Sunday, October 26 2008
By Didier Houvenaghel
EDITORS NOTE: Allow me to introduce a new contributor to CigarAdvisor.com. Didier Houvenaghel. That's pronounced "hoov-en-A-gull," but for simplicity-sake, we'll just refer to him as "Didier." Didier is a Belgian agricultural engineer who spent many years in Cuba studying tropical crops, specializing in black tobacco. His extensive research and knowledge of the tobacco growing and curing process led him to create Nicarao, his own brand of Nicaraguan puro cigars made today with Rocky Patel. Didier is also the author of the book, The Cigar: From Soil to Soul.
When Didier asked me to suggest a topic for his first column, I recommended covering something I'm asked about most often, which is whether or not to keep the cellophane wrappers on cigars in your humidor. What follows is more than just a simple answer. With his scientific eye for facts, Didier delves into the "how" and "why" behind using cellophane to protect cigars.
- G.K.
Let's begin by answering the question, "What is cellophane?" Cellophane results as a natural transparent sheet generated by a chemical and physical treatment of a viscous solution of wood or cotton cellulose (the carbohydrate constituents of plant cells). It's used to wrap cigars because the membrane's porosity allows gaseous exchanges between the cigar and its environment; and its solidity confers a solid protection.
The use of cello from the perspective of the cigar industry can be understood by looking at the following areas:
Production – Even if the passionate eye can barely discern the beauty of a lush wrapper leaf through this protective membrane, some manufacturers see the cello as essential protection for their cigars from the hands of the rollers to the aficionados. Dressing a cigar in cellophane reduces the detrimental impacts of various distribution adversities such as transport shocks, humidity or temperature changes. Moreover, the cello can be an effective tool for bar-coding.
Retail – One of the novice's very first perceptions of a cigar's quality is tactile. Often times, many aficionados will not consider purchasing the cigar before touching it, and choose to evaluate its rolling quality before making their decision. Unfortunately, not all novices know Jose Marti's maxim, "The cigar, you should treat it as if it was a delicate Lady." So, an unprotected cigar can be quickly damaged by a careless consumer. To avoid this, the use of cello as protection makes the most sense. Also, if not physically damaging to the wrapper, dirty or soapy hands can negatively affect the aroma of the leaf. It is also worth mentioning that in the rare case of tobacco beetle infection, though the Lasioderma can drill through the natural outer wrapper's membrane, the cellophane can keep them contained.
The Consumer – You can say that a "relationship" is developed between cigar smokers and their cigars. The cigar is admired, touched, smelled, and finally put against the lips to be tasted. As this relationship can be very intimate and sensual, cigar smokers do not want to taste cigars that have been touched! The cello can be considered hygienic protection against "the uninvited unknown" that could have potentially violated the "virginity" of the yet-to-be-tasted cigar. Additionally, depending on the conditions while handling or traveling with cigars before they're smoked, cellophane helps keep them in good condition for at least a couple of hours or more.
Home Aging – Since tobacco undergoes slow fermentation, aging is more effective when the tobacco mass is greater. In other words, the more cigars in the humidor, the better the aging process will be. So, knowing that any membrane – even if porous – is a barrier to chemical exchanges, the cello actually reduces this highly desirable and beneficial phenomenon.
For that matter, if you want to limit the transfer of dominant aromas between adjacent cigars in the humidor, the cello can be seen as a positive barrier. If the objective is aging cigars individually for a long period, some consider the cello to be a good option because the aromas maintained are more confined around the cigar. However, in cases where a number of cigars are conserved together in optimal conditions – as in aging an entire box – having the cigars "naked" is probably better for the aging process.
So in conclusion, yes, the cellophane protects your cigars against the adversities of distribution and handling, even if it visually curtains the beauty of the wrapper. But when aging cigars ideally in your humidor, the dynamic of the process is reduced when the cigars are maintained in cellophane.
Whether cello is optimal or not on your cigars really depends on what you have and want: the type of cigars, their number, their homogeneity, and your conservation goal and timeframe. The best answer is to develop your own experience. Take similar cigars with and without cello, age them separately for some time, and then taste the difference! £
