Minas Agadzhanyan

Курительная трубка: бывает разных форм из разных материалов включая кукурузу. Но самые лучшие трубки делают из бриара. Это корень древовидного кустарника растущего во многих странах мира. Он очень жаростойкий и идеально подходит для хорошей курительной трубки. Так же трубки делают из груши. вишни и даже морской пенки.

Аксессуары для трубки: есть много всяких гаджетов для поддержания трубки в хорошем состоянии. Основные топталка или тампер — служит для трамбовки табака, скребок — для удаления нагара с трубки, игла — для прочистки канала от мусора. Часто в продаже можно встретить эти инструменты в виде мультитула 3 в 1.

Приспособления для чистки трубки: для этого используют ёршики разной длины, чтобы можно было очистить канал от смол и мусора. Бывают мягкие и абразивные и разной формы. Так же есть специальные жидкости для очистки нагара и смол, пасты для полировки трубки.

Трубочные зажигалки: есть специальные трубочные зажигалки у которых пламя горит вбок. Бывают газовые и бензиновые. Но бензиновые могут испортить вкус табака, поэтому не рекомендовано их использовать.

Табак для трубки: на данный момент огромное количество сортов, разновидностей, нарезок. Чтобы понять какой вам подходит, нужно пробовать и пробовать много разных вариантов.

Есть несколько шагов, чтобы курить трубку, как профи. Рассмотрим их ниже.

Забиваем чашу правильно. Это сложнее всего освоить, так как правильная забивка влияет на весь процесс курения трубки. Слегка наполните чашу табаком и слегка надавите тампером. На этом этапе чаша должна быть заполнена наполовину снизу. Снова наполните чашу доверху и еще немного надавите, на этот раз плотнее. К настоящему времени ваша чаша должна быть заполнена примерно на три четверти. Теперь добавьте в чашу еще табака и надавите. Между верхней частью чаши и утрамбованным табаком должно быть небольшое пространство.

Тестовая затяжка. Поднесите трубку ко рту и попробуйте затянуться, если получается легко, то вы справились. Если тяга тяжелая, высыпайте табак и начинайте сначала.

Поджигаем. Не используйте спички, так как сера может испортить вкус табака. Лучше всего газовую зажигалку или лучину. Поджигаете табак равномерно и слегка затягиваетесь, не нужно делать это сильно, так как можно сжечь табак. Сначала табак может погаснуть достаточно быстро и это нормально. Подожгите снова и наслаждайтесь, контролируйте тягу. Курение трубки не подразумевает зятяжку в себя.

Если вы слышите булькающий звук, значит в канале трубки слишком много влаги. Чтобы исправить это, возьмите ёршик и вставьте с торца чаши предварительно открутив мундштук на короткое время, чтобы удалить влагу. По возможности старайтесь, чтобы во рту было как можно суше, чтобы этого не происходило.

Если трубка в руке становится слишком горячей, дайте ей погаснуть и снова зажгите, так как чрезмерное горение может изменить вкус табака.

Сигара бывает легкой, средней или крепкой и не имеет ничего общего со вкусом или ароматом, а просто связана с количеством никотина. Вы неизбежно делаете выбор между этими тремя крепостями, которые сделают курение сигары приятным или отвратительным. Обстановка и настроение также могут диктовать, какая крепость сигары лучше всего подойдет в данный момент. И так, как выбрать правильную крепость?

Легкими сигарами можно наслаждаться в начале дня или с освежающими напитками и легкой едой. Такие сигары так же часто сочетаются с закусками.

Сигары средней крепости ни в коем случае не походят для новичков, так как могут оттолкнуть от желания пробовать их дальше и вливаться в эту культуру.

Крепкие сигары так же подходят курильщикам со стажем, их лучше всего курить после еды, желательно жирной. так она не будет вас раздражать и вы сможете насладиться каждой ее нотой.

Выбор сигары на основе уровня крепости не означает, что вы курильщик фальшивый или профи. Многие профи могут задирать новичков тем, что они не способны выкурить по настоящему крепкую сигару и ничего не понимают в этом. Хотя сами едва полностью могут осилить по настоящему полнотелую сигару до конца.

Если сравнить крепость сигар с киногероями наверное получиться так:

Легкие это Наполеон Динамит. Этот герой часто и много говорит о своих навыках стрельбы из лука и желании стать ниндзя, но самом деле в глубине души он добрый парень.

Средние это Джеймс Бонд. Он не супер сильный парень, но отлично справляется с работой, используя свою голову вместе с огромной коллекцией гаджетов.

Крепкие это Танос. Он в первую очередь озабочен только силой и разрушением и у него нет времени для слабых.

Крепость сигары не влияет на цену

Цена определяется не столько крепостью, сколько типом используемого табака и тем, насколько сложно его производить. Крепость сигары очень мало связана с ценой, редкий табак или сложная форма могут увеличить стоимость больше всего. Большинство производителей сигар стараются предложить в своем портфолио все три крепости. Это увеличивает привлекательность их брендов и позволяет им привлечь больше курильщиков к определенной марке. При этом есть несколько производителей, которые славятся тем, что делают в основном крепкие сигары, Padron - одна из этих компаний.

Означает ли, что любовь к крепкому кофе автоматом делает вас любителем крепких сигар или слабость к текиле бланко любителем легких сигар. Нет, нет и снова нет. Начинать нужно с легких сигар и далее переходить к более крепким, только с опытом вы поймете, что подходит именно вам. Пробуйте разные сигары, разной крепости, разного ценового диапазона и разных стран.

Предшественник сигары в том виде, в котором мы ее знаем, вероятно, зародился в древней культуре Майя. На горшке, найденном в 10 веке, изображен майянский мужчина, курящий табак, завернутый в пальмовые или подорожниковые листья. На самом деле, само слово "сигара" происходит от майянского слова "sikar", которое переводится как "курить свернутые листья табака".

Сам табак был широко распространен по всей Америке, особенно среди народов, которые называли своим домом острова Карибского бассейна. Сигары были популярны, а курение трубки также использовалось многими в повседневной жизни и во время религиозных церемоний. Хотя табак был популярен среди коренных жителей, для его распространения по всему миру потребовалось прибытие европейских исследователей.

Из всех исследователей Христофор Колумб чаще всего упоминается как первоисточник табака, привезенного в Европу. Именно во время путешествия в 1492 году на остров Испаньола (который позже станет Гаити и Доминиканской Республикой) члены команды Колумба впервые познакомились с курением табачных листьев, а в гостях у таинос на Кубе они увидели первый примитивный вариант сигары. Подобно тому, как, по предположениям, наслаждались этим растением индейцы майя, аборигены Кубы заворачивали скрученные высушенные листья табака в листья пальмы или подорожника.

Прошло немного времени, прежде чем эта практика прижилась среди испанских, а затем и английских моряков, посетивших Новый Свет. В частности, известно, что конкистадоры быстро переняли эту привычку. Учитывая такую популярность, прошло совсем немного времени, прежде чем эти примитивные сигары распространились по всей Португалии и Испании, а оттуда перешли во Францию, Италию и Великобританию. Менее чем через 50 лет после плавания Колумба курение табака стало обычным делом во всей Европе.

Учитывая его популярность среди всех социальных слоев, испанцы от всего сердца взялись за выращивание этой товарной культуры в Карибском бассейне к 1531 году и в Северной Америке к 1542 году. Хотя некоторые, такие как испанский король Филипп II и английский король Яков I, осуждали табак как источник зла, это не помешало его дальнейшему производству и потреблению в Европе. Отсюда распространение табака пошло из европейских портов в остальные страны мира, особенно в Россию, Турцию и Китай.

Несмотря на это, только в XVIII веке курение сигар стало по-настоящему популярным, особенно в зарождающихся Соединенных Штатах после завершения Американской революции. Эта практика стала настолько популярной, что возникла мощная инфраструктура для их производства и потребления, в результате чего многие люди были заняты в их производстве, прежде чем процесс стал более автоматизированным.

Во время беспорядков Десятилетней войны производство в Соединенных Штатах действительно перешло на новый уровень после перемещения нескольких мануфактур из Гаваны, Куба, в Ки-Уэст, Флорида, и Тампу, Флорида. В результате перемещений в эти районы, туда иммигрировали тысячи кубинских и испанских производителей сигар. В 1929 году, во время своего расцвета, в этом районе США было произведено более 500 000 000 сигар.

Хотя история курения сигар очень древняя, попытки полностью запретить курение были почти такими же долгими. Первый зафиксированный запрет на курение произошел в Мексике в 1575 году, когда Римско-католическая церковь запретила курение любого табака в любой церкви. Другие страны не были столь снисходительны. Россия запрещала табак в течение 70 лет, начиная с 1627 года, а Османская империя пошла на несколько шагов дальше при султане Мураде IV, который не только запретил эту практику, но даже казнил курильщиков. В середине 1700-х годов отдельные города также объявили эту практику вне закона.

Интересно, что нацисты проводили широкую кампанию по борьбе с курением в течение всего времени, пока их режим находился у власти в Европе. На основании выводов Института по изучению опасности табака, который был создан в 1941 году по приказу Адольфа Гитлера, курение было полностью запрещено во всех университетах, почтовых отделениях, военных госпиталях и офисах нацистской партии.

Самая интересная история, на которую можно наткнуться, исследуя эту тему, касается президента Джона Ф. Кеннеди. Известный курильщик сигар, когда в 1962 году было принято решение о введении торгового эмбарго на Кубу, президент откладывал подписание документов до тех пор, пока его руководитель пресс-службы, некто Пьер Сэлинджер, не собрался подарить ему 1000 сигар Petit Upmann. Произведенные на Кубе, после вступления в силу эмбарго президент не смог бы приобрести свою любимую марку. К радости Кеннеди, его руководитель пресс-службы смог приобрести почти 1200 кубинских сигар к установленному сроку.

В течение десятилетий после Второй мировой войны предпринимались все большие усилия по ограничению курения. Кроме того, с 1990-х годов возникла жесткая конкуренция между производителями элитных сигар ручной работы и крупными компаниями, создающими сигары машинного производства. В то время как потребление табака в целом снижается из-за его воздействия на здоровье, среди тех, кто все еще курит, наблюдается рост курения сигар и трубок. Время покажет, каким будет будущее этого давнего занятия в будущем.

History of Tobacco

Tobacco and tobacco-related products have a long history that stretches back to 6,000 BC. The plant today known as tobacco, or Nicotiana tabacum, is a member of the nicotiana genus – a close relative to the poisonous nightshade and could previously only be found in the Americas.

tobacco history - columbus and native americansIn 1492, Columbus was warmly greeted by the Native American tribes he encountered when he first set foot on the new continent. They brought gifts of fruit, food, spears, and more and among those gifts were dried up leaves of the tobacco plant. As they were not edible and had a distinct smell to them, those leaves, which the Native Americans have been smoking for over 2 millennia for medicinal and religious purposes, were thrown overboard.

However, Columbus soon realized that dried tobacco leaves are a prized possession among the natives, as they bartered with them and often bestowed them as a gift.

Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres are the first Europeans to observe smoking. It was on Cuba and Jerez becomes a staunch smoker, bringing the habit back with him to Spain.

History of Tobacco in Europe

Jerez’s neighbors were so petrified of the smoke coming out of his mouth and nose that he was soon arrested by the Holy Inquisition and held in captivity for nearly 7 years. However, thanks to a lot of seafarers at the time, smoking became an entrenched habit in both Spain and Portugal before long.

In the 15th century, Portuguese sailors were planting tobacco around nearly all of their trading outposts, enough for personal use and gifts. By mid-century they started growing tobacco commercially in Brazil – it was soon a sought-after commodity and traded across the ports in Europe and the Americas.

By the end of the 16th century, tobacco plant and use of tobacco were both introduced to virtually every single country in Europe. Tobacco was snuffed or smoked, depending on the preference and doctors claimed that it had medicinal properties. Some, such as Nicolas Monardes in 1571, went as far as to write a book to outline 36 specific ailments that tobacco could supposedly cure.

History of Tobacco in America

Tobacco products gained a strong foothold in the US somewhere around the Revolutionary War. War and tobacco go hand in hand as you will soon see and in 1776 it was used by the revolutionaries as collateral for the loans they were getting from France.

1847 was the year when Philip Morris was established in the UK. They were the first to start selling hand-rolled Turkish cigarettes but the practice was soon picked up by J.E. Liggett and Brother, an American company established in St. Louis in 1849. Even though chewing tobacco was the most popular form of tobacco in the 19th century (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was founded in 1875 and produced chewing tobacco, exclusively) cigarettes were slowly taking sway.

Cigarettes truly came into popularity after the invention of the cigarette-making machine by James Bonsack in 1881. He went into business James ‘Buck’ Duke and the American Tobacco Company was born. The ATC survives today as a part of British American Tobacco, a global company with reported revenues of 13, 104 billion in 2015.

Proliferation of Cigarettes

Cigarettes came to the height of their popularity during the First and the Second World War. Tobacco companies sent millions of packs of cigarettes to soldiers on the front lines, creating hundreds of thousands of faithful and addicted consumers in the process. Cigarettes were even included into soldiers’ C-rations – which contained mostly food and supplements, along with cigarettes.

The 1920s were also the period when tobacco companies started marketing heavily to women, creating brands such as ‘Mild as May’ to try to feminize the habit and make it more appealing to women. The number of female smokers in the United States tripled by 1935.

Smoking Hazards

Dangers associated with nicotine are nothing new. Ever since people started smoking, there were those far-sighted enough to suggest that the habit is dangerous and addictive. In the early 17th century a Chinese philosopher Fang Yizhi pointed out the dangers of smoking, noting that it caused ‘scorched lungs’. Sir Francis Bacon noticed that there was something very addictive about tobacco way back in 1610, saying that it’s a tough habit to kick – people back then did not know about the addictive nature of nicotine or that nicotine was even a component of tobacco.

In Great Britain, snuff users were warned about dangers of nose cancer as early as 1761 while German doctors started warning pipe smokers about the possibility of developing lip cancer in 1795. In the 1930s, American doctors started linking tobacco use to lung cancer and General Surgeon’s report from 1964 definitely states that smoking causes lung cancer in men.

Tobacco Today

Tobacco and tobacco products are more regulated today. Companies have lost countless lawsuits and are now forced to clearly label their products as having a detrimental effect on the health of a person. Also, tobacco advertising is severely limited and regulated.

Still, tobacco companies make billions of dollars in revenue every year, destroying the health of others. It’s estimated that there are around 1 billion tobacco users in the world today. The damage caused by this addiction and its peddlers numbers in trillions of dollars of health expenses and environmental damages and more effort has to be made to educate people, especially teenagers and young adults, about the dangers of smoking.

History of Tobacco Timeline

Here is a brief glimpse into tobacco history and events.

6,000 BC – Native Americans first start cultivating the tobacco plant.

Circa 1 BC – Indigenous American tribes start smoking tobacco in religious ceremonies and for medicinal purposes.

1492 – Christopher Columbus first encounters dried tobacco leaves. They were given to him as a gift by the American Indians.

1492 – Tobacco plant and smoking introduced to Europeans.

1531 – Europeans start cultivation of the tobacco plant in Central America.

1558 – First attempt at tobacco cultivation in Europe fail.

1571 – European doctors start publishing works on healthy properties of the tobacco plant, claiming it can cure a myriad of diseases, from toothache to lockjaw and cancer.

1600 – Tobacco used as cash-crop – a monetary standard that lasts twice as long as the gold standard.

1602 – King James I condemns tobacco in his treatise A Counterblast to Tobacco.

1614 – Tobacco shops open across Britain, selling the Virginia blend tobacco.

1624 – Popes ban use of tobacco in holy places, considering sneezing (snuff) too close to sexual pleasures.

1633 – Turkey introduces a death penalty for smoking but it doesn’t stay in effect for long and is lifted in 1647.

1650 – Tobacco arrives in Africa – European settlers grow it and use it as a currency.

1700 – African slaves are first forced to work on tobacco plantations, years before they become a workforce in the cotton fields.

1730 – First American tobacco companies open their doors in Virginia.

1753 – Tobacco genus named by a Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus – nicotiana rustica and nicotiana tabacum named for the first time.

1791 – British doctors find that snuff leads to increased risk of nose cancer.

1794 – First American tobacco tax.

1826 – Nicotine isolated for the first time.

1847 – Philip Morris opens their first shop in Great Britain, selling hand-rolled Turkish cigarettes.

1961 – First American cigarette factory produces 20 million cigarettes.

1880 – Bonsack develops the first cigarette-rolling machine.

1890 – American Tobacco Company opens its doors.

1990 – 4 billion cigarettes are sold this year and manufacture is on the rise.

1902 – Philip Morris starts selling cigarettes in the US – one of the brands offered is Marlboro.

1912 – First reported connection between smoking and lung cancer.

1918 – An entire generation of young men returns from war addicted to cigarettes.

1924 – Over 70 billion of cigarettes are sold in the US.

1925 – Philip Morris starts marketing to women, tripling the number of female smokers in just 10 years.

1947 – Lorillard chemist admits that there is enough evidence that smoking can cause cancer.

1950 – 50% of a cigarette now consists of the cigarette filter tip.

1967 – Surgeon General definitively links smoking to lung cancer and presents evidence that it is causing heart problems.

1970 – Tobacco manufacturers legally obliged to print a warning on the labels that smoking is a health hazard.

1970 – 1990 – Tobacco companies faced with a series of lawsuits. Courts limit their advertising and marketing.

1992 – Nicotine patch is introduced – in the following years more cessation products will start being developed.

1996 – Researchers find conclusive evidence that tobacco damages a cancer-suppressor gene.

1997 – Liggett Tobacco Company issues a statement acknowledging that tobacco causes cancer and carries a considerable health risk.

1997 – Tobacco companies slammed with major lawsuits – ordered to spend billions of dollar on anti-smoking campaigns over the next 25 years predominantly focused on educating the young on dangers of smoking.

1997 – For the first time in history a tobacco company CEO admits on trial that cigarettes and related tobacco products cause cancer. His name was Bennett Lebow.

1990 – 2000 – Bans on public smoking come into effect in most states in America, as well as in other countries in the world.

La Aurora History

Oct 3rd, 1903

Eduardo León Jimenes founded La Aurora Cigars

18 year-olded Eduardo León Jimenes founded La Aurora cigar factory in Don Pedro, Guazumal community in the province of Santiago de los Caballeros, with a small investment. The dream of creating a handmade cigar brand with global dimension begins. Those first cigars were “Perfecto” format, the doble figurado that even today are produced in a very limited way, only 100 units daily by craftsman. La Aurora is the seed of the Dominican Republic largest business group, the E. León Jimenes Group.

1912

The factory moves to Santiago de los Caballeros

La Aurora factory moved to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, what gave a new impulse to the business. La Aurora started to stand out from most cigar factories that, in those years, still worked in the city. Workload increased due to high quality of the cigars, that made a higher demand of them.

1914

First cigars with ring

La Aurora places the first rings to the cigars, made on red and golden, with a central allegory of the Spanish coat of arms.

April 2nd, 1922

Francisco Fernando Arturo León Asensio

Francisco Fernando Arturo Leon Asensio is born in Santiago de los Caballeros. He’ll be the man to be in charge of la Aurora for almost half a century. Fernando León Asensio will become a legend in the Dominican tobacco culture: his passion, his knowledge and his nearness made him earn the respect and admiration of all the tobacco growers in Cibao Valley.

1926

The lying lion

The lying lion first appears in La Aurora rings with the words E.LEON (Eduardo León, founder of the company) in gold on a red background. This lion will become the true symbol of the brand and of the whole group.

1930

E.León Jimenes C. por A

Aurora turns into E.León Jimenes C. por A. (Shares Company) with a registered capital of 100,000 golden Dominican Pesos, divided into one thousand shares of 100 golden pesos each that have always to be nominative. Eduardo León Jimenes becomes president of the Board and his brother, Herminio, vice-president.

September 29th, 1937

Eduardo León Jimenes dies

Eduardo León Jimenes dies at 52 due to a heart disease. His brother, Herminio, takes over the company. Don Eduardo leaves seven children from his marriage with Maria Asensio: Maria Rosa, Eduardo, Fernando, Carmen, Guillermo, Clara and José. Eduardo León Asensio, 18, and especially Fernando León Asensio, 15, will be helping his uncle carry on with the business.

1940

Eduardo León Jimenes dies

Eduardo León Jimenes dies at 52 due to a heart disease. His brother, Herminio, takes over the company. Don Eduardo leaves seven children from his marriage with Maria Asensio: Maria Rosa, Eduardo, Fernando, Carmen, Guillermo, Clara and José. Eduardo León Asensio, 18, and especially Fernando León Asensio, 15, will be helping his uncle carry on with the business.

Fiftie’s

Eduardo, Fernando, Guillermo and José León Asensio, sons Eduardo León Jimenes, had to make an extra effort to overcome all difficulties and barriers imposed by the dictatorship of Trujillo. The Dominican tyrant tried anyway to take control over the entire Dominican tobacco industry, harassing the companies with sudden laws and new taxes that avoid their development.

July, 1st, 1951

Herminio León Jimenes dies

Herminio León Jimenes dies at 65 (25th of april 1886 – 1st of july 1951).

1957

Sindicato de Trabajadores de E.León JImenes, C. por A.

The search for new technologies and machinery for the production of cigarettes, took the León brothers to make a decision that can be considered very modern for its time and a major contribution of La Aurora to the relations between employee and employer: in August 28th, they led to the creation of the first union with the name “union of Workers of E. León Jimenes, C. por A.,” which in November signed the first collective agreement that recognized the rights of the worker. With this agreement, the León brothers wanted to ensure their staff that machinery not only would not produce layoffs, to replace men by machines, but would benefit workers.

march 15th, 1960

Guillermo León Herbert born

Guillermo León Herbert is born in Santiago de los Caballeros. He is the current president of La Aurora and the third generation in his family to run the cigar business.

1960

Fernando León promotes the growing of Dominican leaf

Fernando León promotes the growing of Dominican leaf for wrapper in Sabana del Puerto, south of Santiago de los Caballeros, halfway to the capital. The project had to be discontinued two years later because of the horrible weather conditions, but the experience would be very useful for the future.

1963

The cigar exports to the world return

1963 is a key year for La Aurora. The factory moves to a new headquarters in Villa Progreso, on the outskirts of Santiago de los Caballeros, where they start producing cigarettes, but it is the date that cigar exports to the world resumes. The founder’s dream start to take shape again. This renewed impetus was conducted uniting the efforts of the family, with Eduardo León Asensio in charge of the company, the knowledge of Fernando León Asensio in the line of growing and harvesting tobacco and with younger brothers, Guillermo and José, assuming responsibilities in the family company.

1963, April 2nd

The new cigarette factory

Fernando León Asensio’s birthday, 41 years old, is the day chosen for the inauguration of the new cigarette factory with the presence of Juan Bosch, democratic president of Dominican Republic, who said: “The León Asensio brothers has made his workers shareholders of their new cigarette factory. This means that these are the new industrialists of Santiago also advanced in the modern concept of social justice”. From Villa Progreso factory are coming out to the local market brands of cigarettes lika La Aurora, Leones, Sublime, Perlas (pearls), Oro Negro (Black Gold), Premier (all of them with the lying lion logo) and, later, Apollo Club, Polar, Criollo, Royal, Nacional and finally, Marlboro.

1969

Group signs an agreement with Philip Morris Inc.

After long years of mutual support in the field of growing blond tobacco in Dominican Republic, E. León Jimenes Group signs an agreement with Philip Morris Inc. for the exclusive right to manufacture and sale Marlboro cigarettes in the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, E. León Jimenes were forced to a number of conditions are always fulfilled to the letter: protect the brand and product according to the specifications, rules and direction of Philip Morris. The agreement with the US tobacco giant remained until 2006.

1969

Guillermo León Herbert starts working in the León Jimenes Group

Guillermo León Herbert starts working for E. León Jimenes in logistics department, although he has been often taken to the tobacco fields by his father, Fernando León, since he was very young. His first professional steps in tobacco world were given in summers, when he used to work for the Group as an articled clerk to learn everything about all the premium cigars process. From that early time, Guillermo León has good memories of the familiar treatment that his father had with the growers and the respect that these had to him, at the same time.

February 14th, 1983

The opening of Bohemia Brewery

E. Leon Jimenes enters a new sector, the beer, with the opening of Bohemia Brewery, producer of Bohemia, a pilsener type brand; Löwenbräu, a German malt beer and, from January 1984, the international well known brand Heineken under license production.

1986

La Aurora and Presidente.

With the purchase of Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana, owner of beer President, Leon Jimenes Group becomes the absolute leader of the beer market in the country. Now there are three country brands that holds the group: La Aurora, Presidente and Nacional.

1987

León Jimenes

La Aurora brand renewal starts with the launching of a new brand of cigars, Leon Jimenes, tribute to the company founders, Eduardo León Jimenes and his brother Herminio León Jimenes. La Aurora is looking for the new smokers with a smoother blend, but with the famous Connecticut wrapper that now and on will be characteristic in this cigar.

1995

Guillermo León Herbert take the reins of La Aurora

Guillermo León Herbert assumes the leadership of La Aurora beside his father, Fernando León Asensio.

1997

La Aurora grows wrapper tobacco leaves in Sabana del Puerto

Another old project is resumed: La Aurora grows wrapper tobacco leaves in Sabana del Puerto, under Guillermo Leon Herbert direction. In addition to recovering the project that his father started in 1961, the idea is to get quality wrapper leaves, with quality aging, to launch an exceptional cigar to commemorate La Aurora centenary. The result could not be better: La Aurora 100 años, one hundred percent Dominican tobacco. The cigar was launched with the idea of being a limited edition but had to be incorporated into the regular portfolio because of the market demand.

2000

New Millennium

E. Leon Jimenes has diversified into other sectors such as banking and publishing, and now plays a major role in the Dominican art, culture and sports promotion and sponsorship. With the advent of the millennium, every industry inside the consortium were clustered in the same organizational structure, under the joint name of León Jimenes Group, whose chairman was José León Asensio. Guillermo León Herbert assumed the vice presidency of cigars.

Meanwhile, La Aurora cigars have already global dimension, with a presence in many markets. From this point, the portfolio is enlarged with the gradual incorporation of new cigar series in the search of new smokers: La Aurora Corojo, Leon Jimenes Prestige, La Aurora 1495 commemorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of Santiago de los Caballeros … the new releases will be well received by the market year after year.

2001

Taxes paid

Taxes paid by León Jimenes Group this year represented the 9.59% of the total duty incomes of the Dominican government, same quantity than 2000, when this figure was 9.58% of the total national income.

2003

Series 1903 and La Aurora 100 años

La Aurora Centenary year is celebrated with two new cigar series of superpremium cigars: Preferidos, serie 1903, the doble figurado that is the original La Aurora format since 1903: only one hundred sticks are produced per day; and La Aurora 100 años, an exceptional cigar launched as limited edition that had to be incorporated to the regular portfolio because of its demand.

2005

The 2004 best Dominican Cigar in the World

The prestigious US magazine, Cigar Aficionado, awards La Aurora 100 Años Belicoso the 2004 best Dominican Cigar in the World.

2007

La Aurora goes back

La Aurora goes back to the origin, moving all the operations to Guazumal. There, in the Free Zone of Tamboril is where the headquarters of the company are located today.

April, 29th, 2009

Fernando León Asensio dies

Fernando León Asensio dies at 87.

2010

La Aurora 107 series

Succesful releases go on: now is La Aurora 107 series, an stronger blend with new formats more adapted to the smokers demand; and Imperiales By Leon Jimenes, a value brand with a premium presentation.

2011

La Aurora capital and split the company off the rest of León Jimenes Group

Guillermo Leon Herbert buys 100% of the capital of La Aurora and separates the manufacture of premium cigars from the rest of León Jimenes Group. It is a return to the beginning: La Aurora, which has been the seed of the largest business group in the history of Dominican Republic, walk on his own again.

That same year, La Aurora signed an agreement with John Middleton, an Altria company, for the manufacture of Black & Mild. The agreement includes a commitment to La Aurora to scrupulously respect the quality standards of the largest tobacco company in the world, a challenge that few companies can afford.

2013

The 110th anniversary

Another important year for La Aurora as marks the beginning of the products diversify. To commemorate the 110th anniversary, rum La Aurora is launched. Is a super premium spirit with a production of only 3,000 bottles a year, all numbered. In the cigars side, a key range: Family Reserve.

2015

La Aurora Cigar World

In 2015, La Aurora opted for an innovative project that is unique in the world: La Aurora Cigar World. It’s a concept whose aim is to train real experts in premium cigars.

2016

With 113 years of history

With 113 years of history, La Aurora is a modern cigar factory with more than 1100 workers, that produce more than 1 billion sticks per year and has presence in 67 markets in the world today.

2017

Eleven years later, history repeats

Philip Morris has signed an important production agreement with La Aurora, in which it will start manufacturing Philip Morris cigarettes.

In 1989, Hansotia decided to resurrect a cigar brand rich in tradition and steeped in legend and history. Gurkha Cigars were created more than a century ago and were known for their meticulously and artisanally handcrafted cigars but when Hansotia revived the brand, there was no way he could have known that the cigar industry was about to experience a boom and he would have the perfect product to attract the new cigar consumer. In realizing that there were no super premium cigars, he created the association with elegance that cigars have become known for. In reviving Gurkha, Hansotia created cigars that were not a necessity, but rather a luxury and an indulgence.

Today, Gurkha makes cigars for all price points and all palettes but when it began Gurkha cigars were unlike other cigars in the market and that they came in highly ornate packaging and with a steep price tag. Hansotia felt that there was a market for more luxurious and exclusive cigars for those with tastes for only the finer and more elusive products. In focusing on this segment Hansotia created the ultra premium cigar category.

“Gurkha Has Over 105 Brands, But Is Still Considered A Boutique Cigar Manufacturer”

Gurkha has several brands that cater to every premium cigar smokers including the very elite. For many, Gurkha’s are seen as a status symbol and are synonymous with sumptuousness and exclusivity. However, a beautifully handcrafted and aromatic cigar can be enjoyed by anyone and embodies the pleasure and enjoyment of all good things found in life. For centuries, cigars have been associated with enjoyment and a celebratory lifestyle. Smoking a cigar is nothing short of a memorable experience. Experience Gurkha.

Herman Upmann was a German banker whose love for Habanos led him to settle in Havana in 1844 and found a bank and a Habanos factory in this city.

Over time, the bank closed, but his brand of cigars persists today as an example of the most refined Habanos medium strength flavour Habanos. The H. Upmann blend, with a light to medium strength, is obtained from leaves coming from the Vuelta Abajo * zone, in the Pinar del Río * region. All its vitolas are made “Totalmente a Mano con Tripa Larga “– Totally handmade with Long Filler.

The gold medals adorning the H. Upmann box were obtained in no less than eleven international fairs throughout the nineteenth century, as a reward for the brand’s quality and inimitable aroma.

In 2008, the Magnum 50 was presented, a vitola that forms a Linea of its own together with the Magnum 46. This Linea has a differentiated presentation within the brand.

The vitola Half Corona was presented in 2011, specially designed for those who want to enjoy the full flavour of the Habano in a short smoke, or those who want to get closer to the Habano through the aromatic and balanced flavour of H. Upmann .

H-Upmann Half Corona

The first Reserva of the brand was presented in 2014: Upmann No. 2 Reserva Cosecha 2010.

H-Upmann No. 2 Reserva

The brand presented an important novelty in its regular line in 2016, with the launch of the H. Upmann Magnum 54 and the first Gran Reserva of the brand was presented in 2017: H. Upmann Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha 2011.

The last Edición Limitada- Limited edition for the brand was presented in 2018 with the vitola H. Upmann Propios, a unique vitola within the medium ring gauge Habanos vitolas.

H-Upmann Propios

The brand launched the H. Upmann Magnum 56 Jar in 2019, an exclusive product for the Duty Free and Travel Retail channels that contains 20 units of the Magnum 56 vitola (56 ring gauge x 150 mm length).

Jarra H-Upmann Magnum 56

Colección Habanos continues to be one of the year’s special launches most eagerly anticipated by faithful aficionados of the finest tobacco in the world.

This Colección Habanos H. Upmann is a benchmarks within the most refined Habanos with a smooth to medium strength flavour.

This Colección includes 20 H. Upmann SUPER MAGNUM, of which a production of 3,000 has been produced to satisfy a greater number of consumers and collectors. This production will be available at the international network of stores under La Casa del Habano franchise. For the first time, Habanos, S.A. incorporates an exclusive identifying second ring at the bottom for the collections.

SUPER MAGNUM (56 ring gauge x 180 mm length) is the parejo vitola with the heaviest ring gauge under the brand’s standard portfolio. This ring gauge had only been used for the 2015 H. Upmann Magnum 56 Limited Edition. Línea Mágnum is characterized by its elegant, nuanced blend with smooth to medium strength flavour.

H. Upmann SUPER MAGNUM are made “Totalmente a mano con tripa larga” – “Totally Handmade with Long Filler” and their leaves are specially selected from the Vuelta Abajo* area in Pinar del Río*, Cuba*, in small quantities. They are made by expert Cuban torcedores – cigar rollers – working painstakingly to meet the expectations of the most demanding Habanos aficionados.

Colección H-Upmann

Montecristo is one of the most recognized Habanos brands in the world. Montecristo could be considered to be the benchmark by which all other Habanos are measured.

Its name originates from the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas. The tobacco store reader read the novel to the Torcedores (cigar makers) at the H.Upmann factory in Havana, where the brand was founded in 1935. Such was the acceptance that it was decided to give the name of the novel’s protagonist to the new brand.

Although initially it was composed by five unique vitolas, numbered from 1 to 5, the brand progressively completed an offer that currently covers the tastes of the most demanding smokers, from the majestic Montecristo A, to smaller formats.

Línea Clásica

Montecristo Edmundo and Petit Edmundo, were launched in 2004 and 2007 respectively, stood out among the latest launches of the brand.

Montecristo Petit Edmundo

With its distinguished aroma and its Long filler vitolas, made Totalmente a mano with leaves from Vuelta Abajo* zone, it has captivated both experienced smokers and those new to the world of Habano.

In 2007, the Montecristo Reserva was presented, which has been aged for three years in all its leaves (wrapper, binder and filler) and paid tribute to the classic Montecristo No. 4, the best-selling Habano in the world.

In 2009, the Línea Montecristo Open was introduced, specially conceived to be enjoyed in open spaces, with four new vitolas: Eagle, Master, Regata and Junior.

Montecristo Open Eagle

Montecristo Open Junior

Montecristo Open Regata

In 2011, the Montecristo Gran Reserva Cosecha 2005 was presented, the first Gran Reserva made in Montecristo, in a format highly prestigious among smokers: Montecristo No. 2.

In 2013, the Double Edmundo vitolas and a new figurado, the Montecristo Petit No. 2, were launched.

In 2015 the brand saw the launch of its special 80th anniversary vitola and Montecristo Churchills Añejados, and in 2016, the brand presented its 2016 Limited Edition with the new Montecristo Dantés vitola. Later on, Montecristo Línea 1935 was launched with three new vitolas -Maltés, Dumas and Leyenda- which were incorporated into the brand’s regular portfolio, becoming the most premium proposal of the Montecristo brand.

Montecristo Petit No.2

Montecristo Herederos is the vitola selected by Habanos, S.A. in 2020 to commemorate the 85 years of the brand and the 30th anniversary of the La Casa del Habano franchise network. Herederos was presented to the market in a special case of 20 flat-format Habanos and they were exclusively sold At the La Casa del Habano and Habanos Specialists franchise network.

Montecristo Herederos

The name Romeo y Julieta, created as a Habanos brand in 1875, has its roots in the literary tragedy of the same name by the English writer William Shakespeare.

The brand achieved international renown in the early years of the 20th century, after Don “Pepín” Rodríguez, one of the first to recognize the importance of rings as a factor for success.

Winston Churchill was one of the brand’s most devoted smokers. Since his visit to Havana in 1946, his name was used on some rings and gave name to the brand’s best known vitola: Churchills of Romeo y Julieta.

In 2006, Habanos, S.A. launched the younger brother of this emblematic vitola: Short Churchills, the Robustos of Romeo y Julieta.

Churchills is a mythical name in the Habano. Ever since Winston Churchill’s visit to Cuba in 1946, numerous elements have reflected this personality’s fondness for Habano in his rings.

First it was the Churchills, then the Short Churchills and, in 2010, two new vitolas of this famous brand were introduced: Wide Churchills, a new format that inaugurates the 55 ring gauge for the trend among lovers of thick ring gauge vitolas, and Julieta.

Wide Churchills

Its balanced and aromatic blend, with filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo area, in Pinar del Río region, makes Romeo y Julieta the classic medium-flavored Habano. Today, it enjoys great international prestige and presents one of the widest range of Habanos vitolas.

In 2012, the brand introduced 2 new products. A new vitola, Petit Churchills, ideal for those looking for a Habano with an aromatic and balanced flavor that can be enjoyed in a short period of time, and the new Reserva of Romeo y Julieta brand, with the vitola Churchills Reserva Cosecha 2008, made with cigars from the Vuelta Abajo zone, in the Pinar del Río region, aged for a minimum of 3 years.

Romeo y Juleita Añejados

In 2015 Romeo y Julieta Gran Reserva Cosecha 2009 and Julieta Pirámides Añejados were presented.

In 2017, the brand introduced the Romeo y Julieta Petit Royales and, in 2018, the Romeo y Julieta Tacos Limited Edition was launched.

Petit Royales

Romeo y Julieta turned 145 years old and to commemorate its anniversary the new “Linea de Oro” was presented, the most exclusive and elegant of Romeo y Julieta. This new Linea consists of 3 new vitolas, two of them in an even format and one in a figurative format, they are new vitolas in the Romeo y Julieta portfolio and introduced, for the first time, a Medium to full strength.

Dianas, Hidalgos y Nobles, have been the vitolas chosen by Habanos, S.A. to make up this new Linea, which is presented to the market in a high- quality case, with a high gloss lacquered finish on sycamore wood dyed the brand’s red. These Habanos also have a foot band designed exclusively for this linea.

La Casa del Habano is an internationally registered trademark, property of the Corporation Habano S.A.; it’s design and concept are founded in ‘know how’, and have been pivotal in Habanos’ successful development into an International Chain of Franchises in just a brief period of time.

La Casa del Habano are models for successful businesses around the world. An ample number of cigar boutiques rebuilt using norms and parameters of identity set by the Franchiser, Habanos S.A., using it’s image and excellent service, have successfully promoted the pleasures of smoking cigars along with the knowledge of it’s culture to consumers, while still maintaining the capacity to adapt itself to the characteristics and culture of the country in which it functions.

In 1990, the first international La Casa Del Habano began operating in Cancun, Mexico.

From that date to the present it’s business concept has evolved. In the beginning it functioned as a store especially dedicated to the selling of famous Cuban tobaccos commercially recognized around the world. Presently, this store not only sells tobaccos, but is also characterized by numerous other services and personalized attention provided to experts in the art of smoking cigars as well as to those beginners interested in learning about these products, it’s culture and it’s history.

The success of the model of La Casa del Habano has depended on two fundamental factors: on one hand, the solid foundation for the development of this type of business focused on detail, thanks to the role of Habanos S.A. as Franchiser, and on the other hand, the consquent role of our own Franchisers: independent business men that, chosen with impeccable rigor, make up a family of proprietors of La Casa del Habano, united by the passion for cigars and excellent technical knowledge. The combination of the Franchised and the Franchiser, encompassed in a comprehensive business environment and the respectful personal treatment of each La Casa del Habano the world over, has created the best conditions for, both those interested in cigars, along with expert cigar lovers. They have access, like never before, to a product which, emerges from the tobacco fields of Cuba and completes it’s cycle of life in the hands of a consumer satisfied with the product and the treatment he has received in La Casa del Habano of his choice.

In Cuba in 1492 the Spanish expedition commanded by Christopher Columbus saw tobacco for the first time in the New World. The Taino Indians rolled and burnt some mysterious leaves, which they called Cohiba, in an unknown ceremony for the explorers. From that starting point more than five hundred years ago, tobacco has been traded and planted throughout the world. Since its discovery, Tabaco Negro Cubano or Cuban Black Tobacco has been considered the best in the world because of the unique growing conditions in some areas of the Island. This distinction remains incontestably valid after more than five centuries.

The heart of the distinction is the tobacco and its taste born of a combination of four factors that exist only in Cuba: the soil, the climate, the varieties of Cuban black tobacco seed and the know-how of the tobacco growers and cigar makers. Other places may have acquired some Cuban skills, even some Cuban seeds, but never the natural gifts of the Cuban soil and the Cuban climate. These you will find nowhere else.

Nor will you find anything that matches the centuries-old culture of cultivating Cuban tobacco: the extraordinary labour that the tobacco farmer invests in his crop; the months and years of patient waiting before his leaf is deemed fit for a Habano.

A further distinction lies in the definition of the term “Habanos”. All Habanos are Cuban, but by no means all Cuban cigars are Habanos.

The title is the Denominación de Origen Protegida (D.O.P), or Protected Denomination of Origin reserved for a selection of the most outstanding brands whose cigars are manufactured to the most exacting standards from tobaccos grown only in particular areas, which are also protected as denominations of origin.

All Habanos are crafted Totalmente a Mano totally by hand using methods that were pioneered in Havana two centuries ago and remain virtually unchanged to this day.

More than 500 manual tasks are performed in both the agricultural and manufacturing processes from the planting of the seeds to the Habano’s final resting place in its box.

Every cigar must pass through the most stringent quality control processes established by the Regulatory Council for the Protected Denomination of Origin (D.O.P.) Habanos before they can earn the precious title of Habano.