Cigar Wrapper Types - A Comprehensive Guide
The Cigar Wrapper Cheat Sheet - What to Expect from their Color, Flavor, & More!
In the cigar shops of yesteryear, wrapper choices were fewer and making a decision, well, it was kind of made for you. Today, in the post boom cigar era, wrapper selections are plenty and it’s easy to get lost in the noise.
We’re breaking down some of the most common types of cigar wrappers, talking about their color, flavor, and why they’re used in the cigar blends we love. From Connecticut to Sumatra and beyond, we have your bases covered.
But before we start diving into what cigar wrappers are available, let’s first talk about what a wrapper is for, why some blenders will use a Maduro and others will use a Natural, and ultimately, what it all means to you.
What is a cigar wrapper for?
It’s true that a wrapper will be the most visually appealing leaf on the cigar. It’s also true that it’s the most scrutinized component of a blend. That's because a cigar's wrapper provides its first impression. Higher-end blends will toss out anything that's somewhat rough or discolored. And while looks are important, so is the taste. That’s because the wrapper makes a hefty contribution to a blend’s overall flavor profile. How much of a contribution is hotly debated. Some say as much as 80%. Others have them around 50-60%. But almost all agree that the cigar's wrapper is a major flavor influence.
How a wrapper leaf is grown and harvested is important, too. If it’s grown in full sunlight, it’ll be oilier, stronger, and more flavorful. If it’s stalk cut vs. primed, then it’ll be more resilient during the fermentation process. Even things like where the position of the plant (priming) from which it’s removed (wrappers tend to be leaves from higher up the plant) can all influence its outcome.
Below are some common wrapper types that, while not all-inclusive, will get you far enough to find your flavor. Thanks for reading and message us your favorite wrapper—or any question—in the comments!
Common Cigar Wrapper Types:
African Cameroon
Hailing from Western Africa, the blonde, almost reddish-hued Cameroon leaf is pricey and tends to be used on higher end cigars like Arturo Fuente. The origins of the tobacco come from Sumatran seeds brought to Cameroon by the Dutch in the early 20th century. Cameroon wrappers are quite smooth to smoke with wood, earthy toast, and a light sweetness being their hallmark.
Arturo Fuente – African Cameroon
Origin: Dominican Republic Strength: Full Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Brazilian Arapiraca & Mata Fina
Grown exclusively in Brazil’s Bahia region, Arapiraca and Mata Fina are the two most commonly-used wrapper leaves from the country. They were popularized—almost by accident—thanks to CAO Brazilia. Mata Fina wins the popularity and strength contests, but both varietals are lauded for their zesty sweetness and spice that makes them ideal choices for darker, Maduro-wrapped cigars.
CAO Brazilia – Brazilian Arapiraca
Candela
Sometimes called Claro or Jade cigars, and previously, part of the American Market Selection in the U.S., Candela is not a leaf itself, but a process by which the leaf is cured. Instead of a slow curing process that’s prescribed for virtually every other wrapper, Candela leaves are flash cured at high temperatures to retain their signature green color, and then methodically rehydrated. Their flavors range from grassy, to tea-like, with a zesty layer of salt.
Rocky Patel The Edge Candela – Honduran Candela
Connecticut Broadleaf
Rich in flavor and loved for its resiliency, Connecticut Broadleaf is typically quite dark—as evidenced by blends like Liga Privada No. 9—and almost exclusively fermented into a Maduro thanks to its thick and malleable leaves. Baking chocolate, coffee grounds, and earth are tobacco’s primary flavors. Like its shaded brethren below, Connecticut Broadleaf is grown in Connecticut’s famed Connecticut River Valley.
Liga Privada No. 9 – Connecticut Broadleaf
Connecticut Shade
A cross breed between Connecticut tobaccos and Indonesian Sumatra, Connecticut Shade—and its signature golden brown color—is the most popular tobacco varietal. Without question. Nearly every ‘mild’ cigar has one atop its binder—and for good reason. Connecticut’s easygoing flavors of earth, leather, vanilla, and light spices make for the mellowest blends. That comes via its growing process. Unlike the Broadleaf grown in full sun, Connecticut Shade is grown under cheesecloth to filter out sunlight and allow for a more gentle germination.
Connecticut doesn’t come cheap, though. And that’s why many companies opt to source it from Ecuador, where natural cloud cover offers similar growing conditions for a solid analog.
Macanudo Café – Connecticut Shade
Corojo
Originally grown in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba, this varietal was created by Diego Rodriguez in the 1930s and 40s on his farm, Santa Ines del Corojo (also called “El Corojo”), for which the leaf is named. It's one of two of the most common and popular tobaccos in use today, though the original seed is now considered too susceptible to disease to be used in its pure form. The only authentic Corojo-seed tobacco left is grown exclusively by Christian Eiroa in Honduras. Expect woody notes from the leaf, along with its hallmark sweetness. Corojo color can vary from brownish red to milk chocolate depending on fermentation.
Most of the Corojo you’ll smoke today is called Corojo 99–a crossbreed of Corojo and Blue Mold-resistant tobaccos.
C.L.E. Corojo – Honduran Corojo
Criollo
Emerging during the late 1400s, Criollo is the cradle of nearly all Cuban tobacco seeds. With a savory profile that mixes salty and sweet, it’s more often used today in the filler slot to help balance a blend. Criollo is still used on a few cigars as wrappers today. Most notably, on Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970. The leaf’s colors share similarities to Corojo.
Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 – Nicaraguan Criollo
Habano
Habano leaves aren’t a varietal of tobacco—they're a catch-all phrase for Cuban seed tobaccos grown in other countries. Typically, cigars listed with Habano wrappers have spicier attributes to their flavor and tend to have bolder body and strength.
Padron 1964 Anniversary – Nicaraguan Habano
Maduro
Like Candela, Maduro leaves are not a species, but a result of the way that they’re processed after harvesting. In Maduro’s case, it comes down to fermentation. The leaves undergo longer periods of fermentation to bring even more oil and sugar to their surface. Contrary to popular belief, the darkening of the leaf that occurs renders the tobacco mellower and sweeter, not stronger and spicier. That’s why you’ll see Maduro wrappers on bolder blends. It’s for balance. Not every leaf fares the Maduro process well, however. It’s hard on the leaves and requires an elasticity that only some tobacco leaves possess.
If a Maduro gets dark enough, it’ll be called an Oscuro.
Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro – Nicaraguan Maduro
Mexican San Andres
Speaking of Maduro, say hello to the most popular Maduro leaf in today’s market. Grown in the San Andres Valley of Mexico exclusively by the Turrent family, Mexican San Andres is loved for its chameleon-like ability to complement almost any blend it’s paired with. San Andres’ flavor is coffee and cocoa-like with a zesty penchant for sweetness and a worn leather-brown color.
Siboney Reserve Maduro – Mexican San Andres
Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Another leaf that’s used almost exclusively as a Maduro, Pennsylvania Broadleaf hails from the state’s Lancaster County. Its tobaccos are stalk cut instead of primed, meaning that the plant continues to feed the leaves well after being harvested. PA Broadleaf is kind of like the IPA of the cigar world. It’s a little on the bitter side with a huge layer of earthiness that tends to pair best with filler tobaccos that offer sweetness themselves.
Last Call Maduro by AJ Fernandez – Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Sumatra
With a somewhat unremarkable taste of its own to contribute, Sumatra has an uncanny ability to complement other tobaccos, making it a go-to wrapper choice for blenders. It’s commonly grown today in Ecuador, and that variant is the most widely-used.
Who could describe this tobacco better than Ernesto Perez-Carrillo?
Excerpted from our guide to 10 Sumatra Cigars Under $10
“I started using Sumatra back in the early 70s. I’ve been working with it forever.
What I find with the Sumatra wrapper is it’s very unique. To me, it’s one of the most flavorful tobaccos out there. What I like about it is the complexity it adds to the blend. All my successes have come because of Sumatra wrapper. The La Gloria, Serie R, the Inch. And I’m going to start integrating that wrapper more into a lot of the new blends I hope to come out with in the future.”
