外国人最想和你聊的时事话题：古巴的雪茄

　What is Cuban Cigars　什么是古巴雪茄
     A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern United States.
     The prevalence of cigar smoking varies depending on location, historical period, and population surveyed, and prevalence estimates vary somewhat depending on the survey method. The U.S. is the top consuming country by far, followed by Germany and the UK； the U.S. and Western Europe account for about 75％ of cigar sales worldwide. The 2005 U.S. National Health Interview Survey estimated that 2.2％ of adults smoke cigars, about the same as smokeless tobacco but far less than the 21％ of adults who smoke cigarettes； it also estimated that 4.3％ of men but only 0.3％ of women smoke cigars. The 2002 U.S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health found that adults with serious psychological distress are significantly more likely to smoke cigars than those without. A 2007 California study found that gay men and bisexual women smoke significantly fewer cigars than the general population of men and women, respectively. Substantial and steady increases in cigar smoking were observed during the 1990s and early 2000s in the U.S. among both adults and adolescents. Data suggest that cigar usage among young adult males increased threefold during the 1990s, a 1999-2000 survey of 31,107 young adult U.S. military recruits found that 12.3％ smoked cigars, and a 2003-2004 survey of 4,486 high school students in a Midwestern county found that 18％ smoked cigars.
     Cuban cigars are rolled from tobacco leaves found throughout the country of Cuba. The filler, binder, and wrapper may come from different portions of the island. All cigar production in Cuba is controlled by the Cuban government, and each brand may be rolled in several different factories in Cuba. Cuban cigar rollers or "torcedores"are claimed by cigar experts to be the most skilled rollers in the world. Torcedores are highly respected in Cuban society and culture and travel worldwide displaying their art of hand rolling cigars.
     Habanos SA and Cubatabaco between them do all the work relating to Cuban cigars, including manufacture, quality control, promotion and distribution, and export. Cuba produces both handmade and machine made cigars. All boxes and labels are marked Hecho en Cuba (made in Cuba). Machine-bunched cigars finished by hand add Hecho a mano, while fully hand-made cigars say Totalmente a mano in script text, though not all Cuban cigars will include this statement. Because of the perceived status of Cuban cigars, counterfeits are somewhat commonplace.
     Despite American trade sanctions against Cuban products, cigars remain one of the country's leading exports. The country exported 77 million cigars in 1991, 67 million in 1992, and 57 million in 1993, the decline attributed to a loss of much of the wrapper crop in a hurricane.
     为了让人们在享受雪茄(cigar)时，有缝隙让烟通过，古巴雪茄的烟心(cigarfiller)是采取人工手撕的方法，将烟叶(tobacco leaf)纵向撕成两片，再进行烟心的制作，这也正是手制雪茄才能拥有的特色。古巴雪茄的烟心，是以下列三种烟叶所制成的，依不同比例混合后，便形成各品牌所独具的风味：里格路烟叶（LIGERO）--虽然LIGERO字面直译为"清淡"，相反的，这却是一种色深味浓的烟叶。里格路烟叶乃摘采烟草植物顶部生长最快、最强壮的部分精制而成，最少需要收藏三年才能使用。 思高烟叶（SEGO）--摘取烟草植物中间部分所制成，颜色较浅、质地较干，成熟后十八个月即可使用，烟味比里格路烟叶清淡许多。和拉多叶（VOLADO）--原意为"扉叶"，其实是采自植物底部的叶片(leaf) blade，成熟后九个月便可使用，烟味极淡，多用来帮助雪茄燃烧。而捆扎烟叶所采用的，多是接近植物底部的叶片，类似和拉多烟叶，烟味甚淡。