History of PAYNE-MASONPAYNE-MASON CIGARS

“To hand craft the World’s Finest Cigar”, was the simple objective of PAYNE-MASON years ago. The marketing concept in the early stages of development of PAYNE-MASON, was to institute a non-compromise standard that, once achieved, would not be offered at traditional retail stores, but to those private clients who appreciate and respect a higher level of excellence. Cigars were the first product selected to be featured by PAYNE-MASON. Coming from the film industry and knowing the male affluent market, I chose cigars as my first challenge. A cigar smoker for many years and self proclaimed cigar aficionado, I embarked on a year and a half journey to become half the cigar expert that I already thought I was.

When I began this journey into the history and heritage of cigars, I quickly found myself immersed in the family traditions and evolving economy of cigar manufacturing. Cuba, the heartbeat of cigar tradition, still today has a reputation for supplying perhaps the finest cigars worldwide. Once an unblemished reputation, Cuba faces tobacco production issues and is now challenged by other Latin American countries for quality and distribution superiority. The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Ecuador now produce cigars and grow fine tobaccos equaling, or in some cases, surpassing that produced in Cuba today. I will save cigar tobacco for next month’s gazette. For today I want to address the manufacturing of cigars.

There are two primary components when producing a World Class Cigar. The first is the tobacco and the second is the manufacturing process. When the objective is to produce the World’s Finest Cigar, there is only one option and that is hand rolling. To many cigar smokers, hand rolling is the only option and assumed by many that all cigars are hand rolled. The amazing fact is more than 90% of cigars manufactured worldwide are machine made. Unfortunately the hand rolling of cigars is a dying art form. The percentage of machine rolled cigars increases every year. Many popular brands of cigars will produce upwards of 100 million cigars annually.

The hand rolled production of a PAYNE-MASON cigar is a two day process. The first day a combination of tobaccos are selected for the purpose of achieving shared characteristics in the final product. Most manufactures use 1 or 2 year old tobaccos, a single tobacco variety and only tobacco from their country of origin. PAYNE-MASON will select more expensive 3, 5 and 8 year old tobaccos from as many as 5 countries, to create the balanced and unique flavor characteristics for each cigar. The long leaf filler tobacco selected is gathered by hand in an accordion fashion to insure proper air flow. Once gathered, the filler is placed within binder tobacco and rolled at a precise angle creating the original cigar shape. This first stage of hand rolling the cigar is complete. The cigar is then placed in a traditional wooden mold and pressed into shape over a 24 hour period. The following day, the cigar is removed from the mold by the master roller and placed upon the wrapper tobacco, specifically selected for its characteristics. The quality of the wrapper is most important. Over 40% of the cigar flavor will come from the wrapper tobacco. Only the very finest wrappers are selected by PAYNE-MASON. A 5 year old Connecticut shade and a 6 and 8 year old Dominican Maduro wrapper are used. These are among the highest grade of wrapper available in the world today. This non-compromising standard is the PAYNE-MASON difference.

PAYNE-MASON Difference

Quality in Manufacturing

In the first of the five part series on Cigars, I discussed at length, the significance of Hand Rolled Cigars over the industry trend towards

the machine made method. The quality of construction of a cigar is equally important as the tobacco used. This segment will address

the variations of tobaccos used in the manufacturing of cigars today.

Cigars consist of three component parts, the filler, binder and wrapper. Each of these components have different purposes which favor

into the quality and flavor of each individual cigar.

FILLER In hand rolled cigars, the tobacco used for the filler is a selection of long leaf tobaccos, whose characteristics blend well together and achieve the flavors nuances sought after in the finished product. The filler tobaccos selected are blended and become a significant factor in flavor and can represent 40 to 50 percent of the total flavor from a cigar. The wrapper will represent thebalance of the flavor, where as the binder provides a significant role, but offers little to the flavor of the cigar. Once selected, the roller will gather the long leaf filler tobaccos in an accordion style in his hand. This will allow for consistent airflow from front to back of the cigar. In contrast, a machine made cigar will stack damp, short leaf tobacco or crap, on top of one another, often causing a poor draw or plugged cigar. Machine made cigars will use less expensive, short leaf tobaccos, tobacco leaf scrap and chemicals additives. All PAYNE-MASON Cigars are hand rolled, using a blend of long leaf and aged filler tobaccos.

BINDER The primary role of the binder is to encase the filler. Generally the binder will offer little to the flavor of the cigar. Unique to this process, PAYNE-MASON will use aged binder tobaccos and often blended with other aged non-binder tobaccos, to enhance the overall flavor of the cigar. The roller will place the blend of filler tobaccos inside the binder leafs and begin to form the cigar by rolling the binder at an angle. Once rolled, the roller will place the cigar into a mold or cigar press for final shaping. The mold shaping is not a part of the machine manufacturing process. In the application of many premium cigar manufactures, this shaping and drying process is donein a plastic press for a period of about 1 hour. The Traditional method and one still used by PAYNE-MASON, true wooden presses are used and the press time is 24 hours.

Quality Wrapper

WRAPPER Here is where you will discover the significant difference in PAYNE-MASON Cigars. The structural purpose for the wrapper is to hold in place the binder, which encases the filler. It also provides an air tunnel by inclosing the binder and not allowing for air passage from between the open foot of the cigar and the clipped head.

Wrappers will vary greatly between Hand Rolled and Machine Made Cigars and by Cigar Manufacture. The youngest and least-expensive wrappers will be used in machine manufacturing or by manufactures looking for a lower price point.

There are a variety of quality wrapper tobaccos used today and each has its own distinct esthetic appeal and flavor characteristics. There are two general categories of wrapper, Natural and Maduro. Within these two categories, a wide selection of variations are available. The lighter, natural wrappers will generally offer milder, smother characteristics, while the maduro wrappers have bolder flavor characteristics. The country of origin and age of the wrapper will also factor into the mildness or boldness of a wrapper and its flavor nuances.

Country of Origin: Wrapper tobacco is grown around the world. However, there are only a few places where quality wrapper tobacco can be found. The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Cameron and Connecticut, USA are most known for quality wrapper. Each of these countries has their own set of flavor and leaf characteristics. Dominican wrapper is most popular for the Maduro wrapper, while Connecticut, USA is most famous for natural, mild, shade-grown wrapper.

Aged Wrapper: Much like grapes used in wine making, the Country of Origin and Age of the Wrapper, play’s a significant role in the quality of the cigar. Wrapper Tobacco is the most expensive tobacco used in cigar making and is often subject to compromise. Many of the cigar manufactures today will use wrapper which is one year old or less, in order to reach a price point or to meet the demands of mass production. Only a few Premiere Cigar Manufactures will use wrapper exceeding 2 years of age. With the wrapper representing as much as 50% of the flavor of a cigar, PAYNE-MASON profiles the quality of their wrapper, by using only 3 to 8 year old wrapper tobacco. There are quality choices we must make everyday, when it comes to selecting quality cigars, Never Compromise.

100% Hand Rolled

When PAYNE-MASON Cigars was established in 1999, the objective was to manufacture the World’s Finest Cigar. This is a tall order, knowing the

legend and history of cigars. Further research told us that the art of hand rolling was diminishing rapidly throughout the world. The focus on mass

production by major cigar manufactures created their need to compromise the manufacturing process and the eventual quality of the cigar.

The true process of hand rolling a cigar by a Master Roller is an individual art form, accomplished through years of training. The Master Roller will

begin his training as an apprentice. This apprentice period will be dependent upon the skill level of the young roller. If the young roller proceeds

successful through the initial training period over the first two years, he will work as a production roller, accomplishing various skill levels for the

next six years. Following this second stage of training the roller will begin to move to more difficult task and management positions. The

achievement and recognition as a Master Roller will take as long a twenty years.

There are two elements in the production of a hand rolled cigar, they are the tools and the tobacco. The tools used today in the original hand rolling

process consist of a rolling board or table, the chaveta “knife”, a guillotine, wood presses and vegetable glue.

The tobacco used are selected by application; filler, binder and wrapper tobaccos, by combinations used and by quality, which is based upon the

Manufacturing company and country of origin.

The construction of the cigar is comprised of three basic component parts, the filler, the binder and the wrapper. The binder leaf is held by the

roller with the purpose of encasing the filler tobaccos. The binder has a practical purpose, but contributes little to the flavor of the cigar. The filler

tobacco or tobaccos will represent upwards of 50% of the cigar flavor, with the balance coming from the wrapper. The filler is gathered in the hand

of the roller in an accordion fashion, with the purpose of creating airflow passage, producing a good and even draw. A cigar, which is plugged and

does not offer a good draw, is often evidence of a machine made cigar. Often a combination of tobaccos are used in the filler tobacco, blending the

flavors and characteristics of each tobacco to create the desired flavor of the cigar. Once the filler is rolled within the binder, it is placed into the

traditional wooden mold.

Select Wrapping of Cigars

The next process and most critical is the pressing. The cigar is placed into the wooden mold for a short time, less than an hour, under proper

pressure, forming the cigar shape. During this initial mold press period, the cigars are turn regularly to ensure proper, evenly distributed pressure.

The second phase of the pressing period will take an additional 24 hours. This time consuming pressing process is often compromised in mass

produced, name brand cigars. The knowledge and quality of his pressing process is the signature of the Master Roller.

Selecting and applying the wrapper is the final stage of construction. This is a very crucial stage and largely dependant upon the knowledge and skill

of the Master Roller. Selecting the wrapper is done with great care, for the visual presentation of the cigar is largely dependent on the flawless,

smooth texture, as well as the color and brightness of the wrapper.

Once the wrapper leaf has been selected and prepared, the Master Roller will cut and remove only the center cut of the leaf, emphasizing the more

flavorful part of the leaf and eliminating the exterior heavier veined areas. Tobacco trimmings are never used in the construction of high quality,

hand rolled cigar.

The Master Roller will now place the trimmed wrapper leaf on the board at the specific angle to assure a tight and straight roll. Vegetable glue is

placed at the beginning of the roll, between the pressed cigar and the wrapper, adhering the wrapper to the cigar. Once the cigar is roll to a smooth

and tight finish around the pressed cigar, it is ready for the cap. A Master Roller will create the cap from the original wrapper end. The cap of the

cigar is cut to a desired shape and size and precisely applied by wrapping from the side and over the top and then held into place by vegetable glue.

To meet our objective of manufacturing the World’s Finest Cigars, it is imperative of PAYNE-MASON to not follow the trend of modern cigar

manufactures to mass produce machine made cigars. Neither is it in our focus to compromise pressing process.

PAYNE-MASON Cigars are solely hand rolled by our Cuban Master Rollers. Using only selected tobaccos, which are aged upwards of 5 to 8 years and

rarely if ever used by brand name cigar manufactures.

To experience a PAYNE-MASON Cigar is a walk back into time, where quality was the only objective.

Quality over Quantity

“You have great cigars, but you can’t get em”

“You need to be in Cigar Stores & Liquor Stores”

These quotes echoed off the walls of PAYNE-MASON for many years.

Being exclusive to a small niche market has always been our intent and the trade off of deciding to be a cigar manufacturer

who will not accept compromise, is limited availability.

You can’t be both and we choose quality over mass production. Still hand rolled in the traditional Cuban method. Still hand

rolled by Cuban Master Rollers. Still pressed in the traditional wood molds for over 24 hours and still blending the worlds most

expensive and aged tobaccos, this is the quality standard held by PAYNE-MASON and not found among the mass produced

cigars at local retailers.

Yes, it costs more to produce this quality of cigar. And we recognize that not all cigar smokers appreciate or choose to afford

this level of quality. Much like a boutique winery, high quality and limited production is a choice. PAYNE-MASON’S target

market is not the mass market. PAYNE-MASON chooses instead, exclusivity and the pleasure of serving the direct clients and

selected outlets, whose demographic base is one that appreciates and respects the finest.

Life is to be celebrated. Memories are not made of quantity, but quality.

We hope that we have been a part of your celebrated life.

Questions & Answers

ROLLED BETWEEN THE THIGHS OF VIRGINS?

This wonderful legend is not true, at least not completely. A visiting journalist to Cuba in the mid nineteen forties, witnessed young women

sorting and grading tobacco leaf piled upon their bare skinned laps. The traveling journalist, with a vivid imagination, quickly penned an article

stating that while visiting Havana, he had witnessed cigars being rolled on the thighs of virgins.

IS WHITE ASH A SIGN A OF QUALITY?

This myth was promoted by many of the new cigar smokers in the cigar boom of the nineteen nineties. The fact is that the color of the ash

has no relevance to the quality of the cigar. The color of the ash is a direct result of the composition of the soil from which the tobaccos

where grown. White ash simply means that the soil from where the tobacco was grown was high in phosphorus and calcium.

In most cases, gray ash will indicate healthier tobacco. Ash, which is to white or to black, is generally less desirable. Dominican, Honduran

and Cuban soils are generally low in phosphorous and calcium and higher in magnesium. Magnesium tends to offer a sweeter smoke, with

a darker and flakier ash.

MOST FLAVOR OF A CIGAR COMES FROM THE WRAPPER…

The general rule is that the wrapper will represent 45 to 55 percent of the flavor. There are several contributing favors however. The quality of

the wrapper is a critical component to a well-balanced cigar. The blending of the characteristics of the filler and binder will also factor into the

flavor contribution of a quality cigar. A Connecticut Shade Wrapper is a very mild wrapper leaf with delicate flavor nuances, if paired with a full

bodied ligero filler for example, the Connecticut wrapper would become overwhelmed and contribute much less to the over flavor of the cigar.

A quality cigar would never use such a combination. In contrast, a fuller bodied filled would be married with a more full bodied, perhaps a

Dominican Maduro or Corojo wrapper, complimenting the characteristics of each cigar component. Wrapper leaf will vary in price from $8.00

a pound to over $60.00 per pound. The quality difference between low end and high-end wrapper is significant. The mass-produced, machine

made cigars, which represent over 90 percent of the worldwide production, will focus on the lower price point and use the lesser quality

wrapper. As the old adage goes…‘You Get What You Pay For.’