Puros or Blended Filler?

[Roger]

I wanted to know what people prefer as far as filler is concerned. I know that a "Puro" is a cigar where the wrapper and filler are all from the same country. "Blended" ones are mixed from different countries. In your opinion, which one is preferred for you and "WHY"? I am open to smoking either kind, but it would be interesting to hear the different views on that. Thanks.

Roger.

[craig]

All cigars, puro or otherwise, are blended.

I ignore the puro designation. Country is simply a geographic proxy. We're all pretty well smoking "Cuban-style" cigars in any case - apologies to those of you who smoke Dutch, Italian, Filipino, or Indonesian-style cigars.

There is a certain amount of Nationalism in saying the country is "good enough" to make a cigar in its entirety. Snobbery is all it is, IMHO.

[basil]

Craig, elaborate. Do you mean that the term "blended" refers to a cigar made from tobaccos from different farms, but still within the borders of one country? If so, then a cigar may very well be "blended" and still retain "puro" denotation, right?

If you mean that all cigars are made from tobaccos that are grown in more than one country, then what about at least Cuban cigars?

Thanks

ETA: Also, if there is an expression of nationalism amongst manufacturers, then it's lost on me, as well as any associated snobbery. Since most manufacturers are involved in some way in lines that use multi-country blends, besides any "puros" they put out, to do this would be shooting themselves in the foot. Now, I think catalogs do it all the time, but they are playing to the fickleness of consumerism; that some ad somehow will strike a chord with a buyer long enough to click the "buy now" tab, and who the hell knows what chord the buyer will hear . . . nationalism, nostalgia, exotic geography, exotic physique (a pretty popular chord in advertising), or what?

For me, I find myself going back to Nicaraguan "puros". Those cigars marketed under this banner are the ones I like the most, followed by Dominican. Multi-country blends? I've had enough awful shit from CAO to turn me away probably as a result of experience and psychologically for sure. There are cigars made from tobacco originating from more than one country that I really enjoy though, just not as many.

[craig]

Craig, elaborate. Do you mean that the term "blended" refers to a cigar made from tobaccos from different farms, but still within the borders of one country? If so, then a cigar may very well be "blended" and still retain "puro" denotation, right?

If you mean that all cigars are made from tobaccos that are grown in more than one country, then what about at least Cuban cigars?

Thanks

Sorry, I wasn't clear on my first sentence.

I see "Blend" and "Puro" as two different concepts: "Puro" meaning all the tobacco came from one country; and "Blend" as the choice of the leaves in the cigar to achieve a desired taste.

Thus, almost all cigars are blended. The blend for a particular cigar could result in a puro, or not.

In other words, I believe that what the OP was inquiring about was Puro vs. non-Puro.

Edit for Basil's ETA: The nationalism I was referring to was primarily Cuban. They're very proud that they don't use tobacco from anywhere else. They're the ones who have marketed "puro" as implying a puro cigar is better than a cigar that isn't a puro.

Of course, it is possible to have excessive blending for some folks' tastes, a.k.a., a "Frankenblend" - putting in so many different-tasting leaves (typically from different areas/countries) that the cigar becomes a monster (in a bad way).

OTOH, I have some Dutch Hajenius cigars - 15 to 20 different leaves (parts of leaves) from different countries. Uniquely different. Not saying I like them, but some folks do.

... and yes, I prefer Puros - from Vuelta Abajo (a.k.a. (more or less) Pinar del Rio).

[bigwhiteash]

Cigars made even from the same crop are blended to a certain extent... Viso, Seco, Ligero....different fermenting processes. etc..


My favorites are also from Nicaragua.

[cigarsarge]

All cigars are blended...It's just some have all the blend from the same country.

[kevin7]

Padron= Cigars made completely from the same plant

[Shelby07]

Padron= Cigars made completely from the same plant

I never knew that. Thanks.

[bigwhiteash]

Padron= Cigars made completely from the same plant

For real?

Very interesting!

[kevin7]

It is what I was told years ago by a man is the business who smoked Padron. I think every Padron in the regular line tastes the same,you just buy the size you like. Heck even those ancient Piedra bundles they used to make tasted like a Padron 2000