Are Maduro cigars sometimes dyed?

[Spartan18]

I've been reading a few stories around the net recently on allegations from several smokers that their non cuban maduro cigars stain their lips and fingers etc....Predominately it seems to be a problem with maduro cigars coming from Rocky Patel like the edge maduro the old world reserve but invlove brands from other manufacturers as well (i.e CAO Brazilia). I've smoked the edge maduro and the old world reserve and I thoroughly enjoyed them without the slightest of problems, probably the best non cubans I've ever smoked.

I do worry though when i read so many cases of people having their cigars giving away "colour" in their hands. It makes you wonder if those perfect back maduro wrappers are not entirely natural. Even more so when this happens with cigar houses supposedly crafting "premium" cigars

What are your thoughts on the above, has it ever occurred to you?

[kevree]

Dyed cigars ?

Wash your mouth out !!

see what I did there

[JOAO LA PEZ]

Tobacco contains a lot of brown colour, the insecticide i make from Behike's does any hoo.

[Smallclub]

Yes, certain maduros are dyed - I saw a video about this but can't remember on which forum it was posted…

[monkey66]

A very fine line between legitamate ageing and 'washing' of tobacco bundles (bethune) and dying.

A big give away is boxes of absolutely identical shaded sticks. I was recently smoking a Brickhouse from a full box. Apart from the slightly chemical/artificial taste it was very noticeable that they all had an identical colour that could not be natural.

Will not be smoking another.

I have not seen this kind of stuff on cc's ...yet.

Sent from happy, clappy, tappy.

[SmokeyDave]

I quizzed Juan at the Big Smoke recently (I forget his last name) who was a rep for Rocky Patel, on asking the question "are they dyed?" he replied that you can easily tell a dyed cigar in that it will turn your fingers and lips a very odd colour. Rocky Patel do not dye their cigars according to him but they do add sugar to their leaves, hence the sweet taste.

[monkey66]

I guess 'dying' implies an actual colouring agent as apposed to a treatment like sugar. I think at the point when the process is about uniform appearance, not taste it is a problem for me. Unfortunately I think the former is true for a large number of so-called 'maduro' cigars.

I suspect this is market led and a lot of consumers (we are talking about predominately the US market) look for dark wrappers. If you need to compete you need dark wrappers.

[Deano]

Certainly heard rumours that a number of non-Cuban manufacturers do this, hard to say who though.

[Smallclub]

Certainly heard rumours that a number of non-Cuban manufacturers do this, hard to say who though.

Rumours? I'm sure New world manufacturers have been dying wrappers for ages.

There is an interesting read by Steve Saka of Drew Estate Inc.:

http://tobacconistuniversity.org/blog/?p=1656

don't miss the part about the maduro-matic technique!

[Deano]

By that I mean I've never heard or read it confirmed, probably as I'm not as well experienced in cigars as some. I'm quite happy to be educated though.

[Spartan18]

Guys many thanks for your input.

I have to admit that I was quite disappointed when I read all these articles about manufactures dying cigars (with various method of course such as use of molasses, steaming the leafs, using colorant of the E type yuckkkk), as some of you very well noted predominantly non Cuban manufacturers. I have to admit that all the NC cigars I smoked so far were trouble free and Rocky's Edge and Olde world reserve maduros are among my favorites.

I always thought that NC cigars look better than their Cuban cousins and that the average quality control and manufacturing standards are indeed higher. After all I never had a draw problem with a NC.

Taste wise however its a different story for me. I suppose I'll borrow the paradigm of someone else who describes Non Cuban and Cuban cigars as distinct bands and their music. The non cubans are a band which excels in execution and consistency of delivery, the music is good sometimes it can be very good but never exceptional. The cuban band is not always consistent with their performance it changes from one show to the next (i.e, appearance, occasional draw problems) but their music...ahh its a music that can blow your mind away

Food for thought, I'm attaching the following link from Rocky Patel's site showing a short video on sorting tobacco leafs. Can someone please tell me whats that dark substance the lady is applying to the leafs??? ...Please don't misunderstand me I think the guy is doing an amazing job and I love some of his cigars (I'm just not sure how to interpret what I see in this video after reading all these articles about dyes etc)

http://www.rockypatel.com/rockytv/index.php?video_tab=3&video_id=5

[Smallclub]

Can someone please tell me whats that dark substance the lady is applying to the leafs???

It's not a "dark substance", it's water, maybe with a bit of tobacco juice (decoction of stems). The idea is to keep the leaves supple at this stage, nothing else.

[AlexG]

I've heard 'rumours' of this too, and i do believe that cigars like the RP OWR are 'dyed', using a mixture of water, tobacco juice, sugar and a few other things, all natural. gives the cigar that uniform colour, as no-one wants to smoke an albino leopard, and i think thats why they have that sweet, molasses-y taste.
i put 'dyed' in commas before, because i *think* brands like RP dont call it dyed as its all natural, no artificial chemicals.
but hey, at the end of the day, if its dyed, not dyed, hung in a barrell, hung upside down, rolled by an old guy or rolled on the thighs of an Amazonian virgin, if you like it smoke it!

[Ethem]

This is true. Generally NC Maduro leaves are not actually aged, they're 'processed' to become Maduro leaves.

[monkey66]

This is true. Generally NC Maduro leaves are not actually aged, they're 'processed' to become Maduro leaves.

That's quite a broad statement. What info are you basing it on?

Sent from happy, clappy, tappy.