Monday, November 29 1999
Q. What does "natural" mean when describing a cigar? I often find it confusing.
- Mike R.
A. In the context that we use the term at Famous Smoke Shop, it refers to any leaf that has a "natural," or light to medium brown leaf - even "dark natural" in some cases. For example, U.S. Connecticut Shade, Cameroon, Sun Grown, Sumatra, Corojo, and Criollo, among others, are considered "natural."
Although I agree it might be more useful if the wrappers were listed by their actual types, there are so many variations in color, the more generic "natural" seems to cover most of them. Suffice it to say, any leaf that hasn't been cured to a very dark color, like Maduro or Oscuro, is labeled "natural."
I've been pushing to try to be more specific in defining the wrappers on the website, and we're getting better. Because I know how important it is to many cigar smokers, the actual wrapper type is always mentioned in the cigar's brand description. You'll also find it in the blend section of each cigar's copy block in the catalog. It's also one of the reasons I keep my Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars near me at all times.
