Are Cigars Organic?
Monday January 15, 2007
Handmade premium cigars consist of 100% tobacco, unlike cigarettes and machine made cigars that may contain paper, preservatives, and/or other additives. Therefore, premium cigars are natural agricultural products, just like apples and oranges. However, also like apples and oranges, most cigars are not certified as being 100% organic. According to a famous online cigar retailer, there is only one 100% certified organic brand of cigars, and that brand is Plasencia Reserva Organic Cigars (Compare Prices). However, since most cigar companies follow at least some of the procedures for growing and processing premium cigar tobacco organically, the majority of premium handmade cigars might possibly be considered semi-organic. Regardless, I have tried several types of organic foods, but I am still undecided if they are really worth the higher prices. You are welcome and encouraged to add your comments to this article, below.
Comments
Organic tobacco does not exist. Organic means grown without fumigation which is impossible for tobacco. Tobacco needs to be fumigated in the fields against all kind of bugs. Also, the biggest cigar companies do not process the tobacco they use in their cigars. They outsource to third-party companies, that’s the case for Altadis and General Cigars.
John’s comment above is not true and based on supposition. I have been to the fields and I have seen the process. No chemicals are used to grow the tobacco. Organic pesticides are used to protect against infestation. The soil is enriched with worms. The growing part of this process is completely organic, and the Plasencia’s have a certificate from QAI to prove that this is the case.
However this may be, there is another process that occurs after the tobacco is
harvested. I cannot say with 100% certainty that the processing and fermantation part of the process is chemical free. I was assured by the Plasencias’ that this is the case, but they do not have certificate for this part of the process.
Organic certifcation is an expensive and time consuming process. It requires many visits by QAI to their factory to test the tobacco and the soil at all stages of the process.
This project has been started by the son of Nestor Plasencia. He is very proud of the work that has gone into making this unique product. We are proud to have an exclusive to bring this labor of love to market.
Ok, let suppose that they grow the tobacco without fertilizer… Then it need to be dry, then fermented and cured. All those steps can be done with chemicals EXCEPT that tobacco as well as cigars NEED to be fumigated against LASIO. All manufacture fumigate the bales of tobacco (raw tobacco) and their humidor at least once a month to avoid infection. I really doubt that Plasencia don’t fumigate their cigars. I’ve been in the cigar manufacturing for the last 15 years and I can tell you you can’t have REAL organic CIGARS. That’s impossible. The real organic cigars I tried are the one made by the torcedores in the field when they just roll their own smoke with non fermented tobacco.
I have talked to Nestor about these cigars he is a farmer and is extreamly bright about all cigar aspects they are organic
I will not pass judgement on the above speculation about the cigars being fumigated with chemicals. I won’t say that it is impossible to use organic pesticides to prevent infestation, not “infection”.
I will forward this to Nestor Plasencia Jr.
Perhaps he will chime in.
My cocern is with formaldehyde,which is a known Carcinogen. Is this chemical still used in the processing/fermenting?
I was in class the other day and the teacher was talking about Radon and other carcinogens being in the fertelizers that tobacco growers use and those chemicals are being absorbed by the plants and that is what is causing cancer instead of the actual tobacco leaf. I thought is was interesting and wonder if any “organic” cigars have been grown without these kind of fertilizers. I am unsure as to what people mean when they say organic. To me organic means no added chemicals, but I think the people who label the products organic have a different legal definition of the term.