Choosing a better quality of panama hats

 How to find a good quality of Panama hats?

Panama hat is a unique hat that must be owned by fashion lovers especially men. Apart from its function as a good sun protector, I think men look better when wearing a panama hat. However there are several things that need to be examined to select a better quality of Panama hat. It is said that a Panama of true quality (a "superfino") can hold water and when rolled for storage can pass through a wedding ring, i also did mention this in my previous post.

Panama hats are made of natural fibers from the Toquilla Palm, called Palmata Carludovica, which is grown in fields and the wild near the West coast of Ecuador often only accessible by horse or donkey.  People from a whole village live from working on the Paja Toquilla (Toquilla straw). Only the unfolded shoots are used and are first split into finer strands by skilled fingers or with the help of a metal point. The finest strands are reserved for the finest hats while the leaves that are too soft or of inferior quality are separated and used for other purposes. The leaves are then cooked in boiling water after which they are hung up to dry. During this process they roll up vertically and form weavable strings but must be shaken regularly to avoid them sticking together. Once these strings, or paja toquilla, are dried, they are sorted and bundled up for transport to the weavers located in numerous towns and villages including Pile, Motecristi, Cuenca and Otavalo.  

The two Ecuadorian towns of Cuenca and Montecristi are the main producers of the Panama hats. However, these two towns do not produce the same quality of Panama Straw Hats even though the designs may be close. So what is the difference between a Cuenca hat and a Montecristi hat? There are major differences between these two hats. The Montecristi hat in quality is much more superior to the Cuenca hats. The Cuenca hats are made much faster so there are weaved in less time than that of the Montecristi hats. The production level is also much larger and much cheaper to produce and sell. The Montecristi hat on the other hand can take several months to make. More than quantity, here quality is a real issue. So in production level, the Montecristi hats are produce less in number each year.

Other than that, the Cuenca hats can have only one shape. The Montecristi hats on the other hand can have varieties of shapes. A true Montecristi hat has the ability to re-blocked in any shape. However the Cuenca hat does not have that flexibility to change shapes. Once made, the shapes are permanent. Montecristi hats are made to last a lifetime because the straw is so thin that becomes flexible. The Cuenca hats are made with thicker straw that might break after heavy usage. On the edge of the two hats, it is back weaved. The Cuenca hats do not have a strong back weave like that of the Montecristi hat.

More than that, the Cuenca hats are bleached with chemicals in order to turn the different colour tones of the straw into white. The straws will start breaking sooner or later if exposed to the strong sun with poor humidity. The Montecristi hats have a natural straw colour and the process involves to be smoked with sulphur and hand washed in water. The process of making the Montecristi hats are far more careful and better than the Cuenca hats.

For a hat of standard quality, a skilled weaver needs about 4 hours. Fine Montecristi hats can only be woven by the best weavers using the finest fibers and can take up to several months. The highest quality hats have a silky smooth texture where the weave is barely visible unless you hold them up to the light when you can see the fine weaving and “vueltas” or “carreras” (concentric rings). Hat quality is often judged by the number of vueltas per inch. A standard hat will have less than 10 vueltas whereas a finer Montecristi will have around 40.

For Superfino, (the highest quality of Panama hat) here is the comparison of select grade with a Superfino. The grade is measured by the number of weaves per square inch. A Superfino may have as many as 800-900 weaves per square inch and a Select 200-300. Superfine hats take four to six months to finish creating a marvel of lightness and purity. It takes a lot of order, skill and straw of great suppleness to create the unique Montecristi headwear. Today, the finest straw hats are rare but they continue to journey towards lands and seasons, bringing the softness and brilliance of these hats that are peculiar to Latin America. With a simple band of black cloth and a wide brim for protection, nothing is more desirable than the finest hats that are woven to perfection, a classic symbol of elegance and refined lifestyle, the legendary headwear that are here to stay forever.

So, if you buy a Panama hat from any vendor, make sure that it was crafted in Montecristi and you can be more confident that it will be of the best quality. One more thing that you should consider before buying Panama hat is not all hats advertised as Panama hats are in fact Panama hats. The phrase, "Panama hats", is not regulated. Materials from all over the world, some of which closely resemble carludovica palmata, are sold as "Panama hats". Some of these materials are quite nice and the hats are fairly priced. Others are not.  So buyers beware.