Tobacco Leaves

Some wine enthusiasts can detect the most subtle of tastes. My wife is one of them. I've known sommeliers who can place wines in regions with just sips and swirls of wine in a properly-suited glass.

How in-depth are cigar aficionados? Can they tell the type of tobacco leaves that were used in a specific cigar blend? Does it get that in-depth? I can just imagine a group of cigar aficionados sitting around critiquing - "The Florida Sumatra wrapper wasn't aged long enough." I've looked online, but have yet to see anything like this.

I probably won't ever have this kind of palate, nor is it something I think I would strive for - I'm just trying to figure out how deep this rabbit hole goes.

This might be a good question for James Suckling.

Go check out the PotPass Contest I held. You had to guess what region the puro was from.

I'm pretty good at being able to tell what kind of wrapper or what region a cigar is from. It helps to look up info on the leaves used first, then keep that in mind as your smoking it. It's like when you smell something and it reminds you of your grandma's kitchen from when you were young. I experienced it last week at work. I smelled something familiar and then the image of my kindgarden school popped into my head. My point is, if you know what you're smoking while you smoke it, it'll be easier to pick it out later.

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Originally Posted by chefchris

Go check out the PotPass Contest I held. You had to guess what region the puro was from.

I'm pretty good at being able to tell what kind of wrapper or what region a cigar is from. It helps to look up info on the leaves used first, then keep that in mind as your smoking it. It's like when you smell something and it reminds you of your grandma's kitchen from when you were young. I experienced it last week at work. I smelled something familiar and then the image of my kindgarden school popped into my head. My point is, if you know what you're smoking while you smoke it, it'll be easier to pick it out later.

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Pot pass was cool. Since it ended, I have been trying to use the Puros to help me identify the different components within a blended cigar. Seems to be helping.

Thanks for the input. I read through the PotPass thread, that's interesting stuff.

I've been told that 75-80% of the flavor of the cigar is in the wrapper. Are other components of the cigar detectable as well?

My question was more pointed towards the different kinds of tobaccos used in cigars: Little Dutch, Comstock Spanish, Long Red, Pennsylvania Red, Lancaster Seed Leaf, Glessnor, etc. etc. I found this site, and was just wondering if these tobaccos are distinguishable enough in taste.

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Originally Posted by mrtr33

Thanks for the input. I read through the PotPass thread, that's interesting stuff.

I've been told that 75-80% of the flavor of the cigar is in the wrapper. Are other components of the cigar detectable as well?

My question was more pointed towards the different kinds of tobaccos used in cigars: Little Dutch, Comstock Spanish, Long Red, Pennsylvania Red, Lancaster Seed Leaf, Glessnor, etc. etc. I found this site, and was just wondering if these tobaccos are distinguishable enough in taste.

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Well, I don't ever expect them to be for me. I just want to be better able to pick out the profiles of different tobacco producing countries and be able to pic them out of a blend. If I tried to analyze it to the degree your asking about........all the fun would get sucked right out of it.

For example.....mexican tobacco is used as binders in a crapload of cigars, more than I ever would have thought given the bad wrap that mexican sticks get and, frankly, I don't really enjoy the Mexican puros a whole lot though some are O.k......but, if I smoked a few and got really familiar with the profile, flavors, etc...would I be able to pick that component out when smoking another cigar that uses Mexican tobacco? That is my quest.

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Originally Posted by ashauler

I just want to be better able to pick out the profiles of different tobacco producing countries and be able to pic them out of a blend.

but, if I smoked a few and got really familiar with the profile, flavors, etc...would I be able to pick that component out when smoking another cigar that uses Mexican tobacco? That is my quest.

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Interesting. Thanks for the input. That would be a neat trick, to pick a country out of a blend. I know that wine aficionados are aware of the grapes used in certain wines, beer connoisseurs can be particular about the type of hops used, but I didn't know how deep the cigar rabbit hole went.

I won't ever get there, either. I was just curious, having stumbled across that site offering different tobacco seeds and plants. Thanks for the input.

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Originally Posted by ashauler

For example.....mexican tobacco is used as binders in a crapload of cigars, more than I ever would have thought given the bad wrap that mexican sticks get and, frankly, I don't really enjoy the Mexican puros a whole lot though some are O.k......but, if I smoked a few and got really familiar with the profile, flavors, etc...would I be able to pick that component out when smoking another cigar that uses Mexican tobacco? That is my quest.

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Well, from what I've heard you get no flavor from the binder. So that might explain it.

Does anyone know of a particular quality of binding leaves from Mexico that make them more desirable as a binding leaf? I suppose the same could be asked of leaves as fillers, etc. What characteristics make a filler leaf? A binder? A wrapper? I understand that long-leaf fillers are more desirable, and I understand why, but I'm interested in the selection of the strain of tobacco themselves.

Hola.

This thread made me remember at first that all Vegas Robaina cigars taste similar. In diferent sizes, but similar taste: Very Vuelta Abajo, easy to classify, as some Partagás, Montecristo, H Upmann, stuff.

Also Cohiba, new maduro line and traditional lines are quite easy to rememeber: Triple fermemted tobacco leaf makes a very singular taste.

Then the thread made me remember Dominican tobacco leaf: For me, too herbal and sour taste.

Regards,

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Originally Posted by olisiponense

Hola.

This thread made me remember at first that all Vegas Robaina cigars taste similar. In diferent sizes, but similar taste: Very Vuelta Abajo, easy to classify, as some Partagás, Montecristo, H Upmann, stuff.

Also Cohiba, new maduro line and traditional lines are quite easy to rememeber: Triple fermemted tobacco leaf makes a very singular taste.

Then the thread made me remember Dominican tobacco leaf: For me, too herbal and sour taste.

Regards,

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Good points. For me, the herbal (spiciness) flavors in Fuente's is just what I like. You would really limit your choices by cutting Dominicans or Dominican blends. Just for grins I did a search for "all" cigars on one of the larger on-line stores and the results were 5586. Then I narrowed the search to "Dominicans" and the results were 2280. That is 41% of the cigars listed are from the Dominican Republic.

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Originally Posted by DeeDubya

Good points. For me, the herbal (spiciness) flavors in Fuente's is just what I like. You would really limit your choices by cutting Dominicans or Dominican blends. Just for grins I did a search for "all" cigars on one of the larger on-line stores and the results were 5586. Then I narrowed the search to "Dominicans" and the results were 2280. That is 41% of the cigars listed are from the Dominican Republic.

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Hola DW.

When Cuban cigars are a legal reference in this Country, it is dificult compare cigars made with Cuban seed leaf harvested abroad or Cuban cloned seed leaf with Premium cigars rolled with the very best leaf of Vuelta Abajo Region: Pinar del Rio, San Juan y Martinez and San Luis Vegas.

At this point is important to say that the average price for a Dominican Davidoff is surprisingly higher than Premium Habanos cigars in Spain. (Fuente cigars and many others are not available here).

By the way, Davidoff left Cuba in the 80's and now, as his Development Manager statements, they're interested in go back to the Island. Seems something wrong is happening with this cigar division of a company which seems interested much more, after Mr. Zino Davidoff death, in non smoker related product lines.

Regards.

Ricardo.

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Originally Posted by olisiponense

Hola DW.

When Cuban cigars are a legal reference in this Country, it is dificult compare cigars made with Cuban seed leaf harvested abroad or Cuban cloned seed leaf with Premium cigars rolled with the very best leaf of Vuelta Abajo Region: Pinar del Rio, San Juan y Martinez and San Luis Vegas.

At this point is important to say that the average price for a Dominican Davidoff is surprisingly higher than Premium Habanos cigars in Spain. (Fuente cigars and many others are not available here).

By the way, Davidoff left Cuba in the 80's and now, as his Development Manager statements, they're interested in go back to the Island. Seems something wrong is happening with this cigar division of a company which seems interested much more, after Mr. Zino Davidoff death, in non smoker related product lines.

Regards.

Ricardo.

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Hola Ricardo,

Of course it's a marketing game only with some little quirks that make it interesting. Fortunately (for us) it's also a very competative market. The choices we have today are overwhelming. Myself, I'm not loyal to one region, brand, vitola or anything else. If someone says it's good then I'll try one. I'm not saying I don't have favorites, I'm just open to try new cigars.

I'm sure there are some really good Cuban cigars. But that's just what I hear. I've never smoked one. HeHe

Good Day,

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Originally Posted by DeeDubya

Myself, I'm not loyal to one region, brand, vitola or anything else. If someone says it's good then I'll try one. I'm not saying I don't have favorites, I'm just open to try new cigars.

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Hola DW.

Neither me. That's the amazing thing in this hobbie: We are able to try new experiences almost daily, new sizes, releases, aged cigars, etc.

I found also nice Nicaraguan and Honduran Premium cigars made by true experts.

However, in my case, the best experiences were smoking Cuban cigars.

Enjoy smoking.

Regards.

Ricardo.