Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 364
3 Jan 2014
As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.
1) It is no longer legal to smoke in Boston’s outdoor parks. The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously in favor of the regulation, which impacts all 251 public parks in Boston. “The ban makes it illegal to smoke cigarettes, marijuana, or any other material on properties controlled by the Parks and Recreation Department,†reports Boston Magazine. “Breaking the new law, which goes into effect immediately, is punishable by a $250 fine, and will be enforced by park rangers and officers from the Police Department.†The law was first proposed by Mayor Tom Menino who, despite a complete lack of evidence that outdoor secondhand smoke is harmful, says it is “necessary to maintain the health and safety of our public parks.â€
2) Aside from Boston, a host of other smoking bans took effect yesterday, including a near-complete ban for the affluent community of Coronado, California. “In addition to banning smoking on most public property—including all public streets, highways, alleys, sidewalks, and parking lots—the ordinance bans smoking on public or private property within 25 feet of an enclosed building,†reports the NBC affiliate in San Diego. “It also bans smoking on private property that is open to the general public for an event, for recreational purposes, or if the private property is serving as a service area such as an ATM, ticket line, or parking stand.†A first offense will be met with a $100 fine.
3) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan examines the San Cristobal Elegancia Pyramid. Stogie Review tries the Asylum 13 Sixty. Stogie Fresh reviews the EH Cultura. Nice Tight Ash lists the best cigars of 2013. Cigar Inspector checks out La Aroma de Cuba Robusto.
4) Deal of the Week: Our friends at Emerson’s Cigars have a great deal on tap for you Drew Estate/Joya de Nicaragua fans out there. For just under $160, you get a box of 21 CyB Lonsdale Clubs, an Undercrown Toro 6-pack, and an Undercrown hat. If, like us, you love these blends, this is a hard deal to pass up. Check out the details here.
photo credit: Flickr
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Read the EH Cultura review at Stogie Fresh (or Stogie Rate). The reviewer seems to think additional aging will correct a fermentation issue. This sort of misinformation is not useful to the community. Just my two cents.
Is it a well-known fact that fermentation issues cannot be corrected/impacted with time? I am not aware of this.
I mean, I understand fermentation is the process whereby tobacco heats up under the pressure of its own weight to get rid of ammonia. I believe time is also a factor in fermentation. So wouldn't more time for a finished cigar have the potential to improve "errors" in fermentation?
I'm not trying to be a smart-ass. I just don't know, and I'm curious. I'd also be curious to learn, as a cigar smoker, what characteristics in a cigar are the result of fermentation issues, and which can be improved with age.
Why a debate here on something that was metioned by a reviewer on another site? I would think that the comments section there would give the reviewer an opportunity to answer and defend himself.
Doc of Stogie Fresh is a friend of StogieGuys.com. I have notified him and asked him to respond with a comment here, or at least provide a link here to a place on his site where he explains this. Thank you.
Hi Gents, Thanks for your interest in my comments on continual fermentation of tobacco. Patrick has asked me to give a brief reply although it is something that would make for a great article that I should probably write…
As you know, fermentation is a product of moisture, pressure and time. That's the quick and easy of it, but its also important to realize that by messing with those three parameters, you end up with a continuum of fermentation that can run the gamut. Some tobaccos are fermented very hot and very quickly. Like the green Candela wrappers, which are fermented hot and for just a brief few weeks. Whereas the great Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers on the Liga Privada No. 9's are fermented for years and lower temperatures.
After fermentation, but before being used in cigars, the tobacco masters attempt to halt fermentation during the aging process. This is when the tobacco is placed in bales and given an extended rest, typically for 2-3 years. During this time the fermentation tails off and the tobacco becomes very dry. When these bales are opened, the tobacco must be re-wet so it can be handled during the process of manufacturing cigars. But, this starts the fermentation process again, as the tobacco is subjected to moisture, pressure (usually in small stacks during sorting) and heat (nothing like the heat of the first fermentation, but still enough to cause oxidation).
If you follow the idea of the continuum of fermentation, you will see that there is continual fermentation throughout the lifespan of the tobacco, albeit at a different rate. The fermentation that takes place in one's humidor, I call micro-fermentation. The moisture, heat and pressure is still there, but at a magnitude that is much less than the first fermentation. Nevertheless, there is still oxidation and micro-fermentation, which causes changes in the chemical composition of the tobacco.
Over the past 10 years and longer, at Stogie Fresh, I have made it my business to understand the process of aging. Aging is just a generic term that includes micro-fermentation and oxidation. The result over time is that the tobacco inside your cigars changes and you can taste these changes.
Please don't hesitate to email if you have further interest or questions.