Yvonne Mutava
Smokers who
have tasted Burma Valley cigars regard them as exceptional and Mr Edmondson, a Von
Eicken’s buyer noted at the start of the Cigar wrapper tobacco marketing
season.
Von Eicken,
a Germany company is making cigars from wrappers, binders and fillers from
Burma Valley thereby making them hundred percent Zimbabwean cigars.
The aim for
farmers is to produce wrappers, which is the most expensive component of the
cigar.
What fails to make it to the class of the wrapper becomes a binder or
a filler.
The wrapper determines
the quality, character and taste of a cigar and is considered to determine 60-
90% of the cigar’s overall flavor.
Consequently,
more attention should be put in monitoring the cigar wrapper tobacco crop.
In
previous seasons, Burma Valley farmers grew the cigar wrapper in direct
sunlight, the contracting company this season availed shade cloths underneath
which the premium cigar wrapper tobacco can be grown.
The difference
between wrappers that are grown beneath a shade and those grown in direct
sunlight is, cigar wrappers that are grown under a shade have a premium smooth
surface whilst those grown in direct sunlight are oily, often coarse and sweeter.
Cigar
wrapper tobacco leaves are harvested and aged using a process that combines use
of heat and shade to reduce sugar and water content without causing the leaves
to rot.
The first
part of the process, called curing, takes between 25- 45 days and varies
substantially.
It is also based on climatic conditions as well as the construction of shades
or barns used to store harvested tobacco.
The curing
process is manipulated based upon the type of tobacco, and the desired color of
the leaf.
The second
part of the process, called fermentation is carried out under conditions designed
to help the leaf dry slowly.
Temperature
and humidity are controlled to ensure that the leaf continues to ferment,
without rotting or disintegrating.
Cigar
wrappers are fermented separately from other rougher cigar components, with a
view to produce a thinly- veined smooth supple leaf.
The flavor,
dark burnt color and aroma characteristics are primarily assigned on the leaf
at this stage.
Once the
leaves have aged properly, they are sorted for use as wrapper, binder or filler
based upon their appearance and overall quality.
Binders
normally come from the bottom part of the plant where leaves are thicker, have
more strength and less flavor hence they are used to keep the filler together.
While they
are the lowest grade of tobacco within a cigar, the binders can be blended to bring about flavor, complexity and strength to the cigar.
Fillers can
be from any part of the plant as the top parts of the plant have great aroma and flavor while bottom parts have the best burning properties hence the need to
blend to achieve desired taste and optimum burning qualities.
During the
fermentation process, leaves are continually moistened and handled carefully to
ensure each leaf is best used accordingly to its individual qualities.
The leaf
will continue to be baled, inspected, un-baled, re-inspected, and baled again
repeatedly as it continues the aging cycle.
This process
can take up to eight months before the leaf is considered mature and meets the
manufacturer’s specifications for use in cigar production.
It is the
third season now since Zimbabwe had ventured into growing cigar wrapper tobacco
replacing burley tobacco which had ceased its operations in 2011.
It is very overwhelming to note that Zimbabwe
has become the third African country after Cameroon and Kenya to produce the
high valued crop.
The first
and second season were a pilot project where few hectares were grown as part of
the experiment.
This season
20 hectares of cigar wrapper have been grown as well as three hectares of
burley and the first bale of the sale was sold for $6 per kg.
Burma Valley
was chosen for the pilot owing to its lucid climatic conditions, which are suitable
for the growth of cigar tobacco.
For additional Information contact
TIMB on telephone numbers 08677004624/6 or 0772145166/9 or 0279-22082/21982 or
025-3439 or 067-24268/29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free
Numbers 08006003 / 0731999999 / 0712832804 or WhatsApp 0731999999 or E-mail:
info@timb.co.zw
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