Practical tips

“Slow smoking” only has upsides and doesn’t require any specific technical skills.   Alban Cordier, member of ADC’s tasting committee   I started writing this article as I lit up a Partagás Shorts; I keep my 50-cigar cedarwood box in the open air in a cool place (I smoke “dry”). It is 10 AM, and I want to share the

This cheap robusto has been awarded 4 rings (out of 5) in the 2021 Cigaroscope. Toasty-roasted, silky-soft first puff. The cigar releases some bitter notes, then opens into a vegetal perfume of fall leaves and fragrant wood. Mild flavour overall. Excellent draw. Very regular burn. The vitola provides a smooth experience with no surges. The light-coloured smoke is abundant and

La culture biologique de la vigne représente aujourd’hui 10 % du territoire français. Celle du tabac, en revanche, reste encore confidentielle au niveau mondial.   Depuis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la montée en puissance de l’agriculture en général et de la viticulture en particulier n’a pas été un long fleuve tranquille. Conséquences directes de la hausse de la

You want to try cigar? The true one, completely hand-made? You are right, it is the good way to smoke less and well. Here are seven cigars which will introduce you to the four main countries, in accessible formats :   Cuba  Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure N° 2 – Robusto H.Upmann Regalias – Petit corona Romeo y Julieta Short Churchills

Every year, a few particularly elaborate habanos – from special vintages to limited or exclusive editions – roll out of Cuban factories. They are generally available in France the year that follows their release. We give you the lowdown on how to recognize them.  A for Añejados Añejados means aged. These cigars are rolled and then left to age in

Some flavors in cigars and wine are decidedly “horsey”. Like them or not, they may be caused by a lack of hygiene. So, you don’t want too much. By Bernard Burtshy Cohiba’s magnificent Esplendidos is a stunning creation. With its elegant, glossy colorado wrapper, it’s as sophisticated as an Italian supercar. The cold draw reveals spices, gamey scents and even

Two good men, Arturo Pérez-Riverte, translated from Spanish, (Spain) by Gabriel Iaculli – 502p. 22.50 at the Threshold. Artur Pérez-Reverte is found of France, of Alexandre Dumas and of Paris, the memories of its forests, its misty weather. His feelings have been paid off. French readers like his books very much. Once again, they show it, this riveting novel has

Cigars play a significant role in the history of and collective imagination surrounding the Andalusian capital. Find out more about this city of aficionados. By Laurent Mimouni It was in Seville that Europe’s first tobacco factory saw the light of day, in 1758. The idea was to consolidate the multitude of small processing workshops that had popped up all over

No, it’s not the latest hare-brained experiment, there really is salt in your cigar, and in your wine too. Let me explain…   By Bernard Burtshy   SALTINESS is one of the four basic tastes (or five, if we count Japanese umami), and salt is, and always has been, a precious commodity. Salting is one of the oldest methods of

Chemically speaking, nothing distinguishes a pleasant smell from an unpleasant one. Why, therefore, do some people say that cigars “stink”? By Bernard Burtschy “Bad smells” are unclassifiable You barely need to perceive an unpleasant odor to elicit an immediate reaction of disgust. Whether the source be a dog, a toilet, or a cigar, the response to this type of stimulus will

It’s one of the biggest and best cigar collections in the world: 6,000 cigars, 1,500 objects, more than 5,000 books and historic documents, tens of thousands of cigar bands and vistas. It belongs to a rich Italian man who has devoted ten years of his life to it.  By Camille Sifer A fifty-year love story with cigars Paolo Jucker (Swiss

[pexyoutube pex_attr_src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIQ2lt6lNNA&t=50s”][/pexyoutube] Before using it, wipe the inside of the humidor with a damp cloth then keep it closed for a day. Try not to overfill it, so the air can circulate properly. We advise you to keep a cedar leaf between the humidifier and the first row of cigars. Open the humidor regularly and move your cigars around. And

Par Bernard Burtschy Derrières les odeurs se cachent bien souvent des molécules de synthèse qui ont remporté la bataille sur les arômes naturels. Ne les confondons pas, et ne simplifions pas ce qui est complexe. Le nez chimique Il est prodigieux de penser que nous pouvons détecter jusqu’à 400.000 odeurs et en mémoriser environ 10.000 ! Les molécules naturelles qui constituent les

Box-pressed cigars, with their distinctive square form, were probably launched in Cuba to save space in smaller boxes. The cigars, packed tightly together when still moist, naturally adopt a squarer shape. Nowadays, using this format is a commercial decision for certain brands, the pioneers being Padron and CAO. The cigars are shaped in molds during the rolling process before being