Oscar and Orestes are the same in many aspects, apart from their faces, practically identical because they are twins, they repeat last names, as well as to note another coincidence, they respond to Iglesias Iglesias; but the strongest power of all the relationships in these two men is the passion for the same trade, they are both tobacconists in fact and also in heart.
It is a tradition that runs in the family, the “little” they know they thank their parents and uncle and quote “little” to faithfully quote what they told me, but what they know is really a “world and more” on the nightshade, to the point that all the producers in San Luis assure that where they put the stamp, they can bet, it is like that.
TALK FIRST WITH OSCAR
So let us trust that this 2023 will be the year of the export wrapper in this southern territory, said Oscar, who works as the main specialist in covered tobacco at the ABT Tobacco Collection and Processing Company.
He in particular, says he loves what he does, “it’s in my blood, if I don’t touch a tobacco leaf 10 times every time I get the chance, and I don’t go to the chosen one and smell it, I better not go in, that’s I like it”.
I was able to realize this loving relationship between Oscar and tobacco without anyone telling me, there in the controlled and natural cure areas located in El Corojo, one day while I was reporting, I saw it. He caressed the leaf, he smelled it, he passed his hand over and over again, with total complicity, at a certain moment I thought he was kissing it and it was that he wanted to know the taste, he did not withdraw without knowing the taste it had, the one that later I knew it was sweet and meant a good sign.
He says that, with a very strong learning rigor, he and his brother spent about 45 days sitting on a bench to learn, that adds up to a few years now, then came a test, class by class, page by page, because they had to learn about the more than 29 kinds of export layers that exist, but they still keep that inserted knowledge that increased over time and is, until today, the main work tool, knowing well about what they do.
Oscar arrived at ABT in ’90, where he worked as a technologist, to attend to the benefit part, vega fina, until today he is the main specialist in the activity, but since ’85 he has been working in the same sector.
THE OTHER OF THE BROTHERS
It was similar with Orestes, he started in the same school where they learned when they were young, he was there until 2010, when the ABT had the need to use his skills and recruited him to attend to the part of sun tobacco, virginia tobacco, and there it is, “I too, if I don’t get to touch tobacco in the places where I am, I won’t go”, it could be said that this is, instead of an evil, a family asset.
I learned that, on occasions, it was necessary to know the criteria of one, and when the other arrived, without margin for differences, the two agreed on their thoughts and procedures on the same issue, “without actually communicating, we do it practically at the same time I live in Buena Vista, far from him, and when we see each other, I tell him, Nene, what do you think of this? And even they themselves are amazed by the coincidence of ideas.
Oscar said that, when he saw the first controlled cures this year, he was afraid, because of the number of layers he saw, “I told him, I need you to go to the tobacco house of a natural cure producer and tell me what you see , to know if I’m wrong.
“He went and told me, Nene, you are right, this year there is a cape, we also went to the controlled cure chambers and he told me the same thing, we both agreed that this year was going to be the year of the cape in San Luis ”.
At the time of the interview, the tobacco was not processed in the selected ones, a very technical process, fast and with a lot of dedication, they explained with total precision about the pylon time, the turn, the benefit and about the classification, as if they were in a conference masterly.
“If all this is achieved as has been done in the agricultural area, the municipality will make a great leap in the export layer”, the days will speak, let’s wait to see if these peasants were right.
Although they are sure that it is, they say that they have not seen bad tobacco this year, “the producers here have gained culture, despite the difficulties after Hurricane Ian, they have done things the way they are.”
THERE WILL BE JIMAGUAS FOR A WHILE
Both say they are “until there is tobacco for us” and they nod their heads all the time. Oscar and Orestes were National Vanguard of the same sector when they were workers, for seven years, the second went to other provinces and countries to provide advice, to train other producers, but now they are together at ABT in San Luis. They were children who loved sports, but fate wanted them to study technology and tobacco, they fell in love forever.
They assure that the producers are in themselves, their raison d’être, that they like to talk with each one, exchange, visit the fields, dedicate hours to them, at the same time that the peasants appreciate the accompaniment from the furrow, Oscar and Orestes make them want to true so that the tobacco lasts, they offer hands, heart and wisdom.
It can be affirmed that these men are fully aware of the needs of this typical line of Pinar del Río, they dominate the smells, the textures, even from the smoke, they distinguish the quality leaf only by seeing if they make the ring well, they assured that the good layer is sweet on the palate.
They always talk about tobacco, they remembered their mother, already deceased, who called their attention for being on days off, while they shared, returning to the same topic.
And so it was that, between harvest tales, I met the Jimaguas, two men from San Luis who swore by the most sacred thing, that the love for tobacco runs through their blood.
