Cigar Library
Cigar Wrappers A-Z
Wrappers A-Z: Sumatra
Date: May 2022
Author: Zen Cigar
Author: Zen Cigar
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 leaf grown in Indonesia/Java/Sumatra and depending on manufacturer, the description “Sumatra” may mean a Sumatra leaf or it may mean a wrapper from the Sumatra region (TBN, Connecticut Shade, VBN, etc.).
That said I dislike a lot of cigars that uses “this” wrapper. The bad ones I find sour and cloying and the bad taste coats the tongue and makes it hard to try another cigar. This can make a great cigar or a horrible one. This seems to be the more abundant wrapper leaves on the market.
Versions
- Cameroon – see Cameroon section.
- Dark Sumatran – sun grown version, used in the Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra.
- Dominican –this is probably my favorite I guess. It has a bit more earthiness and a touch more spice than the rest. Check it out in the LG Diez Small Batch No. 2.
- Ecuadorian – more popular than its other cousins, the Ecuadorian version can be darker, oilier and spicier. The best example of this is the La Flor Dominicana Ligero Cabinet Oscuro. Also try the non-Cuban Punch line (Uppercut, Champion…), the Rocky Patel Decade or Cubao cigars.
- Indonesian.
- Nicaraguan – found in the La Reloba Sumatra or La Flor de Oliva.
- TBN – see section Besuki TBN.
@Debora
Not many Indonesian puros (= cigars made only from Indonesian tobacco) out there… You can try searching for Sultan cigars or Tambo cigars. Hope this helps.
Thank you for your information and help and suggestions. As I recall the simplistic wooden box was made in Sumatra and I am pretty sure that the cigars were not just wrapped in a sumatran outer layer but that they were all sumatran tobacco leaves. Is there a product like that on the market? When I google it I only get the listings for the Sumatran wrapper. And out of curiosity why do they only wrap a cigar in a sumatran leaf and is it really grown in Sumatra? Or is it a name of a variety that can be grown anywhere? What is the deal with Sumatran leaves that they do not make a whole cigar out of the leaves from Sumatra?
There is much to learn about cigars…
@Debora
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately it’s impossible to tell whether the cigars you purchased back then were Indonesian puros (i.e. all tobacco – wrapper, filler and binder leaves) or just had a Sumatra wrapper (grown or not in Indonesia). Most probably it was just the wrapper.
You might want to get something like this for your son: http://goo.gl/F8zKGc
About 5 years ago I was in Delft, the Netherlands at an open air market. I purchased a wooden box with about 12 cigars in it. They were marked Sumatra.I assumed this meant they were made in Sumatra because of the Dutch and Indonesian connection. My son really enjoyed them and asked if I could get some more. I live in Canada and do not forsee going to Delft tin the near future. So I decided to look for them on line. All I can find are cigars labelled as Sumatran but they are made with tobaccos from Cuba and or Brazil. Can you give me any leads?