Wednesday, April 02 2008
By GRETA CUYLER
Union Leader (Manchester, NH)
HOOKSETT – The famous 7-20-4 cigar is poised for a comeback.
Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop in Londonderry and Hooksett, is tweaking his secret recipe to mimic the taste of R.G. Sullivan's famed Manchester stogie. He plans to unveil the final 7-20-4 cigar within a year.
"I always compare (blending tobaccos) to grapes: There's all different types of growing climates that produce different tasting products," Kendall said. "I'm going for a rich, full-bodied cigar, but I want it to be very smooth."
The United States' longstanding trade embargo with Cuba makes it impossible to use the original Havana filler, so Kendall has partnered with manufacturers in Honduras and Nicaragua to blend his perfect product, aging and fermenting the tobacco, then rolling the cigars before aging them again in Spanish cedar boxes for 120 days. That process melds the flavors together to "mellow it out a bit," Kendall said.
Customers in both of his stores have been trying his "secret reserve" for about three years, giving feedback on what makes the perfect-tasting cigar.
Story continues at unionleader.com...
