Unique
Kosher Cigars Debut
for Passover
New on the cigar scene are the Senor Solomon Kosher cigars.

Especially manufactured “Kosher for Passover” – – and all year – – cigars are the creation of Gershon (Gregory) Aizenman and Don “Kiki” Berger, master cigar maker. Berger, who is also Jewish, has master rollers, some of whom even worked for him in Cuba, re-creating the exceptional pre-1959 style cigars of pre-Castro Cuba. Senor Solomon cigars will carry the KSA kosher certification.

“Cigars need not be kosher all year because they are not something that we ingest,” explained Gregory Aizenman. “But at Passover Jews are, by Biblical law, required not to have in their possession fermented or leavened grains and, according to Eastern European custom, this injunction extends to beans such as soy, red, peanuts, rice, and the like.

“Long before the Surgeon General issued his warning, the use of tobacco has been discussed in Torah literature. Be it the permissibility of smoking on Jewish holidays to its use in general,  this pleasure has seen much play in sacred rabbinical literature. One issue widely discussed is the use of tobacco during Passover when great care must go into the production of even the most mundane of products.

The Magen Avrohom Orach Chaim (46:10) prohibited using tobacco during Pesach because it was soaked in beer, and this view is accepted by the Maharam Shick (Orach Chaim 242), who suggested that the beer additive regains its leaven grain status even when it is smoked. However, the Mishneh Berurah (the modern guide to Jewish law) writes that since manufacturing processes can change over time, they should be investigated and confirmed.

Gregory Aizenman has researched and investigated the manufacturing process, and affirmed its compliance with rabbinical authorities.

“While there have been arbiters that maintain we need not be concerned about additives in tobacco; however now, since cigars are not regulated as to additional ingredients, most cigar manufacturers have routinely experimented with various additives to improve taste and color. That is not the case with the way Senor Solomon cigars are made,” Aizenman added.

The Senor Solomon Kosher cigars must meet higher standards than regular cigars in order to have the kosher certification. The rabbi supervises the production from leaf through pilon (fermentation). The box is sealed and shipped; it is supervised through all steps of manufacturing to make sure there is no contamination.

The end product is 100 per cent tobacco with no additives, only the naturally occurring aromas and flavors of the pure tobacco leaf. The differences between regular cigars and these kosher cigars include:

    • The tobacco leaves must be grown
      and stored according to kosher law.
    • The glue used must be from tree
      sap, not a flour (which is a grain) and water composition.
    • Rollers of kosher cigars are not
      allowed to bring any food or beverage to the worktable, and the
      entire work area is inspected for compilation with kosher rules.
In addition, some standard practices,
that most cigars allow, are not allowed such as:
    • The outer leaves cannot be cooked
      in other substances to give it color, smell and texture. Some
      cigars are cooked in coffee or alcohol (which is a grain product),
      which is not kosher.
    • To enhance flavor oils are often
      used in other cigars some of which are animal by-products (which
      are not kosher), to enhance consistency, flavor, color of the ash
      and the evenness of the burn.
    • Fillers and binders, such as
      wheat and rye grass to enhance the flavor, are often used in
      cigars, which these kosher cigars do not use.
    • In the rolling process, rollers
      of non-kosher cigars may use sprays which may contain alcohol or
      other non-kosher ingredients.
Senor Solomon cigars are available in
two tastes:
  • FULL BODIED. Their distinguished
    stout taste is described as full-bodied and intensely flavorful with
    well-balanced floral flavors and a leather undertone. There are
    hints of spices and nuts. It ends with whispers of coffee and
    chocolate.
  • MEDIUM TO FULL BODIED. The deep
    complex taste is smooth, rich and exhilarating with creamy baking
    spices, eggnog notes and cedar woody undertones. The finish is
    crisp, relaxing and never overpowering.
Another uniqueness of the Senor
Solomon kosher cigar is that the proceeds will benefit a Jewish
school for special children with emotional and learning disabilities.
The cigars themselves are quite
special and flavorful.
Senor Solomon Natural wrapper
cigar is a smooth, medium-to-full-bodied cigar with rich and
exhilarating taste. Meticulously handcrafted by skilled master
rollers, every Senor Solomon Natural cigar is silky and superbly
constructed. Each tobacco leaf is hand selected, cured and aged
through an extensive fermentation and aging process. After three
years and five curing fermentations, the leaves evolve into this
perfect medium-to-full bodied cigar. Featuring a Cuban-style head and
Cuban-seed tobacco, they are wrapped in an aged natural shade-grown
leaf. As beautiful as these cigars are, their taste overshadows all.
The deep complex taste is smooth, rich and exhilarating with creamy
baking spices, eggnog notes and woody undertones. The finish is
crisp, relaxing and never overpowering. They are available in a 50 to
64 ring gauge, and lengths from 6, 7, and 6.5 Torpedo. They are
packaged in a 10- or 20-cigar cedar wood box.
Senor Solomon Habano Maduro
cigars are skillfully hand-made by rollers with years of experience.
The long filler is a sun-grown Cuban-seed Habano tobacco that is
surrounded by a binder of superior quality Habano 2000. As those
Cuban cigars of the past, each of the tobacco leaves is hand-picked
and selected on its ability to improve the taste. After three years,
five curing fermentations and aging, the leaves evolve into a
wonderful cigar at the hands of highly trained artisans. It is
magnificently draped in a dark and flawless Habano wrapper from
Brazil. These cigars are finished with a long curly head cap and a
classical tail typical of a cigar that was made in Cuba. The cigar
has large ring sizes of 52 to 64 and is 6” and 7” long.
Exceptionally finished, they are silky and impeccably pressed, and
are finished the way Cuban cigars were in the good old days. Smoking
one is an experience all by itself. It has a draw that is firm and
smooth. It burns evenly, leaving a white ash that is long and clean.
These cigars bring to mind the times
when Cuban cigars were the best in the world. This is what smoking
cigars is all about!
The finished product while of high
quality, is mid-range priced as to be affordable to most cigar
smokers who enjoy a good smoke with the peace of mind of knowing that
it is a pure product. Senor Solomon will be available in pricing
ranges from $12 to $17. 
For information on the growing list of
establishments where Senor Solomon cigars are available and upcoming
cigar events, google “senor solomon cigars”. To become a
distributor call Gershon Aizenman at 786-547-5551 or email to
gaizenman@senorsolomon.com.
Source: This press release was sent by Gershon “Gregory Aizerman” of Senor Solomon Cigars.