I recently had the opportunity to make a trade for a five-pack of pre-embargo Robert Burns Panatelas, a Clear Havana cigar from the late 1950's.
What's a Clear Havana? Basically, it was a cigar made in the US from Cuban Tobacco. The factories had customs agents on-site to clear the tobacco as it was brought out of storage.
Clear Havana Info from the Gotham Cigar Museum
This particular variety is, so far as I've been able to tell, machine-bunched and hand finished (someone correct me if I'm wrong, please. I haven't had the heart to dissect one...) They came in both cello-wrapped cardboard five-packs and in boxes of 25. Their original price was about fifteen cents each ($1.04, adjusted for inflation since 1958).
My grandfather smoked Burns cigars, along with Roi-Tan and White Owl. Smoking a sample of "his" cigars is as close as I'll ever be able to come to sharing a smoke with him, since he died before I'd had my first cigar. This one's for you, gramps!
After removing the (still intact) cello wrap from the top of the box, I opened it to find five well-preserved smokes, each cello-wrapped with the band on the outside. The cello had turned a rich golden brown with age and the oils from the cigars.
I sent one off to an out-of-town friend, then took two to a regular Thursday get-together with some other BOTLs in Atlanta. I gave one to the man who gave me my first CC, and kept the other for myself.
On opening the wrapper, I found a smoke that had obviously been around for a while. The cigar looked old. It was plain that these had been allowed to dry out at some point in their history. The toothy, light wrapper had a fine dusting of plume, but was a bit wrinkled and shrunken - like the skin on a mummy's arm. Not a good sign, but being the adventurous type that I am, I continued - and I'm glad I did.
The cigar lit easily and burned beautifully. The draw was fine and even, and the smoke was plentiful. The ash was firm and medium-gray, holding to about an inch and a half.
Initially, the taste seemed to confirm my fears about it's preservation - it was thin and dry, very mild, almost tasteless. About an inch into the smoke, though, it seemed to wake up. It smoothed out, and picked up a distinct taste of leather and a hint of cream, with a very clean, short finish. It maintained this profile to the last two inches, when it picked up a note of mint - not sweet, not menthol, but very clean.
I smoked this cigar to the point where my moustache was in serious danger. :laugh:
There are two more in the pack, and I'm looking forward...
What's a Clear Havana? Basically, it was a cigar made in the US from Cuban Tobacco. The factories had customs agents on-site to clear the tobacco as it was brought out of storage.
Clear Havana Info from the Gotham Cigar Museum
This particular variety is, so far as I've been able to tell, machine-bunched and hand finished (someone correct me if I'm wrong, please. I haven't had the heart to dissect one...) They came in both cello-wrapped cardboard five-packs and in boxes of 25. Their original price was about fifteen cents each ($1.04, adjusted for inflation since 1958).
My grandfather smoked Burns cigars, along with Roi-Tan and White Owl. Smoking a sample of "his" cigars is as close as I'll ever be able to come to sharing a smoke with him, since he died before I'd had my first cigar. This one's for you, gramps!
After removing the (still intact) cello wrap from the top of the box, I opened it to find five well-preserved smokes, each cello-wrapped with the band on the outside. The cello had turned a rich golden brown with age and the oils from the cigars.
I sent one off to an out-of-town friend, then took two to a regular Thursday get-together with some other BOTLs in Atlanta. I gave one to the man who gave me my first CC, and kept the other for myself.
On opening the wrapper, I found a smoke that had obviously been around for a while. The cigar looked old. It was plain that these had been allowed to dry out at some point in their history. The toothy, light wrapper had a fine dusting of plume, but was a bit wrinkled and shrunken - like the skin on a mummy's arm. Not a good sign, but being the adventurous type that I am, I continued - and I'm glad I did.
The cigar lit easily and burned beautifully. The draw was fine and even, and the smoke was plentiful. The ash was firm and medium-gray, holding to about an inch and a half.
Initially, the taste seemed to confirm my fears about it's preservation - it was thin and dry, very mild, almost tasteless. About an inch into the smoke, though, it seemed to wake up. It smoothed out, and picked up a distinct taste of leather and a hint of cream, with a very clean, short finish. It maintained this profile to the last two inches, when it picked up a note of mint - not sweet, not menthol, but very clean.
I smoked this cigar to the point where my moustache was in serious danger. :laugh:
There are two more in the pack, and I'm looking forward...
