What of The Binder??

Inner Value Rather than Beauty

The wrapper has been considered the crowning dress of any cigar. Always costing more than any other tobacco. It’s the tobacco that is visible, caressed, sniffed and delicately squeezed like a prized tomato… But it is underneath the pretty dress that the Master Benders know that the real gold is found. Often rough looking, with a hearty aroma, sometimes sweet or peppery. Called Capote in Spanish, it is crucial to the overall composition of great cigars.

The binder helps with the burn and helps give our cigars complexity and aroma. At the Perdomo Factory the binder is planted, harvested, dried and fermented exactly like their sun grown wrappers. Which one they chose, will depend on the planned blend and, above all, the matching wrapper. “It is part of the blend, and gives the cigar significant accents….” Said Nick Perdomo.

Bruce Lewis; VP of sales and marketing for the Toraño Family Cigar Company has extensive knowledge of everything to do with raw tobacco: “The binder is probably the part of a premium cigar that is most overlooked and underestimated. It needs to be physically strong and elastic enough to keep the form of the filler leaves. Just as important is that it produces a good burn so that the cigar has a regular and sufficient glow. When the binder doesn’t burn well, the risk of an uneven burn increases dramatically”. Said Bruce…

Tobacco engineer Hendrik Kelner observed: “ We use Dominican binders of the types Olor, Piloto, San Vicente and some hybrids wich we cultivate. We also import binders from Peru, Ecuador and the broadleaf from the US. All with various stimulations when it comes to taste and aroma. The binder dictates the ring gauge, the strength and the aroma.

Rocky Patel adds saying…”When we want to roll a full-flavored cigar we’ll take a binder from a higher priming (ligero). On the other hand, with a milder one, we take a binder from a lower priming (seco) of the tobacco plant.

Burning Properties

Edmundo Garcia of General Cigar: “The function of the binder is to help the wrapper to burn evenly and regularly – also with the desired color of ash”

And even though we don’t see the binder, it I no advisable to use tobacco with protruding veins, its important that they be even colored. This characteristic will produce an even smoke.

Binders should ideally burn white so that they balance out the inadequate burn of some wrappers. I remember seeing a cigar maker choosing among different binders being offered: He would smooth the dried leaf, then light a point in the middle of the leaf and observe its smoking ability of the leaf: “Fireproof tobaccos are less desirable”

There are so many variations, on so many levels, that the ultimate determining factor is harmony.

Enjoy….. And until next time.

Christina

A Pipe Club Meeting

Robbie Cippolla

We have a pipe club called the Boca Raton Pipe Guild. The club members meet every two months, always on a Thursday, at the Moose Lodge in Deerfield Beach, on the north west corner.

Its a lot of fun. This past meeting, yesterday actually, was a pipe swap, show and tell.

Robbie Cipolla, made a fascinating presentation regarding pipe care. From the basic everyday care to the more deep reeming and cleaning.

A-mazing!

Larry Lampner

Larry Lampner, our President, made a video of it. We will make it available on our channel on Youtube.

We are very fortunate. We usually have a great guest, like Mimo, Erik Stikkebye (we had his father over many times; Peter Stokkebye), Castello or Ashton Pipes. Last year we had Frank Blews from Philips and King, what a treat!

We also have a smoking contest every March. So it’s a month and a half away. We compete officialy, sanctioned by the UPCA, the United Pipe Clubs Of America. We even give out a trophy to the first place. Every one ends up getting something. Going home with an extra pipe and some tobacco if you are lower in the totem pole.... lol

The other meetings we have guests,. Last year we had Peder Jeppesen from Neerup Pipes. He was so well received that we are hoping to get him to return this May.

The meetings after that will have other pipe makers or pipe tobacco masters. By the end of the year, in December, we organize a fun holiday gathering. Last year, 2011, we met at the Moose Lodge.

You must be wondering why the Moose Lodge? Its the only place that enables us to meet and smoke, as we taste different tobaccos.

We become members with a yearly onetime fee of $60.00 and $15.00 to the Club. It’s great! It gives us a place to meet, an actual dinner, and we can smoke to our hearts content! The only thing that’s out of pocket is the couple ($3.00 each) of beers or soda pop we buy that evening

Peder Jeppersen with Pipe Club Member, James

The video will be ready next week and we will be able to share it with all our friends.

Have a great weekend all... Untill next week.

Long ashes....

Jim

Ashton Story Part II

The Next Generation

Colin unveils the secret behind the success of the Ashton brand as being the core team of Rob Levin, Many Ferrero and now Meera and Sathya Levin, Rob’s two children, whom as they finished the university they joined the company. Meera as International Sales and Marketing and Sathya taking over daily operations. Rob mentions that the 3 most important moments in the company’s history were: the start of the Fuente relationship, Meera and Sythia’s joining the company and the start of the relationship with the Garcia family.

Rob noted the three most important moments in the company’s history: The start of the Fuente relationship, Sathya’s and Meera’s joining the family company and the start of the relationship with the Garcia family, with whom the Sathya was instrumental in starting.

Central America

Rob had developed a line called “La Aroma de Cuba” to be sold in the US only. Made in Honduras, it was an inexpensive cigar if compared to the rest of the Ashton portfolio. It had the distinct taste of Central America. So when Sathya brought him a cigar to taste, both Rob & Manny were both impressed. The cigar was made by Pepin Garcia, a fast rising star in the world of cigars. As Pepin met with the Levin family and Manny Ferrero, the bond was instant… Manny recounts. This new relationship resulted in the new cigar line, San Cristobal, which outside of the US is called Paradiso, to be included to the already exquisite Ashton portfolio.

La Aroma de Cuba, called La Aroma del Caribe outside the US, won the 2011 Cigar Journal Trophy for the best Nicaraguan blend.

When asked what was their philosophy in running a cigar company, the Levins replied:

Taste, consistency and quality. Ashton’s “Taste of Excellence” event, held at retailers, around the world have a consistent theme. They want you to taste the cigars fully, no matter what you are smoking. It is only then that we will truly appreciate any cigar, that we will be able to appreciate Ashton to it’s fullest.