Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-27

the grain running the same way, the trade
term is "veins up" and means that every
separate portion of leaf is laid with the
parts nearest the stalk at the head or mouth
piece of the cigar. This is to insure good
burning qualities, and may be easily demon
strated by holding a tobacco leaf in the
fingers by the point and lighting the stalk
end. The leaf will shoulder unevenly, and
up one side, but if the leaf be held by the
stalk and the point lit, it will shoulder
evenly upward; and this is where the great
art of the Cuban workman comes in. The
other point is that no piece goes into the
cigar which is twisted or bent back, SO as to
form a "key" and so spoil cigar which
may be of the very finest leaf, and make it
smoke badly, totally changing the flavor
and aroma. When the filler is booked"
and formed, the wrapper is put on, and the
| cigar is made complete.
WE LIKE THE POORER TOBACCO.
The leaf of the Vuelta Abajo district is
much more valuable than the leaf of the
| Partido district and by experts and con-
noisseurs the former is without possibility
| OF dispute conceded the palm for favor and
aroma;yet fully 20 per cent of the cigars i'm
ported into the United States are made of
Partido tobacco, and the national taste is
undoubtedly for it. This is the more curl
GUS, as in buying cigars at retail it simply
means that the bulk of our smokers pay the
same price for the second grade of Havana
| tobacco as they would if they bought the
| first grade, the price of Partido cigars in
Cuba being only little more than half that
| charged for the same sized cigar from a fine
Vuelta factory. The fine Vuelta cigars have
a much larger sale in Europe than they
have in the United States, and some of the
| special sizes sent to Russia command price
of 81, 900 per thousand in Havana; these, if
| shipped to this country, would retail at the
| fabulous price OF 81 25 or 81 so for each
cigar
Among the curious points not generally
known regarding the Vuelta Leaf is the
peculiar fact that it is the only tobacco in
the world, as far as is known, of which
cigar can be lit, allowed 10 60 out, remain
so for several hours and then be relit with
no perceptible loss OF fragrance or added
rankness OF favor. 1t has been repeatedly
asserted that this Is the case with any fine
cigar, but this is an error, neither Partido,
Rem edios, Yara, Manila nor our domestic
leaf can be lit a second time without suffer-
ing decrease of quality, and an obnoxious
increase of flavor, which, to say the least OF
it, is not pleasant. The reason for this is to
be found in the composition of the leaf The
Vuelta is dryer, duller looking Leaf, as
rule, and the Partido a brighter, glossier
leaf, and more elastic, these qualities
making it more attractive to the eye, and
are due to an increased proportion of gummy
matter and juice.
ONE DRY, THE OTHER DAMP.
Consequently the Vuelta cigar burns dry
and the Partido or other grades burn moist,
and SO partially sweat or ferment the to-
bacco as the hot, dry air passes through the
ash, and absorbing this moisture, passes
through the cigar to the mouth, depositing
the excess of moisture, or a portion OF it,
it goes. This, laying in the half-consumed
cigar, naturally does not smell very sweet
when the partially dampened filler Is re-
lighted. To this question of gummy matter
is due the fact that while Vuelta cigars kept
in medium temperature will improve up
to four or five years old, the Partido cigars
deteriorate after about 16 or IS months, and
this peculiarly is more marked IN cigars
made of Mexican tobacco than any other.
1t is also the reason why less tobacco is
used in thousand OF Partido goods than in
the corresponding size of Vueltas, for if
both were packed close as the Vueltas, the
Partido would not permit the passage of
smoke after a third of the cigar was smoked.
The taste for one style or make of cigar is
due in a great measure to early associations.
The youth who learns to smoke with fine
Vuelts goods may for time, through ignor-
ance, stray among other varieties, but he
will generally come back to them and ap-
preciate them. Ii he starts with domestic
goods he will always prefer them, and decry
the Havana leaf as too strong, which he
means to express as too heavy, and will long
for the metallic taste of the interior Suma-
ira as earnestly as the Englishman does for
the coppery taste of his native oyster. This
may be smiled at as a theory, but there is a
good deal of sound, practical fact, and scores
OF dealers have wealthy customers, men who
have made their money by hard work, who,
capable of afording the most expensive
cigars purchase and infinitely prefer the
"5-center" of their youth.
A cAPRIcIoUs MISTRESS.
If man really appreciates fine Vuelta
cigar he serves 8 capricious mistress, he
must smoke it in the house. and give it his
full attention to ensure the full bouquet and
richness of flavor, and even then slight dys-
pepsia, a deranged liver, or the smell of
burning cigarette is sufficient to take all
flavor away, in the opinion of various ex-
perts The Partido or domestic leaf cigar
smoker, can smoke all day, indoors and out
doors, he can write or read. or occupy HIM
self as he pleases, even to using box of
matches to keep one cigar alight, and still
find no abatement OF enjoyment, or diminu-
ton of favor, in his opinion. As matter
of fact, there is nc loubt that the smoker of
high grade of domestic leaf cigars finds in
fnitely more comfort, and more regularity
in quality than the smoker of fine Hayanas,
domestic or imported.
So good cigar" may be either made of
domestic Pennsylvania Leaf, or of fine i'm
ported Vuelts Abago, it is simply differ
ence in taste, butt is the difference be-
tween fine Burgundy and sound beer.
One great trouble is that so many smokers
do not know what they wanti They ask for
Havana cigars, and declare that they want
them, but as fact there are many of them
that do not want anything of the kind. 1
was in a store the other day when a we'll
known man came in and asked for box of
fine Havana cigars, saying price was no OBJ
ject so long as he was suited. The dealer
showed him Hsvanas at 25 cents each, and
Is cents each: Sumatra and Havana at 10
cents each, and finally good Havana filler,
with a Connecticut wrapper. This suited
him, he paid twice its value and was con-
tent. If the ordinary price had been asked
BY him he would have declared them poor,
and the dealer had no fine stock on hand.
This is an absolute fact, the man wanted a
sweet mild smoke, and he got it and was
suited.
THE LIGHT-CoLoRED CIGARS.
Another great mistake has been rampant
in the craze for light-colored cigars, now
nearly past or at all events visibly on the
wane. The light wrapper was no criterion
OF the color of the filler, and a light wrapper
on q dark filler simply destroyed the even
run of the leaf throughout, which is the one
essential of fine cigar. The light leaf was