Anticipation

Source from:  SMOKE 04/15/2010

For many lovers of the leaf, For many lovers of the leaf, opening a new box of cigars is a cathartic experience akin to the uncorking of a rare wine; cracking the seal on an aged bottle of whiskey; or perhaps lifting the lid on a box of costly, hand made Swiss chocolates… it's a birthday, Christmas, graduation all wrapped up into one - for grownups. And the excitement can be downright palpable. The first split-second impression is mostly visual - the initial glimpse of the neatly arranged row of cigars tucked snuggly into the box, revealed coyly from underneath a sheaf of cedar. But it's only seconds later that the wafting aroma is unleashed, and with it the culmination of years of preparations, a story that we at Smoke tell in each issue of the magazine through the eyes of those myriad workers responsible for crafting fine cigars. The act of actually assembling a cigar in a Central American rolling gallery takes mere minutes; the real duration of a cigar's journey is the years of preparation it takes to ready tobacco leaf for that moment, and most of that time is spent…waiting. Even growing tobacco, from seedling to a mature plant whose leaves are ready for harvest, is relatively quick - as little as 60 days in the sun-drenched fields. Farmers and the small army of workers involved in planting, tending, harvesting, curing, packing, ferementing, sorting, classifying, and preping leaf constitute the behind-the-scenes hands that bring the master blender's vision of a rewarding cigar from theory into reality. So when you lift a cigar from its box and scrutinize its looks - admiring its perfectly even color and delicate, supple feel, or noting its rugged, hearty exterior - and breath in its refined aroma, it's hard not to imagine the long journey the cigar has taken to reach your hands…to be transported through the pages of our magazine to the fields, barns, and aging rooms where the cigar in your hand came from. With so many choices available, so many different varieties of tobacco in use (and new ones always emerging), so many individual techniques imparted by the legion of talented cigar makers out there, it's little wonder that cigar fans are so passionate and voracious in their pursuit of knowledge and in their efforts to try the latest new smokes. And that's where our ever-changing panel of reviewers lends you an invaluable hand, dedicating their spare time to previewing dozens and dozens of cigars you might not otherwise have time to try. Whether it's mild or strong, simple or complex, we've selected a cross-section of cigars from America's walk-in humidors for our latest panelists to scrutinize. Top performers this time included the little firecracker Murcielago Rothschild (95) from Espinosa y Ortego, Room 101's 702 (95) from Camacho Cigars, Zino Embassy Selection Perfecto (93), Perdomo Grand Cru Grand Epicure (94), and Drew Estate's Liga Privada T52 Toro (93). Happy reading, and happy smoking! Enditem