A man examines a collection of pipes was exhibited at the Shanghai's largest cigar gallery in Pudong yesterday. More than 100 kinds of cigars from countries such as Cuba and Spain are also on display, and for sale.

Cigar lovers can now enjoy the city's largest cigar gallery - with more than 100 kinds of cigars - in Pudong's New Shanghai Business City.

A cigar club, or cigar bar, with regular gatherings, is to open there in June. The emporium opened over the Labor Day holiday.

Located in the Food Inn on Zhangyang Road, the store, called Enva, offers more than 100 kinds of cigars from famous production centers such as Cuba, Dominica, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Spain. It also offers cigars from four Chinese factories in Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui and Shandong provinces.

All the cigars have an international rating over 80 - 100 being the highest evaluation score.

For a top-grade cigar, top tobacco leaves are needed. They undergo three years of fermentation and then are made into cigars after as many as 222 procedures, said David Chen, a senior consultant of Pudong Tobacco, Sugar & Wine Co Ltd.

The highest grade and most expensive cigars are Cohiba brand cigars from Cuba, each selling for 300 yuan (US$36) to 500 yuan (US$62).

"You can feel various natural tastes in the cigars, such as sweetness, fruit tastes and aromatic plant tastes," Chen said.

All the cut tobacco in the store is kept in boxes made of cedar that can retain the taste and dryness of the tobacco. The temperature and the humidity are both controlled at a certain level to guarantee the tobacco quality.

(Shanghai Daily May 9, 2006)