A Connecticut Shade experiment. We have been clear, Connecticut Shade tobacco is not our thing. Not at all. There is a specific characteristic in Connecticut Shade tobacco that we describe as a library flavor or an old book flavor. Something musty, dusty, and it is a flavor that, even in the mildest form, does not sit well with us.

But in recent years, we found out that Connecticut Shade from Honduras does not have that specific flavor. Connecticut Shade from Honduras could fool us to believe it is Corojo. That’s because of the nutty notes in the tasting notes. The nuttiness is a characteristic of Corojo tobacco. And since Connecticut Shade is grown in the United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and even in Brazil, we would like to challenge a cigar manufacturer to come up with a special sampler. A sampler with 6 small cigars. Petit Corona, Petit Robusto, those kinds of sizes as the wrapper filler ratio is better on smaller cigars. The filler and binder of each blend should be exactly the same, but the wrapper is different. Not a Maduro versus Connecticut or any other two wrappers versus the same binder and filler. That’s done a lot, in plenty of regular production cigars. No, 6 Connecticut Shade wrappers from different countries. This would be a fun sampler to smoke, and it would be great for educational purposes as well.

different wrappers different flavors

About a decade ago, after the departure of Sam Leccia, Studio Tobac made Bryan Scholle the brand ambassador for Cain and Nub. In that role, Scholle came to Europe for a promotional tour. During an event at Van Dalen Cigars in Rotterdam, The Netherlands Scholle told me to go into the humidor and grab myself three cigars. 2 of the same plus one with Connecticut Shade wrapper. So two Cain F 550 and one Oliva Connecticut Reserva. He then removed the wrapper from the Connecticut Reserva and one of the Cain F cigars. And applied that Connecticut Shade wrapper on the Cain F. He then asked me to light both Cain cigars, and taste the difference. It was a completely different cigar.

This experience plus the news that Macanudo is releasing an Inspirado with a Brazilian Connecticut Shade wrapper is leading to this article. We would like to challenge a cigar manufacturer to come up with a sampler with the same filler and binder, but with Connecticut Shade wrappers from different regions. Purely for educational purposes. I bet that many of us cigar media would love to partake in this experiment and review all these cigars to taste the difference between the regions. And to educate the cigar enthusiasts worldwide about the nuances differences between Connecticut Shade from Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Brazil, and the OG from the Connecticut River Valley.

So which manufacturer is up for the challenge? Let us know and we are game to be guinea pigs for this Connecticut Shade experiment. It would not surprise us if some retailers show interest in a sampler like this as well.