Growing Tobacco in Cuba

[El Presidente]

I have been involved in some lively discussions regarding the planting and harvesting of tobaco in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba. I needed a few points clarified so a good friend in HSA answer a few questions in the following e-mail before I telephoned to clarify a few points.

I think you may find it interesting particularly how a Veguero classifies good and bad years

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Well, not an easy question but I’ll tell you what I know. Let’s start by saying that there are good years and bad years which means excellent crops and not so excellent ones. That’s the way the Vegueros classified the crops in Vueltabajo.

The period of time for the plant to reach full maturity could depend on the weather conditions on a given year, sometimes is difficult to set depending on the variety planted too. They say it’s about 90 days max. being 80 an average.

I’m sure that most of them don’t need to plant again for a second crop as the result of the crop is very good and they got more than 75 percent high-quality tobacco. You know why? Because the farmer is really jealous about the land, doesn’t want the land to be mistreated or over exploited because they know the results could be devastating in terms of flavour and quality. That’s why they don’t need a plant with 20 and something pairs of leaves. Others might plant at the beginning of Feb. and probably the leaves are judged good enough to be sorted and could become part of Habanos production but certainly not top premium brands. In the case they are not good for Habanos, they are ready be sold to cigarette companies like Brascuba (a Brazilian subsidiary of BAT responsible for the brands Popular, Romeo and Julieta, Vegas Robaina, Monterrey aimed at the Domestic Market) or for national consumption cigarette brands such as Titanes, Criollos…etc

I’ve heard people saying that one can obtain good tobacco from a second crop if they plant late January. For that you need to plant early September to have your harvest mid December and have the soil ready for a second crop by stages in January. Not recommended by old vegueros. One can not force the land every year to the limit for obvious reasons so if one becomes greedy, better for him to cultivate beans or corn. Otherwise you are killing the land for growing tobacco. But the blessed soils of Vuelta Abajo for growing tobacco, allow the plant to continue having leaves after the harvest is complete. You can see small leaves blooming along the branch and sometimes they can reach a medium size but it’s mandatory to pick them quickly and they are aimed to sorting houses for being classified for making cigarettes. That is the Capadura, the way the vegueros call it, not to be confused with a second crop. As long as they got paid (less than leaves for cigars), and the harvest is good and plague-free, they get Capadura after the harvest is complete. Maybe you could have seen this.

Another issue conspiring against the above is the hurricanes. October is the most dangerous month. You can’t preserve the totality of your already planted tobacco when a hurricane is approaching furiously. You can maintain the seedlings safe but if you already planted out, you are going to loose your tobacco either because of the flooding or strong winds. So you need to plant out knowing what is at stake. It’s really difficult for the farmers to decide form one year to another. They watch the weather very carefully, they listen to forecasts and compare with their intuition and knowledge, and they observe the moon and the changes that occur to get the information first hand from Nature. Not an easy task now that we are killing the planet, so it’s hard to foresee what’s going to happen next morning.

Planting tobacco out of season could result in major damages and the productivity, as well as the taste, shall be affected. The sun is getting warmer at the end of April and the land needs to be irrigated frequently. Big problem for those who doesn’t have a nearby water source: underground waters like Robaina’s, stream, little rivers or artificial reservoirs.

Another thing not to forget: There are no crops identical. Not 100% There is always a difference between crops but they try hard to keep things and factors (whenever possible) the same.

[Colt45]

Thank you, as always, for sharing this type of information. This particular segment

caught my eye:

» Others might plant at the beginning of Feb. and probably the leaves are judged

» good enough to be sorted and could become part of Habanos production but

» certainly not top premium brands.

What would they consider the "top premium brands", and what lines might they

consider using this tobacco for?

[Professor Twain]

Thanks for posting this. The pride and emphasis on quality come through loud and clear.

[El Presidente]

» and what lines might

» they

» consider using this tobacco for?

We are looking at the worst of the machine made cigars (Guantanamera etc).

[marco polo]

Thanks for the info Rob !

[Miami101]

Hi

Rob

I know what you mean when you talk about the hurricanes. It's a topic which everyone down here fears. On the farmers of Cuban from what I hear the fisherman are the same way.....they have a respect for the land, and ocean. They are what we call here old school......

I would rather pay more, and have good cigars around for my sons to part take.

[brian1]

Very interesting info Rob. Thank you for sharing.

[Ginseng]

As enlightening as it is clear. Thank you, Rob!

Wilkey

[Cubatabaco]

Great info Rob!!!

[Smokin Bulldog]

That is why I hang out here!! Great info!

[Bernard]

One of the greatest sights in Cuba is a field of Tobacco. Wandering through the fields in the Vuelta Abajo must be the same for me as a wine person in the fields of Burgandy.

And is there a better view in the world that the view of the fields, from the Los Jamines Hotel, high on the hills in Vinales, enjoyed with a Mojito and a Monte 2.

Sorry, this may be a bit off track but I was moved by the thread!

[genevapics]

Thanks for the information, Prez.