Types of Wrappers

Claro

Also known as Connecticut Wrappers, these leaves are usually light tan or yellow and color. Normally grown and aged under gauze or cheesecloth to limit sunlight which results in a mild flavor that allows the flavor of the binder and filler to come through better. 

Candela

Also known as Double Claro, these are usually pale green in color due to the retainment of chlorophyll after a short maturation and aging process. These leaves haves a light, sweet taste.

Maduro

After a prolonged fermentation and aging process extending over the course of several years, these leaves are dark brown and color with a characteristic sweetness. The longer the leaves are aged, the more pronounced the natural sugars in the leaves become.

Oscuro

Also known as Double Maduro, these are the darkest leaves in the lineup of cigar wrappers. These are aged longer than Maduro leaves, deepening their inherent sweetness and building a richer, deeper flavor profile.

Corojo

Originally grown in Cuba, the fertile soil of Honduras now supplies the American market with these medium brown tobacco leaves, which have a slightly spicy flavor reminiscent of black pepper.

Habano

As one of the strongest flavor profiles, these wrappers are spicer than the Corojo wrappers and grown from Cuban seed in the Nicaraguan soil. Cigars wrapped with these leaves are generally best enjoyed by experienced cigar smokers.

Criollo

Though they have fallen from popularity due to the rise of Corona and Habana wrappers, these laves are the original tobacco used to roll cigars. They were once the most popular leaf used to roll Cuban cigars. Their flavor is a combination of sweetness in addition to the peppery spice present in Corojo wrappers.

Rosado

The reddish-brown hue of these wrappers is distinctive to tobacco plants grown in Cuban soil, making them some of the rarest cigar wrappers available. These wrappers are quite spicy and often have an almost earthy flavor.

Sumatra

Originating from the Indonesian Island of Sumatra, these leaves are sweet and mild. They are often used in infused cigars as their mildness enhances the added flavor in the binder and filler.

Cameroon

Grown in both Cameroon and the Central African Republic, these wrappers are among the most delicate leaves and brittle leaves, with fewer oils present to give them elasticity. Their rich, smooth taste is as distinctive as the raised bumps in the grain of their leaves, described as "toothy."

Cigar Size

Cigarillo

  • Length: 3.5
  • Ring Gauge: 21
  • The smallest vitola of a cigar, with the most variation in size, cigarillos can be bought in the United States very cheaply

Rothschild

  • Length: 4.5
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Invented by one of the Rothschilds themselves, this vitola will give you more filler flavor than the thicker Corona and more wrapper flavor than from a longer Robusto.

Maduro

A prolonged fermentation and aging period over the course of several years gives these leaves a dark brown color and characteristic sweetness; the longer the leaves are aged, the more pronounced the natural sugars in the leaves become.

Robusto

  • Length: 4.9
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • The most popular size of cigar, the Robusto is known for delivering the truest flavor to what the tobacco blender intended.

Corona

  • Length: 5.5
  • Ring Gauge: 42
  • The smaller ring gauge of a Corona allows more intense flavors to come from the wrapper tobacco than from the smaller amount of filler tobacco.

Toro

  • Length: 6
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • The most commonly produced size by manufacturers, the Toro has all the flavor of its ring gauge twin the Robusto with an extra inch.

Criollo

These leaves are the original tobacco used to roll cigars and were once the most popular leaf used to roll Cuban cigars, though fell from popularity due to the rise of Corojo and Habano wrappers. Their flavor combines a hint of sweetness with some of the peppery spice present in Corojo wrappers.

Panatela

  • Length: 6.5
  • Ring Gauge: 34
  • The long, skinny Pantela vitola has a smoother burn and taste than bigger vitolas, as well as having a cooler burn.

Lonsdale

  • Length: 6.5
  • Ring Gauge: 42
  • This longer vitola was created for connoisseurs who wanted a longer smoke that had all the flavor complexity of longer cigars with a similar flavor balance between the wrapper and the filler of Coronas.

Churchill

  • Length: 7
  • Ring Gauge: 47-50
  • Named after the British Prime Minister, the Churchill has an extra inch on the Toro, and the longer the cigar, the more time the head and smoke have to season the filler tobacco, potentially making the flavor even more complex.

Lancero

  • Length: 7.1
  • Ring Gauge: 38
  • With nearly the same proportions as a Pantela, the Lancero smokes similarly to a Churchill in terms of extra complexity and flavor while burning cool and smooth.

Culebra

The Culebra is an unusual specialty size that merits mention, even if its not necessarily a parejo. Constructed of three Pantelas twisted together, Culebra cigars are often split apart before being smoked, either by oneself or shared among friends.

Figurados may have two ring gauges due to their irregular shape, usually listed like this example: 34/56. The first number refers to the thinnest part of the diameter of the cigar, and the second number refers to the thickest part.