just highlight these major varietals. And so we want to kind of transition for a few minutes. We're already pretty long at an hour, but um we definitely want to hit primings and get through that tonight. Um, make sure all you rebels um have an opportunity to learn about that. Um, because really, even though we're gonna spend less time, this might be the most important piece of the entire episode tonight.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:14

Right. And you don't want to get too dramatic here, uh, but this is very important. Uh so primings explain why cigars smoke differently. Uh, it refers to where the leaf grows on the tobacco plant. So the number of primings vary, but six or eight depending on the tobacco plant and also the definitions.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:38

So there's a lot of conversation around is it all secco, is it all viso, is there seco and viso? It depends on who you talk to, who the farmer is. So we're gonna kind of go with eight tonight.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:47

Yeah, yep. So the first priming is gonna be closest to the ground, and the eighth is nearer the top.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:56

Yep, absolutely. Sorry, I was looking at comments.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:59

No, you're good. I saw that one.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:00

Uh Richard said, is LAU Marmalade be available at two guys? Um, it is our hope that it's at two guys. Um, I can't speak for those guys, but when it releases, we would love for them to have it. Um, we're hoping as they continue growing with our cigars that we will be there. Um talking about primings, the higher priming, the stronger the tobacco. Premium cigar tobacco is harvested by primings. Workers always harvest from the bottom of the plant up, taking two to three leaves at a time. When tobacco leaves are primed, the individual leaves are pulled off the stalk as they ripen instead of all at once. This allows each next priming to get more of the nutrients and more growth time.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:44

Right. Uh, the lowest level of the priming, known as sand leaf or libre di pie, is often discarded.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:54

Not used at all.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:55

Yes. So a few days go by between priming harvests, and that allows the plant to mature further, and every section of the plant produces different tobacco. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:08

So volato leaves are the lowest leaves used. They're mild, thin, and it burn extremely well, used primarily as a structural basis of a cigar and aid combustion when they're used.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:22

Right. Secco is going to be the lower middle that had that's slightly higher on the plant. Uh, these leaves offer more aroma and flavor than Velato, but remain still relatively mild. Uh, secco burns really well and is responsible for much of that enjoyable aroma that contributes to the cigar smoking experience.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:45

Yeah, next we get to Viso, which is the next priming up. It's the upper middle, if you want to call it that, the middle layers. These leaves are very rich, they're very aromatic, and they bring moderate strength to the cigar. They tend to be more medium in strength, and the flavor they produce is the most complex of all leaves. And one thing to know is most wrapper leaf is viso. Um, it often comes when you're pulling the viso primings, you're sorting it into what is going to be wrapper or what is going to be binder based on the quality of the leaf. Only the best leaf becomes wrapper leaf.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:23

Right. Um, Lajero is going to be at the top. This is the highest tier of leaves, excluding the very top of the stalk. Um, this has very strong flavor. This is where nicotine is sent after it's produced by the plant's roots. Uh, because it is at the top, it also gets the most direct sunlight. So that turns the turns to protect the lower leaves from the sunlight and makes the Lajero hardier. Uh, it also has more time on the plant than the other leaves. So they absorb the most sunlight. Uh, they are dark, thick, oily, and packed with the nicotine and also that old flavor. La Hero has a very low combustion rate and burns uh very slowly that provides structure and strength to the cigar.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:15

Yeah, and we talked earlier about the autumn night having that Brazilian Metafina. It's a triple Lajero cigar. Um, in the first blend year we did it, we struggled a little bit with burn issues, keeping it lit. So we actually had to go in and add some secco the next year, um, just one leaf to help keep that combustion going because um last year's burned exceptionally well with no real complaints on the burn issue. Um, and that's why those primings matter, Mel, and understanding how each of those leaves operate. Um, talk just very briefly about the very top of the tobacco plant. There's both the Corona and the Medio Tempo, um, rare and um ultra thick leaves that grow only on. Fraction of tobacco plants. They're intensely powerful and they're used mostly in very special, full-bodied, limited blends.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:09

Yes. Mideo tempo and corona leaves are not the exact same, though they both grow at the very top of the tobacco plant. Corona leaves grow just below the absolute top of the plant. The Mideo Tempo leaves are even higher. So they are very rare. They are late harvest sprouting of the two small leaves that grow at the very apex of the plant. So that's going to be above the corona slash that Lahara level.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:43

Yeah, and so the corona leaves are found on almost every mature plant. The medio tempo leaves are exceptionally rare and they only sprout on about 10 to 15% of tobacco plants at all.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:56

Yeah. All of these varietals and primings are white blending, is really an art. And that's because the blenders are combining the regions, the varietals, and the primings. And that's really all to create the balance, the complexity, and the consistent combustion.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:17

So, Rebels, our hope tonight is that you listen to this episode and Tobacco 101, which is last week's episode, and begin to look at cigars differently, understanding the complexity that goes into that thing that you light on fire.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:32

Right. It's the passion and the care and dedication that goes into preparing the land, cultivating the seeds in the nursery, and the planting, the growing, and harvesting that really impacts everything. Then, of course, there's the curing, the fermenting, and the aging that happens.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:54

Right. Only after all of that does a blender begin to test, smell, taste, light up different leaves to begin building a blend. But it comes years after the seed is said, let's plant this tobacco.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:11

Yes. So cigars really aren't just rolled up leaves or a different type of salad, as I've seen some type. Some people quote a cigar. They really are agriculture, their chemistry, their climate, engineering, and craftsmanship.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:28

Absolutely. Alex said not to forget that each vintage is different, too. That's so true. When you're growing on the farm, you're doing everything you can to keep those vintages or those growing seasons to create the same tobacco. Great farmers are really good at it. Thankfully, we work with really great farmers or we procure tobacco from really great farmers. It's just so important. There's so much science that goes into this salad that we light on fire, Bill. So in future 101 episodes, we're going to go into curing and fermenting and aging. We're going to talk about wrapper flavors. We're going to talk about filler influence. We're going to talk about why cigars taste the way they taste. And we're going to talk about how blenders begin to build a blend. But for tonight, what are our final thoughts on this ladybug, the candela version by the elevated humidor, or really this candela version by you?

SPEAKER_06 1:09:26

So I have a little bit more than what I had in the ladybug. And it's just again, you change the wrapper and it changes the cigar. It's so different from the other ladybug, but still keeps still some.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:49

The uniqueness of this is it is still very, very creamy. It still has that nuttiness, but it's added a more smoke production, more aroma, um, this mintiness to it that wasn't there before. Um, this candela is Jade Candela. It's the same candela used on Lady Jade. Um, but the it's where the conversation comes in is the wrapper 90% of the flavor or none or 50% of the flavor of cigar? And people argue all over the board. Yeah. Um, I say it's a percentage of the flavor. We don't really know, but when you change the wrapper, it definitely changes the smoke, but everything marries together definitely differently, especially since this has been aging for a year and a half since you rolled these.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:41

No, I agree 100%. Both excellent. I don't know that I could choose one that I like better. This one is more rare and is definitely a treat.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:49

So that's our show for today, though.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:52

Yeah, so thank you guys all for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, share with your cigar friends, and hit us up for any topics you'd like us to cover in the future.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:03

If you're watching or listening on the replay, drop us a comment, hashtag replay fam, or click that notify button so that you do not miss an episode. Um, you can also subscribe anywhere you get your podcast on streaming services. And next week, as we mentioned earlier, we have a great episode for you guys, for all of you rebels. We're gonna be coming to you with an interview with Oliver Naveau of United Cigars, and we're gonna be talking about the cigar industry, what's new for United, and what's coming up that we should be getting excited about.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:34

All right. So thank you guys for tuning in. We will see you next Monday at 7 p.m. Central time. And until then, keep your cigar lit, your ash long, and your palette curious.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:44

Good night, Rebels.