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No
50 - October
17, 2002 The guests
started arriving well before 7:00pm, in fact before we had finished
preparing the tables. Fortunately we were able to steer them into
Katzy's Cigar Bar, opposite The Grillhouse. While some folk finished their spicy little San Luis Rey Club, I welcomed everybody and thanked our two main sponsors (The Cigar Company and representatives of Glenfiddich Grants Whisky). I talked about the relatively new small size machined cigars now made in Cuba - the Cigarillo (Club), the Mini Cigarillo and the Demitasse (Purito) - you can read more about them. The second cigar which was about to be handed out, was the Juan Lopez Corona - light and easy-burning, and considered to be an ideal daytime or early evening cigar - and it was. The first course was paraded in - and what a sight it was. The platters of Meze and fresh salads were bright, colourful, beautifully arranged and plentiful. And they tasted great too. Orders for
the main course were taken and we had approximately 40 minutes
to enjoy the first course, wine and Juan Lopez. I took advantage
of the last five minutes of this time to draw the winner of the
crystal cigar ashtray. The main courses were carried in high above heads, and deftly placed before each guest. The 500g of spare ribs was awesome. Gillian, fitted out with the necessary bib style apron had no qualms about calling it quits halfway and asking for a "doggie bag" (which was supplied with a smile). The response to the raffles was spontaneous and very good - so good that we drew 2 winners for the 3-packs of Limited Edition cigars. (Click to read about them and a 3-pack offer.) We had now reached the high point of the evening - the Romeo y Julieta Belicosos and the whisky presentation. By this stage the verbal volume made it impossible to address the company en masse, so, partnered by one of the excellent waiters, I visited each table in turn to extoll the merits of this fine cigar. The Belicosos
is a slightly shorter version of the classic Torpedo. The Glenfiddich
whisky presentation was very professional with Jason Duganzich
courageously quietening the tables to a muted murmur and holding
their attention with aplomb. (The fine cigars also helped.) It was now 10:30pm. I delivered the packets of cigars purchased to their owners, and the first guests started to leave - others stayed happily chatting and smoking, or moved over to the vibrant atmosphere of Katzy's Cigar Bar. The party had ended on a high note. The venue
was exceptional (especially the air extraction system) and the
service was carried out professionally by well-trained staff in
a very pleasant manner.
PS
Have you read about the Limited
Edition Maduro cigars
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.... currently available from Cuba?  |
No
51 - October
31, 2002 No two pieces
of briar will have exactly the same grain, some will have surface
blemishes, some will have patches of soft wood. The weight will
vary, and so will the colour.
Click
here to see more of the magnificent Savinelli "Autograph"
pipes.
Click here for some very interesting interpretations, shown
with photos of the original paintings. Prices range from R3500
to R8000. Works of great artists may be made more accessible to the ordinary man in the street by making copies or lithographs - possibly numbered and signed. Some artists first sell only the copies (a limited number) for a period of time - the original waits in the wings until the copies are sold out. A pipe artist
can work in a similar fashion - carefully designing the original
which is then faithfully copied for many years. And the "copies"
may be in a range of qualities, not only the perfect.
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No
52 - November
14, 2002 Cigar Rollers are generally paid according to the number of cigars they roll, less any cigars rejected by their supervisor. The incentive is based on both quantity and quality. Depending on the size and complexity of the cigar, a good roller (Torcedor) can produce between 75 and 700 units in a 10 hour working day. The average rate in a Cuban factory is 135 per day. Most factories have their own training programmes which they can manipulate to ensure that they have the correct replacement rollers available when needed. It can take up to 6 years to become "skilled" and as much as 20 years to become a Master Torcedor. During the height of the cigar boom (mid 1990's) this training period was often shortened and the market was flooded with poorly made cigars. By "poorly made" I mean cigars that are rolled too tightly, too lightly, or are plugged (won't draw). Rolling:
In summary, a fully handmade cigar starts with the formation of
the "bunch" made up of the prescribed leaves for that blend. These
need to be carefully crimped together, creating long air passages;
not rolled together which would give a difficult, maybe impossible,
draw. The cap which
holds the wrapper down, forming the head of the cigar, is cut
from the same leaf to match the colour and is glued in place with
a tasteless gum. It is simple - the skills come in getting it right time after time after time. This is one of the reasons that rollers tend to concentrate on rolling specific ring sizes - they develop the feel for the hand pressure needed to achieve a 42, 44, 48 ringsize with amazing consistency. The really large ringsizes, figurados and perfectos require the most skill, and the rollers of these cigars are the highest paid - even in Cuba there is a wage differentiation. So the role of the Roller is critical to the reputation of the cigar factory and to your enjoyment of their cigars. You can see a Master Torcedor in action at a Wesley's on the following days and times:
Diarise it now - don't miss her
And when you've discovered how good the Don Mateo is you'll be glad to know that we've been able to buy a small package of these cigars - just look at the price! Colin WesleyNovember 14 to November 27, 2002................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................................................... .... |
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No
53 - November
28, 2002 We
are closing in on the.Festive
Season and the year
end.
A good time to reflect
on
the
good things that are
available
- those events and things
that add something.to
our lives.If
you are a pipe smoker, your thoughts may well turn to the Prestige
Pipes. They are beautiful, they are the Nobility - the pipes that
express the passion for briar and for perfection in production
in the brand name. They are the pipes upon which the brand names
hang their hats, and they don't want them to fall off! Our range of Prestige Pipes is growing in line with the interest being shown. In this the third selection to be shown on our website, the pipes are "one of a kind" and are held at Head Office for specific orders. (Exceptions are the Savinelli Premier Dry System and the Stanwell Rhodesian.)
Restored
to former glory - and already "broken in": November 28 to December 11, 2002................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................................................... .... |
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