Resources For The Broadleaf Man

 

If you're looking for information about cigars you've come to the right place. Through this resource page, we hope to bring the world of cigars into closer focus for our friends both locally and all over the world.

 

 

 

---

Schroedering

March 12, 2008

Dropping the ash off the end of a cigar can be a messy business. As far as we know, up to now, there is no formal name for the dropping of ash in places where it doesn't belong -- on your shirt, the floor, poker table surface, etc...

Now for a little history. Our glorious SPITT leader, Mike Schroeder and his father come into the store often -- Mike daily and his father Ed on occasion. They have this genetic anomaly which forces them to let the ash build on their cigars. Gravity and the movement associated with smoking conspire to cause their award winning ash build-up to drop with little or no warning.

Given the Schroeder's propensity for ash dropping, we have named the act of dropping ash where it doesn't belong -- Schroedering.

Schroedering is serious business. Recently, a cigarette smoker in England found himself in court over dropping his ash on a sidewalk. The Judge threw the charges out, but the fact that someone had to go through the trouble of getting to court over a misplaced ash.

 

What's Good Ash Formation?

August 15, 2007

You constantly read in cigar reviews of this thing called good ash formation. But, what is it and why do those that judge cigars care?

Let's look at a cigar that has good ash formation:

This Hoyo De Monterrey is exhibiting all the characteristics of a great buring cigar. First, there's the nice even burn -- which means the tobacco is perfectly hydrated and physically rolled. Cigars that burn unevenly may have dencity differentials internally that cause them to "toe nail" or "chimney" as the less dense areas burn faster than the rest of the cigar.

Note how tight the ash is as it burns. The tighter the ash, the better the quality of the cigar. In this case, the ash is literally replacing the footprint of the unsmoked cigar, save for a slight contraction as the tobacco dries and combusts.

The ring formation is clearly present. This shows the smoker how each puff causes the cigar to burn and produce the flavorful smoke they crave.

Finally, notice that the ash is on the whiteish side. Cigars that leave black ash are lower quality, come from poor soil or are not designed to adequately combust and produce the targeted flavors in the smoke.

Having personally smoked this cigar to the end, I can tell you that it exhibited all the top burning charateristics that make it a great cigar.

Buying Cuban Cigars Abroad

August 7, 2007

First, we have to say, as of this writing, it is illegal for US citizens to buy, consume or otherwise possess Cuban cigars anywhere in the known or unknown universe. That said, and we aren't telling you to do this, many people here in the US will purchase the forbidden fruit known as Cuban cigars. We'd like to lift the embargo, but that's outside of our current set of super powers.

We'd like to think that everyone in the worldwide cigar business is on the up-and-up, but, let's face it, many cigar sellers are looking to make a quick buck selling fake Cubans to "dumb" Americans. Cuban's usually carry a premium price and we've seen many people ripped-off in their quest.

Seasoned smokers will have a leg-up in making sure they are buying the real thing, although some fakes are pretty darn good -- so there is no guarantee that that illegal Cuban you're buying is, in fact, the real deal.

Take the cigars in this picture -- the Montecristo No 2. One is a fake, which a customer of ours smuggled into the country after a Caribbean cruise. The other is the real thing.

But, which one is which?

The cigar on the left has a nice oily sheen, well formed structure and perfectly printed band -- it's the real Montecristo No 2.

The cigar on the right has poor construction -- note the rough tip. The tobacco is actually slightly green -- a real Montecristo No 2 is a carmel color with no hint of green. Especially with the Montecristo No 2, you can examine the construction -- note the gradual taper of the real cigar vs. the abrupt tip construction of the fake. Finally, look at the band. While it says Montecristo and Habana -- what a real Cuban label should say -- the color is too dark and the print is off centered. Even in communist Cuba, branding is a science and the band has to be perfect on every cigar.

The customer that brought this fake cigar into the shop paid top dollar for what he thought was the quintessential Cuban Montecristo No 2 -- he was ripped-off.

He thought he was buying from a reputable source -- obviously not. And, some would say that he got what he had coming to him -- buying illegal cigars and smuggling them back into the States. We won't pass judgment on that situation, but, we will say he didn't get what he thought he was getting -- and that's just wrong.

 

 

 

 

---

Broadleaf Tobacco 160 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD 21146
Phone: (410) 315-8118, Fax: (410) 315-9229, Email: broadleaftobacco@comcast.net

Store Hours:
Monday thru Saturday 11 AM to 9 PM, Sunday 12 PM to 6 PM

Copyright, © 2008 Broadleaf Tobacco | Design By: Emazzing Solutions Group