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Dear aficionados!
Once again, it is a pleasure to publish another newsletter š.
Through the production of our newsletter, our passion and enthusiasm for our beloved cigar industry and community
continues to flourish ā more each time. Our desire to share our curiosity, our culture and values also deepens with every publication.
Enjoy the reading as much as you enjoy tasting your enchanting cigar!
Didier HOUVENAGHEL
LA PREFERIDA 452
An old Cuban brand created circa 1880, LA PREFERIDA was blended as an homage to women and ā among them ā the āpreferredā. A true tribute to femininity, the blend honours and expresses the fantastic, distinctive mix of sweetness and strength, subtlety and character.
The emblematic blue colour of LA PREFERIDAās bands and vistas symbolise the mother of all living things as well as the goddess of the seas and oceans, as they do in the Caribbean region.
The colour white is also used as a strong symbol and sign. The white roses symbolise purity and innocence, as well as confidentiality and fidelity. The white fans represent elegance and mystery.
At the bottom of the vista, attractive golden elements represent a shining star, a symbol of liberty, and a bundle of wheat, a symbol of prosperity.
LA PREFERIDA cigars are made from a blend of leaves harvested in four countries. The wrapper is a typical habano (sp.) colorado from Ecuador, the binder is from Mexico and the filler is a combination of leaves harvested in both Nicaragua and Honduras.
The rare expression of combined sweetness and character captivates LA PREFERIDA tasters, beginners and advanced aficionados alike.
Striving to acquire new tastes, LA PREFERIDA aficionados gratify their curiosity and senses with a rich combination of new gustatory and olfactory notes, alongside clearly recognized aromas and tastes.
The LA PREFERIDA blend expresses sensuality through sweet, woody and fruity flavours; beauty through roundness, elegance through balance, and character through a controlled fortaleza. Intense sweet flavours are wrapped in an enjoyable aromatic richness. Velvety tastes lend a surprising depth and an intense character to the overall tasting.
With their blend and symbols, LA PREFERIDA cigars echo and consecrate femininity, beauty, character and life.
Packaging:
Boxes of 16 cigars | Presented vertically | Cylindrical body | Individual cellophane |Inside bundle half-wrapped in onion paper, a blue ribbon and the Nicaraguan coat of arms | 3 vitolas
TOO MUCH VEINING
Some aficionados may be disturbed by the presence of pronounced veining on the wrapper. In fact, the veins should only be moderately developed so that the leaves can retain their full beauty.
Apart from the variety of black tobacco used, the main causes of strong veining are:
- The height at which the apex bud is pinched out: the lower this is, the fewer leaves the plant will have. The same quantities of sap will therefore circulate through fewer leaves, which results in the veins thickening.
- The foliage position of the leaf: the highest leaves have heavier veining than the lower ones.
- Light exposure on the leaves: greater intensity and duration of sunlight produces stronger veining, resulting from a more abundant flow of sap.
For the leaves of the binder and filler, strong veins also give a cigar good structure and lend character to the taste of the cigar.
AFICIONADO'S CORNER
I have tried many cigars, one of which I experienced and noticed that the cigar wrapper was stained; where do the blotches come from? Is it bad for the tasting? Marco V., Milan, Italy
Several types of blotches can be observed on a wrapper and they can have different effects on the tasting. They also have different origins.
- Green ā Retention of chlorophyll pigments not eliminated by the successive treatment of the leaves and probably due to a defective drying (fast and hot) or small shocks (physical wounds in which a mass of chlorophyll accumulates). The presence of chlorophyll (an irritant substance) is not beneficial to the aromatic quality of the
cigar.
- Yellow ā A lack of humidity during the drying process may generate these blotches through the fixation of a yellowish pigment. The colour remains the same during fermentation. Generally, pigments are not beneficial to the taste of the leaf.
- Black ā Humidity levels that are too high during drying prevents the elimination of starch and sugars from the leaf. Yellow patches are then formed during the drying process and these turn black during fermentation. The cigar will have an unpleasant taste.
- White ā Visually very displeasing but not at all detrimental to the quality of the final cigar; white blotches have two possible causes:
-- Small white, round blotches are the result of a fungal disease caused by Cercospora. This fungus feeds on the chlorophyll of brown leaves without destroying the tissue. Since the concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves is diminished, these blotches have no harmful effect on the taste of the cigar.
-- Large white blotches with undefined outlines are a sign that the green leaves of the plant growing in the field were subject to a fungal disease called moho azul (or tobacco mildew). Blotches along the vein of the wrapper show a systemic attack by the fungus, while those in the middle of the leaf tissue indicate a localised attack.
PHOTO OF THE ISSUE
Harvesting the green leaves
After experts decide that the timing is right, field workers start the harvest. Removed from the plant stem, the leaves are harvested from bottom to top, in consecutive and spaced collections involving two to three leaves at a time and a few days apart. Once taken to the casa de tabaco, the leaves will then start their post-harvest phase by being dried or cured, by priming.
RETAILERSā HIGHLIGHTS
Salih M. Dalay
DALAY ZIGARREN
FĆ¼rstenstraĆe 15b, 66111 SaarbrĆ¼cken, Germany
My favourite DH Cigar is clearly La Preferida. I think it is the blend that best reflects Didierās approach to cigars: a full flavour with no harshness. You can taste it; somebody really knew what he was doing here. All his theoretical background and experience can be felt in this very tasty cigar. Like my brother always says, The proof is in the pudding. Furthermore, the baby turquoise colour reminds me of the Dalay maduro band that we used almost 20 years ago on our own cigars.
Tasting and enjoying cigars is like meditation for me. Itās a moment of peace and intensity. We can only smoke a limited number of cigars in our lifetime, so focus on the good ones. Donāt waste your time on cigars ā or things ā you donāt like or that people want you to like.
The future of our industry will be ensured by being positive and optimistic. There will always be premium cigars, no matter what. Support them, enjoy them, share them.
If I were a client in our own shop, I would like to think, āThese are some real cool-ass motherfuckers!ā
Dalay Zigarren ā La Casa del Habano
FĆ¼rstenstrasse 15b
66111 SaarbrĆ¼cken
Germany
Sylwia MaÄkowiak
TABAC & CAFFE
Garncarska 24, MiÄdzyrzecz, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland
For me, cigars are all about magic and relaxation. This is very special.
My favourite DH Boutique Cigar is La Preferida 552 Robusto. I appreciate it for its unique aromas and tastes, and I like the cigar profile.
If I were a client in my own shop, Iād like to think that this is a very special place and that Iām lucky to be here.
Among the different factors that make for change in our industry, I think a stable and fruitful future will come from training the retailers and customers, and mostly through the concentration of distribution and sales in specialist shops.
Thanks to cigar sales and my shop, Iām constantly learning and developing as a human being. I have gained, and continue to gain, new customers, and friendships also develop. Iām happy that I can give my clients a moment of relaxation.
Tabac & Caffe
Garncarska 24
MiÄdzyrzecz
Lubusz Voivodeship
Poland
LA PREFERIDA 452 4 x 52 ā L 102 mm x Ćø 20.64 mm
LA PREFERIDA 452 / Liga ID
An enjoyable tiny Robusto that gives an intense and short yet very subtle tasting, including diverse new aromas and tastes. This blend expresses sensuality through sweet, woody and fruity flavours; beauty through roundness; elegance through balance; and character through a controlled fortaleza. Intense sweet flavours are wrapped in an enjoyable aromatic richness. Velvety tastes give a surprising depth and profound character to the overall tasting.
TASTING NOTES
BLEND ā An international blend of leaves harvested in four countries. The wrapper is a typical habano (sp.) colorado from Ecuador, the binder is from Mexico and the filler is from both Nicaragua and Honduras.
AGEING ā Moderately aged leaves from between 3 and 6Ā½ years (aged for two more years than standard leaves).
AROMAS & TASTE ā Intense flavours of sweetness wrapped in an enjoyable roundness. Woody and fruity with some hints of spice. Velvety tastes lend a surprising depth to the overall tasting. Something different.
STRENGTH ā #6Ā½ Fortaleza ā A medium to full-bodied cigar.
PROGRESSION ā A soft and subtle evolution in taste and aromatic richness; constantly balanced.
COMBUSTION ā Easy and complete.
ASHES ā Solid, compact and white.
LA PREFERIDA 452
In the mouth ...
Look: Nice colorado colour
Fortaleza: 6.5/10 ā Medium to full
Aromas: 8/10 ā Complex and rich
Taste: 8/10 ā Sweet and personal
Mouthfeel: 7/10 ā Soft and intense
Flavour Balance: 9/10 ā Perfect balance
Flavour Finesse: 7/10 ā Bouquet in formation
Flavour Vitality: 8/10 ā Genuine ageing potential
Flavour Progression: 7/10 ā 8/10 ā Refined progression
Tasting Time: 1 hour
And to play with pairing ...
Here are some of the best pairings weāve experimented with for you during the writing of this newsletter. Like all pairings, theyāre personal and emotional but are always enjoyable to try.
ā¢ Short drink: GĆ©nĆ©pi Abrupt des PĆØres Chartreux, 40% ABV
ā¢ Long drink: Michele Satta Cavaliere 2006, IGT Toscana (Sangiovese)
ā¢ Non-alcoholic: San Pellegrino spark-ling water with a twist of lemon
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