To make a good cigar, good tobacco is needed that fits the type of cigar. There are differently shapes and flavours in cigars, like the bolknak, the tuitknak and the corona. Characteristic for the Dutch cigar, the shortfiller, is the blend of filler, a mixture of various – often up to twenty – cut tobacco varieties The cigar is made on a zinkje, a small iron plate. For a longfiller the tobacco is first stripped, the middle vein is taken out of the leaf. Then the tobacco is rolled up accordion-wise, so that flues appear. The bundle that has been created, is wrapped in a so-called omblad (binder), a strong leaf that keeps the bundle together. It is very important that the binder is strong, but flexible too, to give the right shape to the cigar. The little package is now called a wikkel (bunch) and that goes into an open, wooden mould. A lid is put on it and the mould is put under a cigar press for about three hours. This makes sure that the bunch dries and that the cigar is kept firm. When the cigar is taken out of the press, it is trimmed with small scissors. Then a wrapper is cut with a special wheel knife. This wrapper is selected from the finest tobacco and must be perfectly flawless, otherwise the cigar would leak and not be smokeable. The flavour of the wrapper is balanced with the blend inside, to make a good combination. Many good wrappers come from Sumatra. The bunch is wrapped obliquely in the wrapper and glued with gum arabic. The cigar is ready, but before it can be smoked, it must dry for a couple of days.
