The different varieties of tobacco used to make premium cigars

If so many people are passionate about cigars, it's first and foremost for their incredible aromatic richness. Infinitely adaptable, it offers a plethora of tastes and flavours capable of satisfying the most demanding smokers. This great richness can be explained by a number of factors, including growing conditions, producers' know-how and tobacco processing methods. But if all these stages are decisive for the final quality of a cigar, we all too often forget to mention the importance of tobacco varieties. Selected for their flavour, leaf size, yield, burning capacity and resistance to disease, these varieties enable manufacturers to strike the perfect balance between flavour, strength and combustibility.

Cuban varieties

Most of the tobacco used to make premium cigars comes from Cuban varieties. After the Castro Revolution and the nationalization of the industry, these varieties were exported to new countries such as the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The Criollo

Criollo is the genetic model from which all current Cuban seeds were developed. Created in 1941 at the San Juan y Martínez experimental research station, this variety takes on the characteristics of one of the island's oldest tobaccos, tabaco negro cubano. Initially grown as "Sun Grown", it is used to make all the parts of a cigar.

At the end of the 1940s, the Corojo seed was discovered and gradually replaced Criollo in the production of wrapper leaves. Finer and tastier than Criollo, this variety was used in the majority of Cuban cigars between 1950 and 1990. But from the 1960s onwards, Nicaraguan tobacco growers realized that Criollo offered all the characteristics of an excellent Wrapper when grown under cover. Today, this variety is used in many cigars, such as the Joya De Nicaragua Cabinetta Robusto.

Le Corojo

Created in 1947 by Diego Rodriguez, Corojo was specially developed to produce cape leaves. Thanks to their great beauty and flavorful profile, the leaves of this variety quickly replaced Criollo in the manufacture of cape leaves. They offer a velvety, open-grained texture and rich aromas of spice and cedar. Highly susceptible to diseases such as black hock and blue mold, the Corojo variety was abandoned in the late 90s in favor of more resistant hybrid seeds. However, new Corojo varieties continued to be grown in regions such as Honduras and Kentucky. This wrapper can be found on cigars such as Cohiba Esplendidos and Camacho Corojo Robusto.

Le Piloto

Piloto is a tobacco variety originally from Cuba, now mainly grown in the Dominican Republic. Bred in the sun, it offers intense flavours of cinnamon and walnut. It is used in the filler of many cigars, such as the Davidoff Grand Cru No. 3, but can also be used as tobacco for wrappers.

Hybrid varieties

Today, the most widely used Cuban tobacco varieties are all derived from crosses between different strains. Among the most popular are Habano 2000, Criollo '98 and Corojo '99. All three are hybrids of the Corojo variety.

L'Habano 2000

Habano 2000 is a cross between Corojo and a tobacco used in cigarette manufacture, Bell 61-10. This variety was developed from the third hybridization of the original cross and is used to make wrapper leaves. It has the same aesthetic and taste qualities as the Corojo variety, but is more resistant to disease. It is used in cigars such asAvo Heritage and Vegas de Santiago D8 566.

Criollo 98

Criollo 98 is a cross between the Havana 92 and Habana P.R. varieties. This sun-grown seed makes an excellent binder and filler tobacco. Highly resistant to tobacco diseases, it produces between 14 and 16 leaves per plant. This variety has a silky texture and rich, pronounced flavors. It is used in the filler of cigars such as Plasencia Alma Del Campo and Condega Serie F.

Le Corojo 99

Corojo 99 is a direct hybrid descendant of the original Corojo seed. This variety takes on the silky texture and peppery, spicy aromas of the Corojo abandoned in 1997, while being much more resistant to disease than the original strain. It is one of the few wrapper tobaccos to grow in both sun and shade. This hybrid variety is at the origin of numerous sub-varieties such as Nicaragua Corojo 99, Honduran Corojo and Mexican San Andres Corojo. It is used in cigars such asIllusione Fumed'Amour and Tatuaje Nuevitas Jibaro n° 1.

American varieties

American tobacco varieties are the result of crosses between different strains originating in Cuba and other parts of the world. They are mainly grown in the Connecticut Valley and Pennsylvania.

The Connecticut Shade

This tobacco variety is a cross between a Cuban strain and the Sumatra variety. Much sought-after as a Wrapper, it is grown in the shade and produces light, fine, elastic leaves. It is also appreciated for its light, creamy flavor. Because of its high susceptibility to blue mould problems, it is often grown in Ecuador, where climatic conditions make it more resistant. This variety is used in many prestige cigars, such as theAshton Classic.

Connecticut Broadleaf

Connecticut Broadleaf is probably a cross with the Cuban Criollo variety. Grown in full sun, this tobacco offers strong, rich, full-bodied flavors and a high nicotine content. Its thick leaves make it difficult to handle, making it one of the most expensive tobaccos in the world. Its intense flavours make it an excellent filler tobacco, but it is also used to make cigar wrappers. It can be found on many Maduro cigars, such as theArturo Fuente Añejos.

The Sumatra variety

Used as a Wrapper, the Sumatra variety is a black tobacco native to Indonesia. Due to the lack of flavor in cape leaves grown on Indonesian soil, the variety was introduced to other tobacco-producing regions such as Cameroon and Ecuador. Today, Sumatra cape leaves from Ecuador are the most popular on the market. They offer woody, peppery flavours and a powerful, complex smoke.

Varieties in constant evolution

There are countless varieties of tobacco in the world, and it would be impossible to list them all in this article. Often originating in Cuba, original seeds and hybrids have spread throughout the world. Following the plantation of the first generations of exported seeds, tobacco has become impregnated with the characteristics of the soil in which it was planted, creating new varieties with their own aromatic characteristics. Year after year, growers select the most prolific, resistant and flavorful varieties, abandoning the older varieties. The vast majority of cigars you taste today are made from hybrid seeds.