Computers have arrived in Cuba after the country’s president, Raul Castro, authorised their sale to the general public for the first time. Shoppers headed to technology stores in Havana, where computers finally hit the stores yesterday after Mr Castro permitted the unrestricted sale of computers, DVD and video players last month. Previously, only foreigners and companies could buy computers in Cuba, while DVD players were seized at the airport until last year, when customs rules were eased. According to official media, some 3.7m people in Cuba used a computer in 2007 - but only 5% of them did so at home. Mr Castro, 76, has led Cuba since July 2006 when his older brother Fidel provisionally handed over power after intestinal surgery from which he has not fully recovered. The younger Castro was formally named president on 24 February, becoming Cuba’s first new leader in almost half a century. He has promised to ease some of the restrictions on daily life. Among shoppers at one Havana mall were Lucia Lima and her daughter Amanda, who was fulfilling a long-held dream of owning her own PC. ‘I came to buy a computer for my daughter. It’s been a dream of hers since she was little. Besides computers are everywhere in the world,’ Amanda’s mother said. Shopper Nicolas Gonzalez said the sale was another positive sign of the opening up of consumer markets by Mr Castro, who has also freed up cell phone use and allowed Cubans access to luxury hotels. ‘It’s something that moves toward the progress we are hoping for - I think it’s good,’ Mr Gonzalez said. But other Cubans see it as something far out of their reach. Computers and the other new good on sale are sold in hard currency CUCs, or convertible pesos, worth 24 times more than the Cuban pesos state wages are paid in. ‘There has been a division of classes here,’ said driver Rolando Rojas. ‘I don’t have a DVD player and I know people who have had them for years. I consider myself to be middle class, not lower class, and there are people who have the latest thing, home theatres. It’s been normal for them for years. ‘They have cars, motorcycles. They have good jobs or positions in the government and that’s what helps them improve their status. I work and save and save and we’ll see if one day I can buy the blessed DVD player for my child,’ he said. Cubans have long complained of the two-tiered money system that leaves average citizens without buying power. Mall administrator Medeline Hernandez confirmed that prices of new products are for those with convertible pesos. ‘The stores are still for the stronger currency, not for those who earn national money,’ she said. In the past weeks, appliances long desired by Cubans have gone on sale, although air conditioners will not be available in stifling Havana until next year and toasters until 2010 due to limited power supplies. Source RTE Cigars
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Cigar Products for Sale
How to Select a Cigar:
To determine whether a cigar is fresh or not I like to use what is called the pinch or squeeze test. Using this simple technique will help to ensure you end up with a very good quality cigar. Between your thumb and index finger gently pinch the cigar up and down the length of the body, checking for lumps or soft spots. A well-made cigar will not have any. A good cigar will feel firm, but not hard. If the cigar feels like a piece of wood, or if there is a soft, spongy spot then choose a different one and perform the pinch test again. Remember to be carefull when rolling it between your fingers as it can damage the wrapper. Be sure to always handle cigars gently.
Check the cigar’s wrapper. A cigar’s wrapper should have a an oily, smooth sheen, which means it has been perfectly humidified and the ends should be undamaged. If you find a cigar that is dull looking but, passes the pinch test and has some spring to it, then the cigar should be fine. The wrapper should also be free of any blemishes or greenish tinge. Remember most cigars are made from a blend of tobaccos and some color variation is normal, but extreme or abrupt color changes could indicate an inferior leaf, or that the leaves weren’t laid together properly during the bunching process. Another item to look for is the size of the veins, smaller veins usually mean a smoother smoke.
Choosing the size and shape is a personal preference. If you are unsure which your personal preference, purchase a few cigars in different shapes, sizes and try them to determine which is your favorite. One of the things I enjoy is trying a variety of different cigars based on brand, size and shape.
If you are going to smell the cigar before buying it, please don’t touch it to your nose. This is unhygenic if you don’t end up purchasing the cigar. The better thing to do is to hold the foot (the open or square end) of the cigar about 1/2 inch below your nose and breathe in. You should get a pleasant aroma rather than a bitter or foul smell.
A few warning signs of a bad cigar:
1. The cigar wrapper is cracked, usuallly means it is dry.
2. A whittish mold on the cigar.
3. The wrapper has green blotches all over it.
4. The cigar feels very hard or spongy during the pinch test.
5. There are little pinhead size holes or trails running through it.
If a cigar has holes or trails running through the cigar this is the sign of a tobacco beetle infestation. Don’t smoke this cigar or place it in your humidor.
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Cigar Reviewers needed…
We are working hard to increase the value of our blog for CigarsEtc.com and can’t do it withough the help of our great customers and fellow Cigar Aficionados like you.
Reviews and requirements:
- We need reviewers to cover “cigars”, “humidors”, “cigar accessories” and the like
- You need to be of Legal age to use the products listed
- Be willing to commit to one or more reviews a month
- Preferably have a digital camera to submit photos
- Outside of earning the respect of your peers and providing society some good,
We will be pleased to provide free products as available, as thanks.Use this email to get in touch with me if you are interested in writing for the site.
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20,000-percent tax increase on cigars!!!
WBBH-TV
FORT MYERS: Congress is considering a new tobacco tax and one local cigar company says if approved, their business would simply go up in smoke. Under the proposed law, the tax on premium cigars would jump from 5-cents to $10, a nearly 20,000-percent increase, while the tax on cigarettes would jump 60 cents. Rocky Patel, the owner of a Southwest Florida cigar company, says the bill would ruin the industry and indirectly affect 150 to 200 jobs in Southwest Florida. Patel is campaigning to take premium cigars out of the bill. But those with the American Lung Association say they support the proposed tax.
Write your congressman to complain now.
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About Cigars
BACK TO CigarsEtc.com HOMEPAGE
Tobacco leaves are grown to be harvested, and aged using a unique process that combines the use of both heat and shade to minimize the sugar and water content without causing the large leaves to disintegrate and rot. The initial process called curing takes from 25 to 45 days which can vary significantly depending on climatic conditions and how well sheds or barns are constructed to store the harvested tobacco. The curing process can be adjusted depending on the type of tobacco, and the desired color of the leaf. The next step in the process is called fermentation which is managed under conditions designed to ensure the leaves die slowly and gracefully. Both temperature and humidity are controlled to make sure the leaves ferment without rotting. This part of the process is where the flavor, burning, and aroma characteristics are primarily developed in the leaves. After aging is complete, they are sorted for use as filler or wrapper based upon their appearance and overall quality and appeal. The process continues with leaves constantly moistened and handled carefully to make sure each leaf is best used according to its individual qualities. Leaves are baled, inspected, unbaled, reinspected, and baled over and over throughout the aging cycle. At the point where the leaf has matured according to the desired specifications, it will be used in the final production of a cigar product. To this day, the creation of a quality cigar is still performed by hand. Experienced cigar rollers can produce hundreds of fine quality with consistent look and feel daily. Rollers, individuals, keep the tobacco moist, especially the “wrapper”, and use specially designed crescent-shaped knives, called a Chaveta, in order to form the filler and wrapper leaves fast and precisely. After the cigars are rolled, they are kept in wooden forms as they dry, at which point the uncapped ends are cut to a uniform size. At this point, the cigar is a complete product that can, if properly cared for, be kept indefinitely. If properly cared for, cigars are known to have lasted for decades if kept as close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), and 70% relative humidity. This can be accomplished by keeping the cigars in a humidor where conditions can be controlled for long periods of time. A dry cigar can be successfully re-humidified. For a full selection of cigars and accessories visit http://www.cigarsetc.com/
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Longest Cigar in the World–Cuban
HAVANA (Reuters) - With music, dancing and rum, Cubans celebrated on Friday the likely return of a record they consider rightfully theirs — the world’s longest cigar.
At just over 148 feet 9 inches, the thick stogie stretched like a long brown snake through a room and out its front and back windows at El Morro, the old Spanish fort overlooking Havana Bay.
British diplomat Chris Stimpson made the official measurement, which he said would be sent to the Guinness World Records in London for confirmation.
“The best in the world, no?” said the cigar’s smiling, ash-stained roller, Jose Castelar Cairo, better known as Cueto.
His six-day-long project, completed with several assistants, eclipsed the previous record of 135 feet (41 meters), held by Patricio Pena of Puerto Rico.
Breaking the record was a point of pride for Cubans, whose cigars are considered among the world’s best.
”It’s an honor for Cuba and I feel satisfied to do it for Cuba,” Cueto said above the din of 50 or so happy Cubans sipping rum, singing and swaying to the lively music of a guitar-playing singer.
Cueto, who learned cigar rolling when he was 5 years old, is no stranger to big cigars. He held the record for world’s longest three times before.
This cigar record was not without its drama. As late as Thursday, Cueto planned to roll a cigar 98 feet in length, thinking that would break the record.
But then he learned that Pena had bested it last year.
The veteran cigar roller worked until 5 a.m. to beat Pena’s record, an effort which he said had left him “exhausted.”
(Reporting by Jeff Franks; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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