"A lot of people take Honduran or Mexican tobacco and blend them to make that mild cigar," he adds. "We don't do that. We have all Dominican product in our blend. That's where Julio especially comes in. It's a more satisfying cigar for the smoke."
When I ask about the Dominican wrappers that have caused other companies so much grief, Ramirez shrugs his shoulders, telling me in Spanish that they are shade-grown and specially cured. "We use only our best leaves for the wrappers. The only other company that does this is Fuente," he says. And the wrappers are high quality. A deep-brown colorado (also available in oscuro), they are soft and slightly oily, with very fine veins and an intricate texture.
The word 'fresh' doesn't usually apply to cigars. They must be aged so the various tobaccos can marry and, if property stored, a cigar can improve for months or years. But in the case of the Little Havana Cigar Factory, no other word applies. It is like drinking beer at the brewery. Here you get a good, aged cigar that has been protected from the hazards of travel and bad storage. It is the difference between drinking a Heineken in Holland and finding one on the back shelf of your local grocery store. This is good tobacco, lovingly rolled into a fine cigar and jealously guarded until the moment you light it.
Little Havana's White Orchid line, named for the flower brought from Cuba, are part long fill, part short. The short fill is leftover clippings that are blended together and rolled with a long leaf, creating a surprisingly rich cigar. These less expensive stogies, also hand rolled, come in four sizes and cost from $3 to $5.
Little Havana's newest line, the Mike Ditka Signature Series, is launched this spring in Las Vegas. Blended for Ditka's robust tastes, they are more full-bodied than the regular line and come in four largish sizes, from 5" x 50 to 8" x 52.
All tobacco used by Little Havana is at least four years old, and the cigars are aged for 40 days before going on sale. And indeed, their walk-in humidor is jammed with bundles of maturing cigars, labeled by type, date, and roller's name. Once aged, the cigars are boxed in Spanish cedar, with a lining of whole leaves for extra aroma.
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