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CIGAR AFICIONADO QUIZ

1. What is ligero?

-In the context of a cigars, ligero is a unique leaf variety used in the blending process. In particular, the ligero leaf is part of the tobacco plant with direct exposure to the sun. This sunlight results in an enhanced effectiveness of the plan and a higher level of nicotine than is traditionally in other parts of the tobacco plant.

2. Name the three major growing regions of Nicaragua.

- The Jalapa region is located on Nicaragua’s northern border neighboring Honduras; South of Jalapa is the Estelí region; On the road between Estelí and Jalapa is the town of Condega. Condega is a fertile region where mostly filler and binder tobacco is grown.

3. What is a puro?
- Spanish. A “puro” is a cigar where wrapper, binder and filler tobacco are from the same country.

4. Who makes the cigar called The Edge?
- Rocky Patel

5. What is a chavetta?
- The traditional chavetta is a tobacco roller’s tool. It has been called a knife, but it is not particularly sharp. It is 6 inches long and 4 inches high with a curved edge for cutting and a straight edge for holding. It does a nice job trimming wrapper leaves for bunching or rolling.

6. What is a torcedore?

- A torcedor is a cigar roller. Since the Cuban Revolution, the majority of Cuban torcedores are women and referred to as a torcedora (Plural: torcedoras).

7. Describe the difference between binder and filler.
- The binder is a tobacco leaf, usually having little or no flavor, which is used to bind and contain the filler tobacco inside of a cigar. Another tobacco leaf, called a wrapper, is wrapped around the outside of the binder to complete the cigar.

8. Put these tobacco terms in the proper order: fermentation, priming, aging, curing.

-Priming – Curing – Aging – Fermentation -  (source: http://www.tabacordillera.com/cigar-leaf-processing.htm)

9. Whats the difference between Connecticut shade and Connecticut broadleaf?

- Connecticut shade and Connecticut broadleaf grow side-by-side throughout the Connecticut River Valley, but they are quite the odd couple. Shade is smooth and elegant, while broadleaf is grizzled and tough. Shade plants are tall and thin, reaching as high as 12 feet under their silky tents, broadleaf grows in the open sunlight. Blue-collar broadleaf seems to have a fitting price, selling for as little as $12 per pound, an apparent bargain compared to the $45 per pound that top-grade Connecticut shade commands. But because of all the curing, fermenting and sorting required to turn broadleaf into usable tobacco–plus all the waste–it ends up being much more expensive.

10. Which of the following is not an actual cigar: Flying Pig, Taco, Loco Chivo, Pussycat, The Chisel.

- Loco Chivo

11. What is a Salomone?

- A member of the diadema group of cigars, these very large figurados have pointed, tapered heads and bulbous feet with a nipple tip. E.g. Cuaba Salomone measures 7 1/4 inches by 57 ring gauge. Due to their curves and the size, they are very hard cigars to roll, demanding a lot of skill and time.

12. How many Edicion Limitada cigars does Cuba release in a typical year?

- Three

13. Name a cigar with a suggested retail price of $25 or more.
- Cohiba Behike BHK54

14. Describe a cigars wrapper.
- A cigar’s outermost leaves, or wrapper, come from the widest part of the plant. The wrapper determines much of the cigar’s character and flavor, and as such its color.

15. Where is Danli?

- Honduras

16. Which country makes the most premium cigars?
- The Dominican Republic (source: http://procigars.com/premium-cigar-sale.htm)

17. What year did Cigar Aficionado make its debut?

- Cigar Aficionado magazine debuted in the fall of 1992, launched in New York City by Marvin R. Shanken, longtime publisher of Wine Spectator

18. What is Cigar Aficionados signature cigar show?

- Big Smoke

19. Name three types of cigar cutters.

- Guillotine, V-Cutters, Punch

20. Which of the following are proper methods of lighting a cigar: wooden match, Zippo lighter, paper match, cedar spill, butane lighter.

- wooden match, Zippo lighter, paper match, cedar spill, butane lighter. – any of the above

21. Is tobacco for premium cigars grown in the United States?

- Yes. When most people think of tobacco being grown in the USA, they tend to think of the southern states. This is mostly true, but in the cigar world the northeastern state of Connecticut is famous for producing some of the world’s best cigar wrapper leaves.

22. What is a Cuban sandwich cigar?
- The infamous Cuban Sandwich, a variation of the traditional ham and cheese, was a common lunch snack created for Cuban workers during the early 1900′s. Since they typically sold for roughly fifteen cents a piece, they were appealing to many of the Cuban immigrants trying to get by in Florida. It’s no coincidence that the Cuban Sandwich cigar is a bargain cigar, manufactured in Nicaragua.

The Cuban Sandwich cigar is a medium bodied cigar that utilizes either a delicious Cameroon wrapper, or an aged Maduro wrapper depending upon the cigar. The Cuban Sandwich cigar uses premium Nicaraguan tobacco as a filler and binder to “sandwich” this delicious, inexpensive cigar. At a bargain price, sample one of these bundles today and you’ll be taken back to Havana at the turn of the 20th century.

23. Whats the difference between a dress box and a cabinet?

A dress box usually holds 10- 25 cigars, is more for retail display with decoration and stickers. A cabinet holds usually 50 cigars, without stickers or labels; usually unfinished Spanish cedar or mahogany, and more for humidor storage.

24. Name three people who have appeared on the cover of Cigar Aficionado in the past 12 months.

- Matthew McConaughey, Paul Giamatti; Jim Belushi

25. What company distributes Cuban cigars throughout the world?
- Habanos S.A

If you get the job in New York that this is a requirement for, YOU ARE WELCOME!!!

As an illustrator living in Toronto, with a second home in rural Ontario, I get to see a lot of different outlets for color. When April and May roll around, this really gets my motor running. Ever since I got my first phone with a camera in it, especially when I figured out how to e-mail photos to myself or others and upload them to Facebook, the world really became my oyster!

Here are a few samples:

A. Robin’s eggs in nest on front porch of our log home; B. Strange and wondrous advertising message created for Claritin by FIVE planes simultaneously above Toronto; C. Chipmunk at giant bird feeder, which can be drained by a couple of rodents in three days.

Translate this to the color palette for water color or acrylics and you can get this (or thereabouts):

My iPhone is turning out to be a fabulous tool in my paintbox!

www.lisarotenberg.com

My husband Matthew and I have been in pursuit of this ultimate Canadian delicacy for several years and we have had a group/page on Facebook displaying some of our findings. Someone has to do it. In case you Americans do not know what I am talking about, a butter tart is like a pecan pie, only more unique, a single serving of course, and has very specific properties. The pastry must be very flaky and wars can break out over a tart being plain, having raisins, pecans, or if a shop dare branch out into different flavors or not.

Here in the province of Ontario, Canada, we take them so seriously that I dared to attempt to bake some and take them to a dinner party. I worked at it for 2 days. And I lied about making them until a positive reponse came through so I could blame it on someone else if they sucked.

Well turns out they did NOT suck and so I thought I would share the experience and recipe with you!

LISA’S BUTTER TART RECIPE

Filling:

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• a few drops of lemon juice

In a medium bowl cream together all of the filling ingredients until smooth.

Pastry:

• ice cubes
• water
• 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) cold lard or shortening (8 oz/250 g)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 egg, beaten

Pastry:
Place three ice cubes in a measuring cup and add enough water to cover. Set aside.

In a bowl with a spatula and a pastry cutter [or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade], combine the flour and salt. Blend well. Cut the cold lard into cubes and add to the flour. Cut in the lard just until the mixture resembles large flake oatmeal.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk the vinegar and the egg. Add enough of the reserved ice water to make 1/2 cup (125 mL). With the motor of the food processor running or while stirring vigorously, pour in the egg mixture. Blend until the mixture forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. If necessary, knead to make a smooth ball. Press into a disk and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 45 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness adding extra flour to prevent sticking. Cut to fit 5 oz (125 mL) muffin tins using a 6-inch (18-cm) cutter (or smaller if you want to make more tarts). Refrigerate until ready to fill. We filled them 3/4 full.

Bake 375 for 17-19 minutes

For those of us who pay more for less, we want proof.

I have been in several situations where I have had to prove to what I have to sell is genuine – or help others NOT buy what they want because it is fake. At www.rocketfuelcoffee.com, our Kopi Luwak, arguably the most expensive and weirdest coffee in the world, the legendary “cat poop” coffee we sell for $55 a quarter pound, we show as much information as we can including where the coffee comes from and facts about the beans. The information and verification must come from trusted sources other than us, with a money back guarantee. Access to us must be readily available for comment. These are factors which build credibility for retailers of specialty items. For several years I sold rare Canadian silver antiques on eBay. The selling a fake Canadian Indian trade silver artifacts is so rampant, I have a written guide there to assist eBay buyers. I have given up on reporting fake sellers.

Top shows real hallmarks for Canadian Trade silver; Bottom shows fake piece and fake hallmark.

Now onto the topic that I am applying to this here: Cuban cigars. A site called www.cubancigarwebsite.com is just a fountain of information! Trevor Leask of Sydney, NSW, Australia has taken his passion for cigars and done us all a great service and put down in keystrokes great info about just about everything we need to know about the stick, the tube, the the stamp and the box. And in this world of fakery and money making, a quick look here and you will be way ahead. I am listing some highlights here.

Aluminum Tubes

Aluminium tubes have a thin cedar timber veneer lining. Tubes help preserve cigars from physical damage and short-term drying out. Habanos recommends removing the cigars from their tubes if storing in a humidor; but MRN recommends leaving cigars in their tubes for improved (but slower) aging. Since 2006, Habanos SA has been extending the available tube range in their major brands, using both the recoloured standard tubes and a new premium style tube. The new premium tubes have a twin tube construction, with top friction pull-apart section. Davidoff had a special multi-tube system with a long slot, that could be opened or closed by twisting the tube. This slot was intended to give the user humidity control by adjusting the slot width.

How cigars are made

Handmade Cigars (note: make sure these marks are burned in, NOT PRINTED)

Machine made Cigars

Cuban Warranty Stamp

This seal was introduced in late 1999. It was a major modification of the previous seal and incorporated more security features. There are two sizes (148mm x 49mm for boxes and 60mm x 20mm for cardboard packs). The smaller seal has no serial number. In 2010 Cuban cigars for export have a hologram panel added.

The serial number consists of two letters and six numbers, and the first letter of the Serial Number “should” correspond with the following box date code.  The second letter appears to be somewhat random.  Any serial number on the warranty seal commencing with XX or XY has been opened and inspected at the Habanos SA facility as part of their quality control and these boxes may have a “REVISADO” (reviewed) stamp on the base of the box.

Stickers etc.

Health, Logos, and Duty Paid Stickers: These are stickers applied by the Regional Distributors before being sent to retailers.

Government Health Warning Stickers: These are placed on boxes by the regional distributors to comply with local

anti-smoking laws.

Logos and other Duty Paid Stickers: These include stickers applied by some distributors to authenticate their point-of-distribution origin.  In some countries, a duty paid sticker is also applied.

Habanos Packaging Codes: Special packaging code is used to describe the Packaging available for each vitola for retailers, and these are found on the Habanos web site. Vitola refers to the unique description of a cigar.

Feel free to visit  http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com for more information!

Lisa Rotenberg, Silver Level Poweseller, 2004

When I was in the graphic design business, up until 1995, we really felt we were a different class of folk. We thought we knew what good design was, in clothing, furniture, architecture, typography and industrial design. Our car, food and even our cologne spoke to the common people about how clever and we were. I had great mentors. One set me completely straight one day when I crossed the line from designer to account director when he told me in his car outside a presentation at Colgate:

“Lisa, sales is sales, the rest is romance.”

Wake up call#1. And it was a good one. The next one came when I opened an art gallery and started selling my magnificent children, the hand created paintings I had loved and had to part with. Guess what. That is the easy part. Tons of folks do that. It is the selling that is the hard part or dare I say talent. Wake up call #2.

My next career change led me to eBay, where I sold antique sterling silver. I befriended some wonderful dealers who also mentored me and I attended some eBay LIVE conventions as a Powerseller. Powersellers are those eBay members who meet sales targets every month for months on end. Bronze, silver, gold – titanium, you get the picture. Only the antique market fell out when the ANTIQUE ROAD SHOW came out and every son and daughter emptied out their attic and wanted to get rich. The market was flooded and add to that when I started the US dollar traded at 45-50% Canadian. When I got out it was pretty much at par. By the time I was done, we saw pretty much dealers selling to dealers, in box lots. Same was seen at live auctions where we got our supply to sell, as well as estate sales. Dealers to dealers just move product around the plate. No profit for anyone. Lesson #3.

Now back to my original question: What did the the eBay seller say to the Coffee bean retailer? The same seller to seller talk that excludes the customer. Recently I have been noticing a lot of talk in forums about water quality and coffee that is barely understandable to me and I have been in the coffee business for a few years. I know the talk is often about filtration systems in the retail environment, but more and more sales are going to be online or in store for home use and the selling pitch, in my opinion is per cup of highest quality coffee by the pound. There was no mention about tap water (or at least just disgust) that a consumer might use in their home. My customers are online. How do I know what they use? The use of tap water in Canada or the US was looked at like it was filled with worms, bacteria and chemicals. Give me a break. I use tap water and I have lived to the ripe old age of 49. It will be Scotch and cigars that do me in.

I learn so much from these coffee mentors and I am eternally grateful, but somehow we have to include the customer in the equation. The lowly customer who we want to bring to the table who might be drinking instant coffee or mass retail coffee right now. There are only so many coffee gourmands in the world prepared to pay $3 a cup, so we better spread our net wider, no? And our coffee is worth the effort! So we have to let them know they can drink our incredible coffee at home with tap water, not bottled water and they will love it at any price. If Tim Hortons can get $1.50 for a cup and I sell Jamaican Blue Mountain for $25 a pound (90 cents a cup) why not?

Cheers!