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The double torpedo format –a one-of-a-kind habano that sits on the top of the cigar-making art and holds the title as the most complex format in the habanos realm– requires a blend as perfect as its leaves. A blend that in this case calls for dedication, experience and knowledge, and Juan Jose Lopez Freire is the right guy to get that job done.
His father was a cigar roller and his mother a rezagadora (cigar quality controller). He started to learn this trade at the age of 16. That was the beginning of a long career during which he run stints as a manager of habano factories, a student of Chemical Engineering and a worker at the Tobacco Research Institute, until he retired.
Despite being in retirement, this tobacco-hearted Cuban man keeps a hands-on attitude in the world of Habanos. “I just can’t put that environment behind me,” this man, who has lived over 70 years, says with the same passion he has felt for decades.
According to Juan Jose, double-torpedo habanos are more complex in terms of the rolling process. “Not all cigar makers are up to rolling such a cigar. Totally hand-rolling a cigar with both ends tapered off is quite a difficult task.”
“Within the range of habanos, Cuaba is the only brand that produces all of its vitolas with a double-torpedo format. Cuaba was named after the native word that describes the burning stick the early islanders used to light up their cohibas.”
This brand, now celebrating two decades of existence, was launched back in 1996 in a bid to bring back a myth from the 19th century: the double-torpedo habanos, cigars that were all the rage during the course of that century and in the early 1900s. Their fame, though, slumped in the 1950s.
“We seriously took on the creation of this brand,” Juan Jose recalls. “The goal was to rekindle the most popular habano in the 19th-century’s Cuba. The British market was our initial target, because of its hot enthusiasm for the double torpedo. It undoubtedly stands out as an elitist brand, because that’s the format of its vitolas. 
“Featuring a mild-to-strong taste, Cuaba’s vitolas comprise cigars that can be enjoyed in 30 minutes or two hours. Divino and Diadema are examples that perfectly match both timeframes,” the expert points out.
What’s the key element for success when rolling a double torpedo?
“There are several factors, but it mainly depends on the origin of the leaves and the foliar level composition. The leaves used to roll these cigars must be exclusively taken from Vuelta Abajo, Pinar del Rio. Due to the characteristics of the soil and climate, Vuelta Abajo is the world’s best tobacco region when it comes to cultivating different leaf types for habanos. Therefore, the leaves used to roll double torpedoes must hail from this region. The blend is just another determining factor. Ligero, seco and volado are to be positioned in the right way, so the strength, scent and burning are perfectly clinched.”
The perfection in the finish of the format depends on the cigar maker’s skills. That literally holds the success of a habano in his hands.
“Cigar makers are artists,” Juan Jose underlines. “Therefore, their experience is not enough when it comes to making a double torpedo. Rolling this type of habanos takes inborn art.”
Why is this habano so special or different when puffed on?
“It’s a complex cigar in terms of its format and composition. That’s the reason why tasting it takes WISDOM. Smoking one of these habanos is not a common thing to do, even among the most seasoned smokers. They usually handpick a simpler one. Puffing on them, however, is a value-added experience.”
“The first step is to know which end is to be lit up, since they seem to be alike, but they’re not. One is totally closed and the other one has a small hole. This is the end to be lit up. Oh, and it should be preferably lit up with a cedar stick, just as required by a fine habano ritual.”
“While the smoker puffs on a double torpedo, we can witness what in physics is known as the Venturi effect. When the substances contained in the cigar go through the tapered end and into the mouth, they completely irradiate it. The expansion of these substances delivers an extraordinary sensation.” 
“Just like every habano, the taste of a double torpedo is not truly felt in the first third. That comes out when the thickest part of the cigar is reached. In the case of double torpedoes, reaching this area takes longer because of their shape.”
Juan Jose describes the process of smoking one of these habanos as “something incredible”. That’s why he says that habano enthusiasts who have the opportunity to wallow in a Cuaba’s double torpedo, at least once in a lifetime, will be very lucky. He is one of those lucky people and says that tasting these cigars represents “a one-and-only experience.” So, this could be a goal for habanos lovers, especially for those with the sensibility to revel in mankind’s exquisite creations.