cigar training

Scope of this training

This training doesn’t embrace the origin or his-tory of cigars and cigarettes - it doesn’t tell sto-ries!

It is a cigar service training!

Cigarettes

Much more often then the request after cigars, guests are asking after cigarettes.

This few points should be noted, to ensure a professional ***** service for cigarettes:

✓ Serve a box of cigarettes on an appropriate saucer or small tray!

✓ Remove the upper wrapping and open the box!

✓ Provide a box of matches or a lighter with the cigarettes.

✓ Never touch the plain cigarettes with your hands (e.g. to make a nice presentation...)

✓ Be aware, that the table of the guest is a smoker table and provide an ashtray!

Ideal climate for cigars.

Cigars are produced in the Caribbean and need a similar climate to keep smokable!

Which means, to “perform” well they need to be stored in a humidor (a wooden box/cabinet with humidifier) at 65 - 75% humidity (ideal 68 - 72%) and if possible at 16 - 18°C (Cellar Tem-perature) - this should be very stable conditions! Just to touch the topic: the temperature is di-rectly related to the humidity of humidor and cigars - nevertheless normally it is not possible to regulate the temperature.

Cigars should never be stored with other odors or in a fridge! And also a cigar shouldn’t be stored in the direct sunlight!

Odorlessness refers also to the humidifier - you can find sometimes old, seedy moldy sponges in the humidor... this is not the right way to store cigars - and the sponges should be substitute with new ones or even water crystals (acrylamide sodium acrylate)!

The climate should be checked consistently, because cigars loose dramatically their quality after only a couple of days without the right conditions!

Storage

Cigar should be stored ideal in their closed boxes! However for a nice presentation (and also a smaller stock) they also could be stored as-sorted in some open registers or some collective boxes. If possible take boxes and close them as often as possible! Do not order to many assorted cigars - they should be sold in few weeks (better days)!

Induction of Cigar Service

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At the end of the training, everybody should know:✦ the worst faux pas - you shouldn’t do!✦ how to deliver cigar service.✦ how to handle & store cigars ideal.✦ how to recommend a cigar professionally.✦ how to make a professional cigar service.

Furthermore, everybody should:✦ understand the terminology in cigar service.✦ be aware of some haunting myths in this business.✦ have fun & look forward to learn more!

Offering cigars

The easiest scenario was, if a guest wants to choose a cigar for his own! Of course, the best way is to let him choose out of a cigar menu - because opening an humidor for a longer time would affect negatively the climate inside. Most of the times, the guest wants then to choose a designated cigar out of the selection!

It requires a little bit flair to prevent the guest of touching every cigar (and also kneading them) - but it essential, that the cigars are touched minimal! It is not hygienic and also not aes-thetic - and many cigars are rather sensitive - they could be damaged!

After the guest chooses a cigar, it should be taken at the band - and served with matches (or lighter), a cutter and a cigar ashtray!

Recom-mending cigars

This is really not easy - because it needs a per-son which has an expertise in cigars!

But there are some categories, which makes it easier even for trained but rather novice staff, to make a basic recommen-dation.

Here, at the moment we’re selling just Cuban premium cigars, called Havanas [Habanos].

Brand Hierarchy

The company Habanos, which is the the one and only institution for marketing and distribu-tion for Cuban cigars published a brand guide-line, which shows the classification of the brands in matter of reputa-tion, prices and quality. Of course its assumes especially regarding of quality very vast!

But even the marketing uses this brand hierar-

chy, so the guest will have a special expec-tation, if they’re choosing the respective brand!


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You can separate cigars after the brand hierarchy.

After the expected body of the re-spective brand.

After the size of the cigar - what you could also break down into

length & ring diameter.

Body or Strength of Cigar Brands

Cigars are like wines - differ-ent “vintages” and different product lines creates different cigars - even the age, maturates and changes the taste and the strength dramati-cally! However some brands supposed to be stronger than the others. So even with this tool you can rec-ommend the cigars after their strength - but be carefully, because this is a very rough tool - and even for some cigars it is wrong!

Please keep in mind, that this is just a rough guideline...

Size of a cigar

One of the better tools to recommend a cigar is to ask the guest for his preferences of the size. The length is directly related to the smoking time. Of course it depends of the smoking be-haviors of the guest. Roughly you can say, that you smoke a Tres Petit Corona (Perla, Francis-cano etc.) 15 till 20 minutes. A Corona or a Ro-busto you can smoke 30 - 40 minutes - a Corona Gorda or Cervantes 45 - 55 minutes - the really large cigars like Churchill (Julieta No.2) Promi-nentes (Double Corona) or even Gran Corona (“A”) need to be smoked longer than 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The length is also an indicator for the tempera-ture of the smoke. The longer the cigar the colder and thats why smoother the smoke!

A lot of smokers do the mistake, that they wanted to start with a thin (small) cigar. That

isn’t really smart! Just if we stay in Cuba - the cigars with the smaller diameter are made with “more spicy” and often stronger tobacco to keep the character of respective brand! That means,

that small cigars are not easier to smoke (like expected) - they are more pungent and

often stronger!

Cubans are dividing the rings of their cigars in small, medium and large diameters.

Cigar Service

๏ Choose the cigar the guest ordered - try to choose a good one (no spots - not damaged and in good condition).

๏ Bring the cigar with a cigar ashtray, cigar matches (or with an additional torch) and a cut-ter, cigar scissors or cigar puncher.

๏ Ask the guest, if you can assist him - this is really important, because some smokers don’t want to “share” their enjoyment to prepare a cigar!

๏ If the guest agreed go on with this further steps:

๏ Find carefully the right position for the cut.

๏ Cut - definite and fast!

๏ Open match box.

๏ Light a match - and let burn down the chemi-cal!

๏ Warm the end of the cigar over the flame. (Ro-tate cigar!)

๏ Now charr the end of the cigar over the flame - go on rotating!

๏ Move the cigar to light is up!

๏ If the end of the cigar glows evenly hand out the guest (laying down with the tip to the guest!


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The best

shape for a not regular smoker is a

Robusto - it is very thick (∅ 52) - but not so long (124 mm) and

time consuming. If the smoker don’t like thick cigars, a Corona or

Mareva might be a good choice (∅42 /142

mm)

๏ Leave matches on the table.

๏ TRY TO TOUCH THE CIGAR ONLY AT THE BAND!

Learn more about cigars and smoke!

The best advice about cigars you can accept is, read and learn a lot about flavors, sizes, brands, etc. Even you should also smoke to get this knowledge to do a perfect rec-ommendations.

Common VITOLAS DE GALERAS

Panatelas (Laguito No. 3):

Petit Coronas (Mareva):

Coronas:

Lonsdales (Cervantes):

Toros (Corona Gordas):

Robustos:

Torpedos (Pyramides):

Churchills (Julieta No.2):

Double Corona (Prominente):


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5th April ‘06 Induction of Cigar Service

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Introduction to Conversational French

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NOTES:

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