Learning about tobacco
Tobacco is cultivated throughout the year in Cuba. Native to tropical America, seedlings are grown according to the leaves that they will produce. Following the annual harvest, the tobacco is 'air cured' in humid barns. Next, it's sold to the government, the farmers’ only possible client.
"We earn next to nothing", said Rogelio, the rugged and dark-eyed farmer who had come in from his work to hand-roll his tabaco. "It's very difficult to expand the operation. The government is fastidious about private enterprise."
A cigar consists of three different types of tobacco leaf, all cultivated separately. The “filler”, which makes up the bulk of the item, the “binder” which holds its contents in place, and the “wrap”, a larger and unblemished leaf which forms the cigar's skin. Cuban torcedores (cigar makers) are highly regarded in island society and considered to be the world's most skilled. Cuba exports on average 60 million cigars annually.
We arrived at Viñales with Rogelio's hand-rolled cigars safely in the glove box. Strolling through to the hotel poolside to take in the astonishing view across the national park, we sat down. We ordered daiquiris and breathed deeply after the day's voyage. The wind, cool in the evening, still carried the sweet scent of the fresh tobacco fields below – the Caribbean's most spectacular tobacco country.
For more tips on visiting Cuba, watch out Things to do in Cuba video below: