Wrappers, Binders & Fillers Oh My!

[jhedrick83]

I appreciate all this information very much, it can be a bit confusing when first starting out. I will give both of those a try as I find my way. I am finalizing an order right now with some more suggested cigars,can't wait to try them too.

It just means you have to do more "research"

In general if you like a maduro of one variety, you will like maduros in general. They have a very distinctive flavor - earthy and sweet. However, you happened to pick an example that is one of two exceptions I have encountered. Fuente maduros do not taste typically "maduro-y" to me. Neither do ISOM Cohibas.

Also, Indonesian-grown Sumatra wrappers have a different flavor from Ecuadorian Sumatra wrappers, so be sure and try both.

Mike is spot on with Fuente maduros, I always get more of a rasin-ish sweetness from them more than a an earthy sweet. Ciro's list is really helpful but like Mike said, where the seed is grown makes a big difference too. You can grow Connecticut or Habano seed in 4-5 different countries and it all will taste differently. Hell, growing it in different regions in different countries can produce different flavors. There's also how they ferment the tobacco that makes a difference. There's more than one way of curing tobacco and a lot of companies use different combinations of heat/humidity to cure.

What I did when I first got serious about cigars was keep a detailed journal of what I liked and didn't with all the info I could get on each blend. Even down to the Factory it came from if I could find it.There can be an overwhelming amount of info but the more you chip away the clearer things get.

[Sir Lancerolot]

I appreciate all this information very much, it can be a bit confusing when first starting out. I will give both of those a try as I find my way. I am finalizing an order right now with some more suggested cigars,can't wait to try them too.

For a good example of an Indonesian Sumatra, try Romeo y Julieta 1875 Cedro Deluxe No. 1 or 2. For a good cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, try Rocky Patel Vintage 1992.

For a pretty good representation of the mainstream maduro, try Sancho Panza Double Maduro, or CAO Mx2. The list Ciro posted from JR says an oscuro wrapper is also called a double maduro, but that is kind of vintage info. Double maduro these days refers to rolling the cigar with a maduro binder as well as a maduro wrapper.

You should also try a Brazilian maduro - to me it is the most dead-on delicious maduro-y treat available. CAO Brasilia, and PDR 1878 Capa Madura are good choices. I like the PDR a little better. If you're willing to go up in price a bit, 262 Paradigm is a terrific cigar. Even though I roll a creditable maduro blend at home, I still like to have a few Paradigms on hand in the lancero vitola. It's kind of interesting to try all three brands - each is made with filler from a different country.

[droy1958]

That sounds like a great idea! I've relied on my "old man" memory!!

You're probably in trouble like me then (being an old man). It took me 3 months to discover that cellophane wrappers suck.....

[droy1958]

For a good example of an Indonesian Sumatra, try Romeo y Julieta 1875 Cedro Deluxe No. 1 or 2. For a good cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, try Rocky Patel Vintage 1992.

For a pretty good representation of the mainstream maduro, try Sancho Panza Double Maduro, or CAO Mx2. The list Ciro posted from JR says an oscuro wrapper is also called a double maduro, but that is kind of vintage info. Double maduro these days refers to rolling the cigar with a maduro binder as well as a maduro wrapper.

You should also try a Brazilian maduro - to me it is the most dead-on delicious maduro-y treat available. CAO Brasilia, and PDR 1878 Capa Madura are good choices. I like the PDR a little better. If you're willing to go up in price a bit, 262 Paradigm is a terrific cigar. Even though I roll a creditable maduro blend at home, I still like to have a few Paradigms on hand in the lancero vitola. It's kind of interesting to try all three brands - each is made with filler from a different country.

I really like the PDR 1878 Capa Oscuro Liga #2....

[TreySC]

I think the moral of the story is, Smoke more cigars!

[cbr310]

Is it just me or the darker the stronger the cigar? I have a few real dark I'm scared to even try.

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[TreySC]

Is it just me or the darker the stronger the cigar? I have a few real dark I'm scared to even try.

Sent from my LG-H900 using Tapatalk

Generally darker cigars are stronger, but it's not always the case. I've had few naturals give me the spins before too.

[LazyLightning]

Thanks again everyone!

[Sir Lancerolot]

Is it just me or the darker the stronger the cigar? I have a few real dark I'm scared to even try.

When I was pretty new to cigars a great guy bombed me with a selection to try out. Included among them was an unbanded cigar that I couldn't identify. I asked him what it was, and his response was along the lines of, "You mean the dark, evil-looking torpedo? That's a Taboo Original Exotic Blend Maduro." And yes, it WAS a dark, evil-looking torpedo. Because of that (and the name didn't help to reassure me, either!), it sat in humidor for a long time while I smoked everything around it. I was actually afraid of smoking the darned thing. Finally I mustered my courage and gave it a try. Here's the text of my review posted on Puff in 2010:

With its dark, unbanded wrapper, slightly irregular shape, and a name with the words "Taboo" and "exotic," this looked like kind of an outlaw cigar.

Prelight draw was firm but not hard, and delivered a nice, rich, aged tobacco flavor with a hint of cocoa. It lit easily and burned pretty nicely. Went out once about halfway through, maybe as much my fault as the cigars, but relit easily. It really wanted to go out again with about 1.5 inches remaining, and I fought it a little bit, got another half inch burned, and then finally let it die.

Bandito cigar it may have looked, but it smoked really civilized. Earthy flavor up first, joined about an inch in with leather. Throughout the entire smoke there was just a hint of mint. The minty note held the same balance throughout, even as the main body of flavor shifted from pure earthy toward leather and a little wood. Somewhere after the first inch, a really fun peppery aftertaste popped up. Never tasted pepper in the draw, only felt its tingle and tasted its spice in the moments after exhaling.

Exhaling - ahhhh - lots of aromatic smoke. It smelled like rich guys hanging out in leather chairs around hand-carved wooden tables with glasses of favorite beverages close at hand.

Interestingly, although this cigar certainly placed well into the medium flavor range, it didn't drown out any of the white wines - not even a gentle, innocently fruity Riesling. It would have been better with a red, maybe, but there were times with the whites that I found a delicious, slightly smoky tropical fruit essence bursting on my palate. Exotic, indeed!

After a red-orange-pink-purple sunset that spread clear across to the East end of the cloudy sky, Jupiter shown incredibly brightly in the West, finding almost the only gap in the clouds. Further South and East, the moon lit up the growing cloud cover, and distant "heat lightning" flickered silently and sporadically across the sky.

As it grew later, the experience took on an almost elemental quality - a fiery ring swelling as I drew a breath of earth-flavored smoke. A storm-promising breeze carrying my exhaled wisps of gray and white into the darkness over the water. Almost two hours after lighting up, I let the Taboo go to sleep, and Pam and I headed inside.

Not long after, it began raining hard - drumming on the windows, tapping on the ground, splashing through the tree branches. A nice summer shower to cap off the experience. All in all, a very pleasant cigar to while away a couple of hours with on a summer's evening.