{"id":672,"date":"2026-05-22T18:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familie-kleinman.nl\/brain\/?p=672"},"modified":"2026-05-22T19:26:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:26:35","slug":"punching-through-the-cigar-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familie-kleinman.nl\/brain\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/punching-through-the-cigar-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"Punching through the cigar myth"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently talked to a co-worker who liked smoking a cigar every once in a while, especially during poker nights or after major events, almost as some sort of reward.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And somehow the YouTube algorithm dragged me towards videos of people handcrafting cigars.<\/p>\n

Yay! lucky me \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

Besides the fact that I find the whole cigar-making process weirdly fascinating, there is not a single cell in my body thinking:<\/p>\n

“Hell yeah, let\u2019s set one on fire.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And why, you might ask?<\/p>\n

Composting tobacco<\/h2>\n

Yeah, you read that caption right. Composting tobacco!<\/p>\n

That same YouTube algorithm then decided I also needed a full documentary on how tobacco is grown.<\/p>\n

Apparently I was fully committed to cigar science at that point.<\/p>\n

After watching a video I got a genuine short-circuit between my braincells.<\/p>\n

With one very serious question:<\/p>\n

Why the hell would anyone ever want to smoke that product?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let me take you through that process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Grow tobacco plants<\/li>\n
  2. Harvest the leaves<\/li>\n
  3. Hang them in dark barns until they dry out<\/li>\n
  4. Stack them into giant warm piles to start the \u201cfermentation\u201d process (read: controlled decomposition)<\/li>\n
  5. Monitor the temperature so the pile doesn\u2019t literally cook itself<\/li>\n
  6. Tear the entire thing apart<\/li>\n
  7. Build it back up again<\/li>\n
  8. Repeat this for months or even years<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And remember:<\/p>\n

    the reason tobacco plants contain nicotine in the first place is to fend off insects and pests.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    And perhaps the biggest question of them all:<\/p>\n

    Why tobacco leaves and not, for example, rhubarb leaves?<\/p>\n

    Ageing<\/h3>\n

    Ageing whiskey, bourbon or wine at least makes some sense to me.<\/p>\n

    But this?<\/p>\n

    Ehhh…<\/p>\n

    \n

    Somewhere along the line, you completely lost me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Creating the tobacco tubes<\/h2>\n

    Because yes, that is ultimately what a cigar is:<\/p>\n

    \n

    A carefully handcrafted tobacco tube.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    And now take a bunch of those fermented leaves, roll them into different lengths and diameters, then use a special \u201cpremium\u201d leaf on the outside because apparently that one looks nicer than the leaves in the middle.<\/p>\n

    Presto.<\/p>\n

    Luxury tobacco tube acquired.<\/p>\n

    And it is called a cigar now!<\/p>\n

    Occasions<\/h2>\n

    And the kind of occasions people link cigars to completely baffle me.<\/p>\n

    Somehow cigars are linked to celebrations and success!<\/p>\n

    To name a few:<\/p>\n