The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-21
NOT IN THE WRAPPER
BUT IN THE FILLER
w. M. Mayes Talks About
Selecting a Good Smoke
COLOR is NO INDEX
A Dark Cigar Is Not Necessarily
Heayy-Strength of Cigar Is
Determined by Quality
of the Filler
By JACK BETHEA

BY JACK BETHEA
Each year the holiday season is produce
tive of much more or less poor wit at the
expense of the woman member of the
household who selects Christmas gifts for
the masculine part of the family
There are two points upon which woman
is supposed to know nothing, and at
which fun is poked by the column. In
the matter of cigars and neckties woman
is credited with no knowledge whatever.
She invariably selects ties that can be
heard coming for several city blocks and
cigars that are combination of hemp,
cabbage and perique-that is according to
the jokesmth.
1t is unnecessary to argue the point of
neckties Having had some screamers
wisheSe-well. never mind, it was cigars
to which special reference was made.
As matter of fact the wit crackers are
as far off in this matter as they are on
mothers-in-law and other hoary stand
bys If one is to believe w. NJ Mayes,
one of the best known cigar men in Bir-
mngham, it is the exception rather than
the rule when man himself knows much
about the selection of a cigar.
81 suppose that I notice it more during
the holiday season when the rush is on"
said Mr.. Mayes, who is secretary of the
Burnett Cigar company, but it seems to
me that if 1 didn't know more about
cigars than many of the men who are in
veterate smokers I would certainly learn.
Time after time men who ought to know
better have told me that they select their
cigars from the color of the wrapper
Strong for His Size
Il was standing in one of our retail
stores the other day when pale anemic
looking young man came in and asked
the clerk for a cigar. He didn't know
what kind he wanted, so the clerk, as is
the CUSTOM spread several boxes of all
kinds before him. was amazed when
saw him select a cigar that was strong
enough to walk alone. Out of curiosity
spoke to him and found that he had Sc
lected the heavy cigar on account of its
light wrapper.
This is typical of many smokers AS
q matter of fact, the notion that light
colored cigar is necessarily mild or dark
one heavy is a delusion and a great one.
You cannot tell how a cigar will taste
by the color of its wrapper. The smoking
quality of a cigar its strength or mild
ness depends almost entirely on the quail
ity of the filler. which in turn depends
on the locality in which the leaf is raised,
the curing and the proper blending of the
different tobaccos.
"A cigarmaker is given a certain guam
tity of filler tobacco and pad of wrap
pers. Both filler and wrappers are as
nearly of one quality as possible. He
rolls them, a selector takes them and as
sorts them, by the shade of the wrap
mi int m nd ia rk
merely to be able to pack the boxes with
cigars having all the same color, and thus
get neat appearance and uniformity in
the box. Some of these cigars will be
called Maduro,' some 'Claro,' but the
filler is the same in all, and all are of
exactly the same tobacco except for the
color of the thin wrapper. We are talk
ing, of course. about cigars of one brand
and size.
Cigars are made up in many shapes
and the general rule Is the thinner cigars
are milder, and the thicker cigars heav-
ier though made of exactly the same
tobacco. If one shape does not just suit
your taste try another.
1.-THE lightest wrapper tobacco is either
of a naturally flimsy nature or the leaf
has been prematurely picked. In either
} case this light tobacco has no desirable
quality, and If cigars were made up of
this alone no one would care for them,
for they are apt to be bitter and acrid.
Dark Tobacco Mellower
'As a matter of fact, dark-cclored
leaves are usually more mellow and sweet
for they have ripened on the stalk, and
have been thoroughly cured before being
made up. In the tropics wrappers are
gathered in February and March, and
the crop must last through the IL months
until the next crop is harvested. The
} leaf Is stored in bales and cures and dark
ems each month until at the end of the
season the tobacco has a much better
flavor than at the beginning. 'Maduro' is
the Spanish word meaning mature or ripe
- a Maduro' or a 'Colorodo Maduro' CT
gar is one with ripe, well-cured wrap
per, and If the filler is not heavy to-
becco the cigar will burn better, taste
better and give much more satisfaction
without being heavy or strong.
ssTobacco men know this. They know
What they can raise better tobacco and
make better cigars by allowing the leaves
to ripen fully before picking them; then
the cigar will burn more evenly, the nico-
tine will disappear in combustion, and not
get in the smokers system. But the de-
mand for light colors induces many plant
ers to cut some Of their tobacco prema-
turely In order to get a large percentage
Of light wrappers.
Porto Ricans for instance. usually runs
a little dark when fully matured, but the
cigars are not strong; they are mellow
4 and full of flavor. and their combustion
us so perfect that the smoker gets prac-
tically no nicotine from them.
THE only way you can tell the strength
of a cigar is by smoking it. When you
want a mild cigar, you must depend on
the brand and size, not on the color. Find
your mild brands and shapes by smok-
ing tests; then stick to them regardless
Of COLOR