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From Smokeshop Magazine, April, 2005
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We all thought the days of true, traditional
Havanas were over, except at Sotheby's auctions. We were wrong. |
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What if
pure Cuban seed, predating Castro, still existed? What if it
were cultivated naturally in a red soil, tropical microclimate
and sun-shade periods like Cuba's legendary Vuelta Abajo? What
if it were watched over by someone with credentials and years of
relevant experience? |
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Our search for The Grail takes us to
(Cigars of the Mountain Range), in Costa Rica. The watchful eye is
that of
John
Vogel, who effectively balances his German father's business
efficiency and his Spanish mother's love of tobacco. A graduate
in agronomical engineering (1965), he spent 20 years as a
project leader in R & D department at the world's largest cigar
producer. His career specialty, genetic engineering, netted him
assignments in every area of the business. Vogel then spent 20
years as an industry consultant, where his many commissions took
him to 20 countries. I've seen the letters of recognition for
his work in tobacco, from his former employer, foreign
dignitaries, US Department of Agriculture and Commerce, the
Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station, and others. |
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During his career, Vogel associated with many
industry-respected tobacco producers and geneticists worldwide.
They included research scientists from Cuban Land, the
prestigious agricultural research institution that operated in
Cuba until Castro disbanded it. These colleagues were the
sources of the rare genetical material. Vogel collected his
unmatched "Ancestral" seed bank, principally Cuban, but
including non-Cuban pure strains ... Cameroon, Brazilian Mata
Fina, and the original Dominican Olor. (All spring originally
from pure Cuban seed strains.) These otherwise long-gone but not
forgotten strains were some of the world's best, before Castro
gutted Cuba's tobacco industry. Vogel, the present-day caretaker
of these ancestral seeds, has the expertise to keep the strains
pure for generations. |
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Tabacos uses only
tobacco from its own
65-acre farm. 70-150 workers (depending on activities) man
its farm,
factory, curing and fermenting operations. Cumbres de
Puriscal, the flagship of the company's several
cigar lines, is priced at a moderate $5 to $6. Its tobacco
grows from the same rare, pre-Castro seed ... that should bring
joyous tears to veterans who remember true Havanas. The company
invites retailer inquiries. |
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Vogel is equally interested in selling specialty
bulk tobacco to cigar companies. The company now provides
tobacco for some of the most prestigious brands worldwide. Vogel
is seeing a surge in interest for his leaf ... apparently, from
forward-thinking companies that understand the marketplace
cachet of cigars with tobacco grown from pre-Embargo seeds.
Tabacos is a company destined for breakout in
the industry, and soon.
Reprinted with permission and revisions by author Dale Scott |
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