Cigars - Tobacco Growing Regions
Though they are the most well-known, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean are not the only major tobacco growers in the world. Quality leaf and fine cigars are made in several other regions.
Cameroon in Africa, squeezed between Nigeria and the Central African Republic, is known for producing a high quality wrapper leaf that makes its way into cigars made elsewhere. Based on Sumatran seed, the tobacco made from it is very mild. This gives it a favored position for those seeking to emphasize the filler. The distinctive vein pattern helps pick out a Cameroon wrapper.
Indonesia, too, has made use of Sumatran born seeds to develop a native industry. Dark-brown and neutral in flavor, the leaf is much like the Cameroon and often used in wrappers. The small size of Indonesian cigars makes them easier to spot.
Even the Philippines maintain a tobacco growing business that produces cigars worth investigating. Though not considered at the level of the Central American product, the hybrids grown there make an aromatic cigar that's distinctive to this small, but prosperous nation.
Conditions in Mexico are conducive to fine tobacco cultivation and cigar production. The San Andreas Valley there uses a cultivar of Sumatra-seed that forms the base of filler for good Mexican cigars. A variation is used for maduro wrappers, dark-brown or reddish-brown tobacco that adds delightful accents to the local product.
That strain makes an excellent starting point for the multi-step process that creates Mexico's distinctive cigars. Full-flavored, dark and aromatic they are definitely worth a try when you travel there.
Though the South in the United States is no longer the tobacco king of the country, fine wrapper leaf continues to be grown in the U.S. Just look north to the famed Connecticut River Valley north of Hartford. The shade-grown brownish-yellow product from that region is so highly prized it has its own name: Connecticut Shade.
Highly elastic - a quality very useful for rolling and other steps in the production process - it also has a wonderful medium-bodied flavor. That adds delightful accents to a blend of Ligero fillers. The result is frequently a premium smoke.
But Connecticut Shade isn't the only type grown. The equally renowned Connecticut Broadleaf has earned its reputation over the centuries as it has developed in the northeastern United States. Heavier than shade-grown tobacco, that dark leaf often makes its way into maduro-style cigars.
Wherever the tobacco originates, the same quality standards apply to the final result. If it tastes good and burns well, it's a fine cigar. In the end, if you enjoy the smoke, you've found a good cigar.
