Illustrated Encyclopedia by M. R. Nee – Cliff Note

[Raralith]

“An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars” by Min Ron Nee arrived on my doorsteps not too long ago and I found it absolutely fascinating. While about 90% of the book is about brands, their histories, and cigars they produce, that remaining 10% had some great information that I think many here, whether they were beginnings or veterans, would find useful. What I’ve done here is made a cliff notes version of those sections with page numbers if you wish to read the whole thing.
Please note, none of these ideas are mine, and some of the words here are copied straight out of the book; I take no credit whatsoever. This is simply a labor of love for my cigar hobby. I have reworded, condensed and left out certain parts not because they are not useful (they certainly are!), but because this post would be ten times the size if I did not. I highly recommend you purchase this fine book for yourself.
Aging (6-11)
The aging period is measured in terms of decades not, “put the cigars into your humidor and lay them down for a couple of years, and you will find they taste much better.” It comes into four stages that may overlap each other:
1. Sick Period
Ammoniac smell is still detectable from a newly manufactured cigar. The reason being the tobacco leaf is moistened before being rolled which invites accelerated fermentation which generates lots of ammonia. The time period for the disappearance of the ammonia smell is influenced by the rate of fermentation, packaging and storage conditions. The majority of cigars handled in the “usual” way, the ammoniac smell will be over 90% in a few months, 95% to 99% gone by the end of the first year, and practically all gone by the end of the second year.
2. First Maturation
First maturation is the result of the ongoing fermentation after the cigar has been made. Cigars continue to generate pleasant aromas and flavors as result of continuous fermentation; flavors increase in intensity with time. The bitterness, believed to be the taste of nicotine, becomes less as fermentation causes nicotine to be broken down. As time goes by, fermentation slows down as fewer raw materials are available. The rate of generation of these flavors becomes slower and slower. At the same time, these flavors are lost continuously through evaporation, oxidation, chemical reasons, self-degradation etc. The first maturity is when the cigar is most “flavorsome” provided that the bitter and tannic harsh taste mellowed out to a level which is not annoying to the smoker. This occurs when pleasant flavors cannot be generated by fermentation at a rate fast enough to cover the continuous loss.
There’s no exact time because each cigar is different with individual preference of different pleasant flavors and personal tolerance of bitter and harsh tannic tastes. Mild cigars first maturation is 2 to 3 years in semi plain boxes, 4 to 5 years in cabinets. Medium cigars first maturation time is around 5 years in semi plain boxes, 6 to 8 years in cabinets. For stronger smokes, the maturity is around 7 to 8 years in semi plain boxes, 10 to 15 years in cabinets. Big cigars will continue to ferment stronger for a long time.
3. Second Maturation
The second maturation is the result of the degradation of tannin and the interaction of the end products with the flavors generated by fermentation. All young cigars have a tannic taste (to certain degrees) and taste “dry” on the mouth, “green” and “harsh.” Tannin is a natural ingredient of plant structures which can only be tasted by the tongue (not by the nose or pharynx). Tannin’s chemical structure is a long chain that, with age, breaks down into shorter chains or even single molecules (some chemistry is explained here of which is skipped). As time goes by, when tannin breaks down into simpler molecules, they react with other chemicals to form more organic molecules resulting in a lot of different pleasant flavors. Tannic taste might not necessarily be considered bad, and might even be pleasing to some smokers; taste accounts for part of its appeal.
Tannic levels are depends on the original tannic levels of cigars. The second maturation is the time when the total pleasant flavors formed by interactions between the end products of fermentation and the breaking down of tannin long chain polymers reach peak level. This time period might need 15 to 25 years to attain for most “tannic cigars.” A cigar at the second maturity is very, very smooth, extremely mellow, complex, classy and elegant. Not all cigars go through second maturation simply because they don’t have enough “woodiness” and tannin to generate additional pleasant flavors.
4. Third Maturation
The third maturation is the result of accumulation of a finesse generated by mysterious chemical reactions between congeners, and everything else in the cigar. Finesse, begins to appear after 20 years and some barely detectable at 20 years minimum. The aroma is so complicated that words cannot describe it, but unforgettable once experienced, “ethereal.”
When will a Havana “peak” in taste?
Just because it’s aged more doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll taste better to an individual smoker. Young cigars are punchy, first maturation are “flavorsome,” second maturation are “classy and elegant,” and third maturation is “ethereal.” In short, when Havana’s age, they just become different but it all comes down to what you want out of a cigar. To answer the question though, “there is no such thing [peak in taste].”
Interesting note:
Good ventilation gets rid of the ammoniac smell in no time so if you cannot wait and want to get rid of the smell in quicker time, storing cigars in the open if the atmosphere is not too dry, or opening your humidor or box of cigars for some time everyday helps.* Good ventilation also encourages fermentation, faster fermentation makes cigars more “flavorsome” quicker. Oxygen though, in large quantities, destroys some of the delicate flavors which may be a plausible explanation of why cigars packaged in varnished Cabinets, and in airtight glass gars age much more beautifully after a few decades.
Slower fermentation, longer time raw materials are continuously supplied during aging, more time for the chemicals to react with each other to form more complex flavors thus better results. Good aging of Havana’s cannot be accelerated by any artificial means without loss of quality; this has been tried and failed. Whether you should breathe your cigars periodically depends on the time frame you wish to age newly purchased Havana’s before consumption. If it is just a few years, or even a few months, do breathe your cigars. If you want a beautifully aged cigar and time is no concern, never breathe your cigars.
Ash (12)
Torch a black/grey ash and notice they become white. Black/grey ashes are due to incomplete combustion meaning that those particles might be partially burnt organic molecules because they are too large to be combustible. A white ash means near complete combustion which burns better. This might be the result of the breaking down of complex molecules and tannin by the fermentation process. Whiter ash might explain why cigars get stronger in taste in the first few years because substances too complicated to burn remain as black particles. With time, these substances become combustible and the cigar becomes stronger.
A cigar in a box in which others have a white ash, but which has a grey ash in particular could mean two things. 1) The humidity when smoked may not be optimal, too dry or moist, which hinders combustion. 2) The smoking technique might not be the best, drawing too quickly or too frequently results in undesirable combustion.
Culebras (94)
Culebras in Spanish means snakes and comprises of three cigars twisted together tightly in a spiral fashion. First appearing in the Philippines, the Cuban versions are just ordinary machine-made and are not designed to taste anything in particular.
Interesting note:
A popular story goes around about the culebras being created to prevent stealing since rollers were only rationed 3 small cigars a day for personal consumption and culebras were easily spotted by being twisted. The inventor of this story simply overlooked the fact that any cigar roller could twist the cigar they made into any shape they like. Furthermore, the number of factory rejects far outnumber the 3 cigars rationed making the culebra far more cost-ineffective than allowing them to smoke the factory rejects.
Embargo (149)
Due to the political differences between Cuba and USA at the time, on February 7th, 1962, the US Government banned all Cuban imports and exports of US products to Cuba; products produced before this date are exempted. Havana cigars manufactured before this date are called “pre-Embargo” cigars, after this date are called “post-Embargo” cigars. These terms are not to be confused with “pre-Revolution” cigars or “post-Revolution” cigars.
EMS (149)
Means “English Market Selection.” The British market traditionally favors darker wrappers, but the term is actually an American creation. “AMS,” “American Market Selection,” were American marketed where the preference was specially treated light green wrappers at the time.
Habanos S.A. (192)
“A company created in 1994 with the responsibility for commercializing the Habanos and other tobacco products, except France which remained under Cubatabaco’s control.” The full name is Habanos Sociedad Anomina.
Lithography (251)
Lithography is the technique of using very heavy engraved stones to press and print a color image onto a cigar band or cigar box trimmings. The method was very labor consuming and has gradually been replaced by modern printing methods since the 1920’s. The method was still commonly used during the 1930’s/40’s. By the mid-1960’s it became obsolete, except on purpose for special occasions. Nowadays the term is still used to mean cigar bands and box trimmings, despite the technique no longer using used.

[Raralith]

Packaging (277-305)
Lots of cigar box **** but here are the categories.
1. Aluminum Foil Wrapping – Individual Cigar
The vogue of wrapping cigars in aluminum foil started in America in the 1920’s, but by the 1940’s had virtually been all replaced by cellophane. In Cuba, the practice was not prevalent due to the anti-machine movement in the 1920’s/30’s. Only very expensive cigars were wrapper in aluminum foils by hand.
2. Aluminum Pack
These were believed to appeared in the mid-1940’s, around the same time as aluminum tubes. The packs usually came in 5’s and were usually packed in semi plain box in 50’s or 100’s for display. These kinds of packaging were discontinued in the mid-1980’s because they looped “cheaper” than cardboard packs, were more expensive to produce, and therefore replaced by cardboard packs.
3. Aluminum Paper Foil Wrapping (Bundles in Semi Plain Boxes)
After the Revolution, some very strong cigars were wrapper in bundles inside airtight aluminum paper foil wrappings within a semi plain box. The purpose might be that these strong cigars have a tendency of fermenting vigorously after being manufactured. The air-tight packaging slows down the fermentation reducing the ammoniac smell. The cigars can also retain their strong and punchy flavors longer than other kinds of packaging, and for extremely oily cigars, might prevent the evaporation of oils. These models are believed to be discontinued in the 1960’s.
4. Aluminum Tubes
These started to appear during the mid-1940’s and by the 1950’s, they were already in common use by most manufacturers. Many people opined that tubes are not good for aging. On the contrary, Nee’s personal experience is that vintage cigars in tubes, over 30 or 40 years of age, invariably taste better than those without, when the same cigars of the same age are compared (mini “wine-in-a-bottle” effect, see Aging – Third Maturation and Packaging – Cellophane). The one distinct advantage of aluminum tubes is that they prevent the spread of beetle infestation. Cigars having beetle problems in aluminum tubes, no matter how stored, are extremely rare. This may be as the result of the lack in oxygen within the confined space. Tobacco beetles, like other insects, need adequate oxygen to maintain their metabolism. Even if a cigar in a tube is infested, it will not spread to other cigars. For people who do not have temperature and humidity controlled storage facilities, buying and storing cigars in tubes might be a good idea. The aging process might unavoidably be delayed, but it is better than having the whole inventory wiped out by beetles in no time.
5. Boite Nature
This refers to a box which is entirely made of cedar wood, has two hinges on the back, a locking mechanism, and the presence of “collars,” which are four pieces of cedar wood protruding from the four inside edges of the boxes. If the locking mechanism and/or the “collars” are not present, then the box is called “Semi-Boite Nature.”
6. Cardboard Packs
Cigars packed inside cardboard paper packaging are called Cardboard Packs. The cigars can be packed individually, and the packs are packaged within a display box made of cardboard or in a semi plain box.
7. Cellophane
Cellophane is a transparent sheet manufactured from regenerated cellupone, and was accidently invented by a Swiss chemist. It only began to be used widespread commercially after 1927 when du Pont Company researched and patented a moisture-proof form of cellophane. Mr. Zino Davidoff opined in his 1967 book that cigars “need to breathe.” Ever since then, for the past few decades, probably every cigar expert writing on the subject opines that cellophane is not good for aging and suggest removing it. But is cellophane really bad for the cigar aging? The answer can be found in 15+ years old cigars which were presented in both the cellophane and non-cellophane versions. All 15 or 20 year old Havana Cigars in cellophane happen to taste much better. It is possible that as time goes by, the oils deposited on the cellophane prevent leakage of large organic molecules and creates a mini “wine-in-a-bottle” effect. Nonetheless cellophane no doubt delays maturation. Removing cellophane accelerates the aging process, and is not an unwise decision for people who cannot wait.
8. Ceramic Jar
Ceramic jars have been used by cigars manufacturers worldwide to pack cigars since the late 18th century. Examples of the different manufacturers, dates, and ceramic jar **** are shown.
9. Glass Jar
Glass jars were common usage for packaging cigars in the 1950/60’s by various manufactured. Cigars a few decades old undisturbed in these glass jars developed a great bouquet, and might be the result of the similar aging process as “wine in a bottle.” These jars became less prevalent in the 1980’s.
10. Glass Tubes
Cigars packaged in glass tubes were quite common in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and while not clear when they appeared in Havana’s, they might have been introduced around the same time as aluminum tubes in the 1940’s. Glass tubes were probably not regarded as luxury kind of packaging, as most of these cigars were machine-made. All glass tubes were discontinued in the mid-1970’s, and are now highly sought after.
11. Luxury Cabinets
There are lots of pictures of different luxury cabinets like the “Brand of a Tree cabinet,” and H. Upmann “Caney” with some historical information.
12. Semi Boite Nature
Semi Boite Nature refers to a box made of plain cedar wood with two hinges on the back, and where the “collars” and/or a locking mechanism is not present. After the Revolution, boxes of Semi Boite Nature have a “brooch” as a locking device appearing in the mid-1960’s and are thus called Semi Boite Nature with Brooch (SBN-b).
13. Semi Plain Box
Semi Plain Boxes (SPB) are the most common kind of packaging for Havana Cigars; also called Current Boxes or Dress Boxes. The box, made of cedar wood, is covered with beautiful papers of various designs, called “trimmings,” and each having a specific name.
14. Slide Lid Box
Slide Lid Box is a box made of cedar wood which has a slide lid; commonly called “Cabinets.” The cedar wood is invariable unvarnished, with the only exceptions of Cohiba Siglo Series in which the boxes are varnished except on the bottom. Cigars packaged inside Slide Lid Boxes are tied in bundles of 25s or 50s with a silk ribbon. Cigars packaged in this form age better in the longer term versus the Semi Plain Boxes and there are two reasons suggested. 1) The cedar wood of the box contributes to the flavor of the cigars (spirits in a wooden barrel effect.) 2) The airtight box slows down the fermentation and also creates a “wine in a bottle” effect. Many people are intrigued by that there is always a piece of glacine paper wrapping the cigars in the box. The reason is for further delay of leaking of flavors as Nee was told. There are Slide Lid Boxes which accommodate one side only, are mostly expensive cigars, and are called “coffins.”
15. Tin Cans
Pictures of tin cans.
Post-Revolution Havana Cigars (359)
According to the history of the Revolution against the former corrupt Baptista regime, President Fulgencio Batista formally resigned at 3 AM, January 1st, 1959. The next day, the 26th of July Movement called for a general strike to mark the end of the old regime. January 2nd, 1959, is now accepted by most historians as the day the new Government took over power in Cuba. Cuban cigars manufactured before this day are now called pre-Revolution cigars, and all cigars manufactured on or after this day would appropriately be called post-Revolution cigars.
SEITA (458)
The French tobacco monopoly, the full name is “Societe d’Exploitation Industrelle des Tabacs Allumettes,” and was a Royal Monopoly formed in the 17th century. It was abolished during the French Revolution, re-established by Napoleon, became a limited company in 1980s,and privatized in 1995. In 1999, SEITA merged with Tabacalera S.A., the tobacco monopoly of Space, formed a new corporate named Altadis and became the largest cigar company in the world. Altadis purchased 50% of the share of Habano’s S.A. in 2000.
Totalmente a mano (471)
There are hallmarks on the bottom of Havana Cigar boxes. In English means “Totally handmade.” This appeared on the bottom of Havana cigar boxes since 1989. Boxes without this mean totally machine-made cigars
Vitolas (491)
A vitola refers to a specific shape, ring gauge and length when a cigar is made. Two cigars of the same vitola, no matter how they differ in brand, age, commercial name, whether a regular production or a Special Production, are expected to be the identical shape, ring gauge, and length. In Cuba, the Metric System is used for lengths and are listed to the nearest mm. In the Cuban cigar industry, before or after the Revolution, there are two sets of vitola names. 1) Vitolas de Galera, or factory vitolas, or production vitolas, refers o the name the factories give to certain vitola they make, despite the final products being presented to consumers might have different tobacco blends and each given an individually commercial name. 2) Vitolas de Salida, or commercial vitolas, refer to names given to the cigars when presented to the customer. The vitolas de galera are not stated in the cigar boxes and the customer is not supposed to know them. For each cigar brand, there may be more than one vitola de salida (commercial vitola) for each vitola de galera (factory vitola/production vitola).

[BengalMan]

Very informative post. Rep given!

[BORIStheBLADE]

The aging info is interesting, thanks.

[Bubba - NJ]

It is a great book . A real must have for any cigar connoisseur .

[TOB9595]

Thanks for the cliff note version. VERY informative
Tom

[ucla695]

This is why it's one of my favorite cigar books...a must have for cigar enthusiasts!!

[TOB9595]

It's on sale at cigarmony.com
Sigh......
Still a bit much for my pocket. BUT
I do want to see this special book!!!
Tom

I appreciate your info in your post. Very helpful

[Clampdown]

I heard through the grapevine he might do another updated version minus the misspellings.

[daboose]

A great read. Thanks for posting. Need to put this on the buy list.


By chance does MRN talk about cigar storage for the end user; temperature and humidity, etc?

[Vigiles]

thanks for posting, very interesting!

[Don Fernando]

Just a side note on the Culebras. Since 2007 the Partagas Culebras is hand made, not machine made.

[roughrider]

Very informative. Thanks for posting it.

[groogs]

Originally Posted by TOB9595

It's on sale at cigarmony.com
Sigh......
Still a bit much for my pocket. BUT
I do want to see this special book!!!
Tom

You better get it while you can. According to MRN this is the last printing he is going to do.

[bobarian]

Information is only a small part of the encyclopedia. Picture p o r n is where fun starts!

[paris1129]

Recently picked up a copy of this book. It is AWESOME!

[T.G]

Originally Posted by groogs

You better get it while you can. According to MRN this is the last printing he is going to do.

And at this point there can't be that many new, sealed copies left.

[M1903A1]

Originally Posted by groogs

You better get it while you can. According to MRN this is the last printing he is going to do.

It's been hinted that there will be an updated one...however, no release date has ever been given.

Still, it's a great book as it is...the kind of book where, if I didn't already have it, I'd make a point of getting it while it's available and (relatively) inexpensive.

[E.J.]

Much appreciated, that was a fun read.....