Encyclopedia of Premium Tobacco
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5 Big Cigar Myths Busted
![Chris Doyle in Front of Cigars with the title Cigar Myth Buster]()
Long ash = better cigar? Not quite. We bust 5 popular cigar myths, from ash color to cutting mistakes and that fuzzy “plume” myth you’ve probably heard before.
Posted on July 22 2025
Quick Summary: 5 Big Cigar Myths Busted Long ash ≠ quality: Leaf thickness, not craftsmanship, dictates ash length. White ash ≠ premium: Color reflects soil minerals—high calcium = whiter ash....
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How to Store Cigars Properly
![Afidano Humidor and title that reads How to Store Cigars Properly]()
Want your cigars to age gracefully and smoke perfectly? This cigar storage guide covers humidors, seasoning, humidity packs, and key mistakes to avoid.
Posted on July 13 2025
Quick Summary: How to Store Cigars Properly Ideal RH Range: 65–69% relative humidity keeps cigars fresh and prevents mold or cracking. Temperature: 65–70°F is optimal to avoid beetles and flavor...
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How Does Curing, Fermentation and Aging Transform Tobacco
![Fresh Tobacco, Drying Tobacco, and Processing Tobacco]()
Posted on July 09 2025
Quick Summary: How Curing, Fermentation & Aging Transform Tobacco Curing: Removes 80-90 % of leaf water and locks in basic sugars. Fermentation: Heat + moisture break down ammonia, boosting aroma...
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What is Ligero, Viso and Seco?
![Ligero Viso and Seco labels on a tobacco plant]()
Ligero (top priming) delivers power, Viso (middle) adds balanced aroma, and Seco (bottom) ensures easy combustion—master blenders mix all three to craft a cigar’s strength, flavor, and even burn.
Posted on June 23 2025
Quick Summary Ligero, Viso, and Seco are leaf “primings” taken from specific heights on a tobacco plant. Ligero (top) is thick, oily, and strongest; Viso (middle) balances strength and aroma;...
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Cigar Sizes & Common Vitolas
![list of common cigar sizes and their shapes]()
Ever wondered what “6 × 52” really means, or why a Toro smokes cooler than a Robusto? This quick-read guide decodes length-by-ring-gauge math, lists the most popular vitolas with real-world smoke times, and explains how straight-sided Parejos differ from tapered Figurados so you can choose the right cigar for a 25-minute coffee break or a 90-minute celebration.
Posted on June 17 2025
Quick Summary: Cigar Sizes & Common Vitolas Size Format: length in inches × ring gauge (diameter in 64ths of an inch). Benchmarks: Petite Corona 4½×42 · Robusto 5×50 · Toro...
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What is Brazillian Arapiraca Wrapper?
![Brazilian Arapiraca Tobacco]()
Sun-grown in Brazil’s Arapiraca region, this dark, oily wrapper layers milk chocolate, sweet spice, and toasted nut onto medium-plus cigars like CAO Brazilia and Gurkha Ghost.
Posted on June 12 2025
Quick Summary Brazilian Arapiraca is a sun-grown wrapper from the Arapiraca region of Alagoas, Brazil, noted for its deep chocolate color and natural sweetness. Flavor profile: milk chocolate, sweet spice,...
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What is Habano Wrapper?
![Habano Tobacco Leaf]()
Cuban-seed Habano wrappers grown in Ecuador’s cloud shade or Nicaragua’s volcanic sun deliver black pepper, cocoa, and cedar in a rich medium-to-full smoke.
Posted on June 09 2025
Quick Summary Habano is a Cuban-seed wrapper famous for its pepper-forward flavor and oily, reddish-brown color. Today it is grown primarily in Ecuador (cloud-cover shade) and Nicaragua (volcanic sun-grown fields)....
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What is Oscuro Wrapper?
![Oscuro Tobacco Leaf]()
Near-black Oscuro wrappers—harvested from the top primings and fermented the longest—deliver dark-roast coffee, bitter chocolate, and charred cedar flavors in a dense, full-bodied smoke.
Posted on June 09 2025
Quick Summary Oscuro (“oh-SKOO-ro”) is the darkest cigar wrapper shade—nearly black—achieved by harvesting the highest, thickest primings and fermenting them longest at high heat. Typical flavor profile: dark roast coffee,...
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What is Candela Wrapper?
![Cadela Tobacco Leaf]()
Flash-cured to lock in its vibrant green color, Candela (Claro) wrapper offers sweet hay, grass, and light cream notes in a mild, easy-burning smoke.
Posted on June 09 2025
Quick Summary Candela (also called Claro) is the bright-green cigar wrapper famous for its quick, high-heat curing that locks in chlorophyll. Flavor profile: fresh hay, sweet grass, light cream, and...
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What is Criollo Wrapper?
![Criollo Tobacco Leaf]()
Reddish-brown Criollo delivers sweet cedar, cocoa, and light pepper in a medium-bodied smoke — a balanced Cuban-seed wrapper now grown mainly in Nicaragua and Honduras.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Criollo is a Cuban-seed tobacco noted for its reddish-brown color, medium body, and balanced spice-plus-sweetness profile. Traditional Criollo was Cuba’s primary wrapper before Corojo; modern crops thrive in...
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What is San Andres Tobacco?
![San Andres Tobacco Leaf]()
Grown in Mexico’s volcanic San Andrés Tuxtla Valley, this indigenous tobacco produces thick, oily leaves used as natural or Maduro wrappers, delivering chocolate, earth, and subtle mineral sweetness in medium- to full-bodied cigars.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary San Andrés is an indigenous Mexican tobacco, grown in the volcanic soils of the San Andrés Tuxtla Valley, prized for its thick, oily leaves. The native varietal (Negro...
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What is Corojo Wrapper?
![Corojo Tobacco Leaf]()
Corojo is a reddish Cuban-seed wrapper now grown mainly in Honduras and Nicaragua, prized for its peppery spice, sweet cedar, and caramel notes in a medium-to-full-bodied smoke.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Corojo is a Cuban-seed wrapper leaf famous for its reddish hue, peppery spice, and natural sweetness. Originally grown at Cuba’s El Corojo farm, today most Corojo comes from...
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What is a Maduro Wrapper?
![Maduro Tobacco Leaf]()
Maduro wrappers undergo prolonged, high-heat fermentation to achieve their deep color and natural sweetness, yielding chocolate-, coffee-, and molasses-driven flavors in a smooth medium-to-full-bodied smoke.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary “Maduro” refers to dark cigar wrappers—usually fermented longer and hotter to develop a rich brown-to-nearly-black color. Common Maduro leaves include Connecticut Broadleaf, Mexican San Andrés, and Brazilian Arapiraca....
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What is Connecticut Shade Wrapper?
![Connecticut Shade Tobacco Leaf]()
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Connecticut Shade wrappers are grown under translucent cloth tents in the Connecticut River Valley, yielding a thin, elastic, light-gold leaf. Ecuador Connecticut uses the same shade-growing concept but...
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What is Connecticut Broadleaf?
![Connecticut Broadleaf Tobacco]()
Sun-grown and famously rugged, Connecticut Broadleaf turns into the classic Maduro wrapper after high-heat fermentation, delivering chocolate, coffee, and molasses flavors in a medium-to-full-bodied smoke.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Connecticut Broadleaf is a sun-grown wrapper from the Connecticut River Valley, prized for its thick texture and deep, natural sweetness. It is the most common base for Maduro...
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What is Cameroon Wrapper?
![Cameroon Tobacco Leaf]()
Thin, toothy, and sweet-spiced, genuine African Cameroon wrapper brings cinnamon, cedar, and toast to mild-to-medium cigars like Fuente Hemingway and classic Partagás blends.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Cameroon wrapper is a thin, toothy leaf grown in the rain-forested Center-South of Cameroon and the neighboring Central African Republic. Known for sweet baking-spice flavors—nutmeg, cinnamon, and cedar—with...
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What is Sumatra Wrapper?
![Sumatra Tobacco Leaf]()
Silky and gently spicy, Sumatra wrapper—grown in Indonesia and Ecuador—delivers earth, sweet spice, and cedar in a mild-to-medium smoke prized for its even burn.
Posted on June 03 2025
Quick Summary Sumatra wrapper originates from Indonesia’s island of Sumatra; modern crops also flourish in Ecuador under natural cloud cover. Flavor profile: earth, sweet spice, soft cedar, and gentle herbal...
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Ultimate Guide to Cigar Tobacco
![Luxury Cigar Club logo on top of a tobacco field, with the ultimate guide to cigar tobacco sub title]()
Discover every major cigar wrapper, seed varietal, and production step in one place. This pillar page links 16 + detailed guides, offers a quick-glance strength-versus-sweetness chart, and answers FAQs—your always-updated starting point for understanding premium cigar tobacco.
Posted on May 24 2025
Learn » Ultimate Guide to Cigar Tobacco Quick Summary Features a “Wrapper Spectrum” visual for fast flavor matching. Each term clicks through to a stand-alone encyclopedia entry for SGE citations....
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