Cuban Value Selection

As the Americans used to say – “what the country needs is a good 10c cigar”.
Maybe what you need for a casual smoke is a “good value” cigar.

One of the most effective ways of making a less expensive Cuban cigar is by using shorter filler leaf – much less costly than the full leaf and with less wastage. This often results in a much lighter, and easy-burning cigar. We’ve put together an interesting “Value Selection” for you, highlighting cigars from two different areas of Cuba made in this way. These cigars are big enough to be complex in flavour - giving a satisfying, balanced smoke - and taking 30 - 45 minutes from start to finish.
Many less expensive cigars from Cuba are slender – not panatelas, just a slightly smaller ring gauge than usual. The trick is to open up as much of the head as possible to ease the draw – but don’t cut beyond the cap. Always smoke them slowly – you’ll get the most flavour that way, and enjoy a cool smoke. Don’t look for too much flavour – it isn’t there.

Colin Wesley

Quintero Londres Extra (Slim Petit Corona, 123mm x Ring 40)
Quintero is one of the few Habanos brands not born in Cuba’s capital city, Havana. Agustin Quintero with his four brothers set up shop in the south coast city of Cienfuegos, known as the “Pearl of the South”. All the tobaccos selected for Quintero came from the Vuelta Abajo (D.O.P)* and Semi Vuelta zones, in the Pinar del Río (D.O.P.)* region, home of the finest tobaccos in the world. El Torcedor (the roller) combines the chopped tobaccos leaves and rolls the filler into full-length binder leaves with the aid of a flexible mat fixed to form a firm bunch . The wrapper is applied by hand.

Guantanamera Crystales (Slim Corona, 150mm x Ring 41)
Launched in Europe at the end of 2002, Guantanamera is the newest of the more affordable Cuban cigars. The cigars are made with tobacco from Vuelta Arriba, the second most important tobacco-growing region in Cuba, better known for supplying tobacco for European cigars. All sizes are "mecanizado" – totally machine made with short filler at a modern factory recently created in Havana. The wrapper is in general finer than that on some of the older machine-made cigars - no lumps and bruises or thick veins. The short filler is ideal giving an easy, mostly consistent draw. It’s a comfortable smoke – very mild and light bodied, yet the taste is deliciously, spicy Cuban.

Rafel Gonzales Perlas (102mm x Ring 40)
First developed around 1928 it was relaunched in Spain under Rafael Gonzalez, to become a highly popular brand on the Spanish market. The newest size is Rafael Gonzales Perlas – a classic half corona, the size of Montecristo No.5. It was released in Spain in 2011, and has recently arrived in South Africa. In a blind tasting, the Perla scored 91 points in Cigar Aficionado and was also named the only Best Bargain Cigar from Cuba for 2012. They described it “Subtly pressed with a flat head, this petit corona delivers a lot of smoke for such a small cigar. It's nutty with sweet cedar and a complex walnut liqueur finish.”The wrapper is slightly on the darker side, but he flavor is light - very smooth and satisfying. I was impressed by the quality of the construction and burning rate (25-30 minutes).