Cigar Wrappers A-Z
Every week, I get at least one question about cigar wrappers. What’s the relationship with the wrapper color and power, is this mold or bloom, where does an Ecuador Connecticut...
Published November 2023
In a world where aggressive cigar flavors get all the press, it’s easy for mild manners to be overlooked. Perhaps it’s a matter of nice guys finishing last, but more...
Published November 2023
Prior to the Corojo ’98 or ’99 varietals, this was the plant used for wrappers in Cuba. Historically, all premium Habanos (Cuban cigars) made for export are produced with wrapper...
Published June 2022
Mexico’s cigar industry is quite large and also quite consolidated, the entirety of it being located in the region of Los Tuxtlas along the Gulf of Mexico. This fertile region...
Published June 2022
Wrappers of Honduran origin have a strength and flavor that fall between Ecuador and Nicaragua tobacco. There is an earthiness but there is also a spice. Camacho and Puros Indios...
Published June 2022
This leaf is grown in central eastern Brazil in the state of Alagoas from the Bahia type (see here for Common Tobacco Strains). It is often referred to as a...
Published June 2022
When American consumers think of cigars, thoughts usually turn toward Cuba and other countries in Central and South America—not to Indonesia. Nonetheless, Indonesia is enjoying success with its Besuki wrappers...
Published June 2022
Before I delve into cigar wrapper types, I wanted to give a quick overview of cigar tobacco in general, specifically the common tobacco strains. Tobacco originates from South America: Ecuador...
Published May 2022
The Cameroon is my personal favorite non-Cuban wrapper, long regarded by many as the best wrapper leaf outside of Cuba. The Cameroon wrapper is originally from the Sumatran black tobacco...
Published May 2022
Despite political upheavals which have made production difficult at times, Nicaragua has proved to be a leader in premium cigar production and puts out some of the most aromatic and...
Published May 2022
Connecticut Broadleaf, unlike Connecticut shade, is grown in full sun, where the leaf gets thick and full of sugar. The plant is stalk cut instead of primed. Usually earthy and...
Published May 2022
Connecticut leaf (or Connecticut Shade) is the gold standard of non-Cuban cigar wrappers. Revered for its silky feel and barely visible veins, this thin wrapper also burns like a champ....
Published May 2022
Sumatra – this is where it gets complicated for me. Sumatra is a sub-species of “Black Tobacco”, the tobacco used in cigars. But there are several different types of wrapper...
Published May 2022
The Habano 2000 plant is supposedly a cross between Cuban-seed and Connecticut Shade. This wrapper was extremely popular in the 90’s but is being used less frequently. The origin of...
Published May 2022
“Maduro” is a Spanish adjective meaning “ripe”. By the loosest definition, a wrapper leaf is a maduro if it’s dark enough. Maduro is really a shade of tobacco, not a...
Published May 2022
Illusione ~hl~ Holy Lance Colorado (in the middle), surrounded by the Candela (left) and Maduro (right). Photo credit: danthebugmanColorado is the term used to describe a cigar that falls in...
Published April 2022
Pronounced cree-oy-yo, Criollo means “native seed,” and may also be described as “Havana-seed.” Ask a Cuban what the word means and to them this means a Cuban leaf grown on...
Published March 2022
This is one wrapper that is actually in reality both a color and a type of wrapper. Almost despised now, this wrapper color was the most popular cigar for the...
Published February 2022
Chances are when you think of Brazil, you think of the Amazon rainforest. The rainforest doesn’t cover the entirety of the huge South American country though, which is almost as...
Published February 2022
Of all the countries that produce cigars, Costa Rica is perhaps one of the most overlooked when it comes to cigar wrappers. Despite this, Costa Rican puros are quite popular,...
Published February 2022
Cigar wrappers from the Dominican Republic are loved by cigar fans around the world, and cigars from the Dominican Republic are arguably as well known and as popular as cigars...
Published February 2022
This is the probably the trendiest wrapper right now. It is of course also one of the wrappers they use in Cuba (Corojo ’99 variety). Original Corojo, in fact, was...
Published February 2022
The Mata Fina wrapper, named after where it is grown, is a reference to one of the four major growing zones in Brazil. Mata Fina is the region most prized...
Published February 2022
There is a lot of information online about cigar wrappers, mostly listing different shades and providing short characteristics of each type. We’ve decided to go a bit further and attempted...
Published January 2022