Newbie questions on cigar wrappers

Tuesday, August 30 2011

Q: Your suggestions are very helpful and I am progressing. A couple of questions please...

1. I thought wrappers were mostly for aroma but could easily be wrong. For tasting the tobaccos by country, should I concentrate more on long fillers and/or binders?
   
2. Do wrappers play much in terms of the taste?
3. In general, is the binder from the country of origin?
4. Descriptions of Arturo Fuentes don't seem to state anything about long fillers and binders. Are they from the Dominican for the most part?

- Jason in Creswell, OR
A: Here are the answers to your questions...

1. Yes to longfiller cigars. There are many good cigars with short and mixed fillers, but longfiller cigars are preferred for their consistency and a better overall smoke.
2. The wrapper can actually contribute up to 60% of a cigar's flavor. The wrapper is the most expensive and important leaves in the entire blend. Try smoking one of your cigars without one. It's easy to take off. You'll see. More importantly, the amount of flavor the wrapper lends to the smoke is also dependent on the amount of filler used. Thinner cigars will have more wrapper flavor, whereas thicker cigars will have less. That said, if the cigar is well made, regardless of its size, it should be balanced.
3. No. The binder is not necessarily from the country of origin. Used mainly for combustion, the binder is chosen based on the flavor and/or strength the blender wants to achieve.
4. Regarding descriptions of Arturo Fuente Cigars, I'm surprised there is no info describing the length of the fillers. Practically all Arturo Fuente cigars are made with longfiller leaves grown in the Dominican Republic.