Much of the great taste of a cigar, along with its sheik appearance, comes from the cigar wrapper.
Cigar wrappers are very different from cigarette wrappers. There are actually three different types of tobacco leaves, the variations of which determine the many unique characteristics of a cigar.
The outer tobacco leaves that go around the rest of the cigar are called the cigar wrapper. These leaves come from the broadest part of the plant. The wrapper contributes much to the character and flavor of the cigar. It is also the source of the cigar’s color.
Cigarettes are very different than cigars in several respects. To begin with, they are smaller in size. They use processed leaves that are finely shredded as filler tobacco. Cigarette wrappers are not made from tobacco, but rather from paper.
A premium cigar, by contrast, is made entirely of whole-leaf tobacco.
The widest part of the cigar plant is used to make the cigar wrapper. The wrapper determines approximately 50% of the cigar’s flavor. It is therefore equally important to use the very best tobacco for the wrapper as it is to use a find blend of cigar tobacco for the filler.
Color is also a very important attribute by which cigars are gauged. The colors of cigars range from lightest to darkest.
Cigar wrappers are specially prepared through a very conscious, deliberate, and patient process.
After the tobacco leaves age, they are sorted out for use as fillers or wrappers. Quality and appearance will ultimately determine which leaves become wrappers. Leaves are carefully moistening and handled to make sure that each leaf maintains its integrity and quality.
Tobacco leaves are afterward bailed and inspected. After a period of time, they are unbaled, then reinspected, and then baled all over again. This process is continued as the leaves continue to mature. At the height of maturation, the leaves are then used in the manufacture of cigars.
Cigar wrapper tobacco is grown in Latin America in countries such as Brazil, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, and Honduras. In Asia, farmers grow it in Indonesia, Sumatra, and the Philippines.
Many notable cigar wrappers are grown in the West African country of Cameroon. Some cigar tobacco is also grown in the Eastern United States.
The reason that so much tobacco is grown overseas has to do primarily with the soil and climate conditions of these countries. The best soil for tobacco to grow is in ground that is rich and loamy. The very best climate conditions are those that are moist and mild throughout the year.
These conditions contribute to the health and vitality of the plants, and they also greatly determine how tobacco tastes. It is a fact that if you take a seed from tobacco in a nation like Cameroon and plant it in Brazil or Kentucky, the tobacco you produce will have a different taste than that of the parent plants.
Due to this variation in flavor, we often place a very strong emphasis on cigar wrappers and their respective countries of origin. This helps the new cigar smokers learn more about their new passion, and it also provides experienced smokers a very vital piece of information key to the art and lifestyle of smoking cigars.
Our Main Cigar store is located in Houston Texas, however we also service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., El Paso, Texas, Dallas TX DFW, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, Boise ID, Atlanta GA, Raleigh-Durham NC, Washington DC, Albuquerque NM, Huntsville AL, Fayetteville AR, Norfolk VA , Madison WI.