Our story starts in the 1990's when our founder first started his experiments with locally grown tobacco as a hobby. His passion for cigars continued and after some failed attempts with the tobacco from the Lowveld, he discovered the tobacco grown in a beautiful valley near the southern coast of Africa where the terroir is comparable with that of the mineral rich earth of volcanic islands like Cuba and the Dominican Republic. We source our wrapper and binder leaves from this valley. Our filler leaves are from the tobacco farms in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Traditionally, the local tobaccos are known for their large, veiny leaves and high nicotine content which results from the dry and sunny environments where local tobacco is grown. The local tobacco is primarily grown and processed for the cigarette factories, only a limited amount is specifically grown for use as pipe tobacco. We source specially grown tobacco for our cigars. Santa Bras Cigars are the only South African cigar manufacturer.
Notwithstanding this, we discovered that the local tobacco, if properly cured and fermented can be used in cigar blends for stronger, full bodied cigars. We also found that the local volado leaves, the four leaves at the bottom of the plant has a high oil content and is delicate enough for use as binder and wrapper leaves if correctly processed.
A cigar is made up of filler, binder and wrapper leaves of tobacco. The outermost layer, the wrapper leaf, is the most flavourful part of the cigar, contributing to around 80% of the flavour of the whole cigar! When a cigar is thicker, there is proportionally more filler and binder tobacco than in a thinner cigar and this tends to suit the local leaves. The result of this, is a cigar with a very natural look and a taste profile typical of stronger tobaccos. This goes from strong black coffee, dark chocolate notes, caramel, cinnamon to spicy black pepper and almonds.
We discovered that, in combination with good quality imported cigar tobacco, the local tobacco can be molded into a memorable cigar with certain blending combinations and the use of supportive vitolas. Vitolas are the descriptive name for a particular size and shape of a cigar. The thickness of a cigar often has an impact on how hot it burns. A thick cigar will burn slow and cool, while a thin cigar will be faster and hotter. This is one of the reasons that a bigger cigar takes longer to smoke than a thinner cigar. We discovered that the local tobacco really comes into its own in thicker cigars and when smoked at lower temperatures. And so the story of our success began. Let us introduce our Navigator Series!
The early 15th century saw the rise of the full-rigged ship, which had three masts and five or six sails. At the beginning of that century Europe and Asia were connected by caravan routes over land. By the end of the century Da Gama, Columbus, and Cabot had made their revolutionary journeys, the Portuguese had organized the first school of oceanic navigation, and trade had begun to be global. The commercial activities of Portugal in the early 15th century marked an epoch of distinct progress in practical navigation.
Vasco da Gama carried out 2 expeditions between 1497 and 1502. It was during the first expedition that Vasco da Gama's crew landed in South Africa. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this first expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then.
Unveiling the secret behind Santa Bras Cigars' unique flavour: our exceptional leaves! Sourced from the lush valley between the Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains in the Western Cape, our leaves give our cigars their distinct taste.
Our local tobaccos are known for their large, veiny leaves and high nicotine content, perfect for full-bodied cigar blends when properly cured and fermented.
Our thicker cigars boast a robust profile, with notes of strong black coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, spicy black pepper and almonds. Indulge in the unparalleled taste of South African tobacco with Santa Bras Cigars - the only South African cigar manufacturer.
