Which strain for wrapper?

[Michibacy]

I don't usually do this but I'm asking for your guys' assistance in deciding which strain to use for a cigar wrapper. I recently bought some Berger and Argenti Mooch cigars and have fallen in love with them, in addition the local shop had a handmade box of cigars that only said "Cuban Style" no brand, no marking, not even a warning label. The cigar still has a twisted "sucking end" and rough "burning end".

I have yet to try the "cuban style" but it smells delicious and is almost nutty, the Berger and Argenti is very creamy smelling.

I'm also a fan of the Romeo en Juliet cigars that tend to (in my opinion) had more of a floral smell to them.

Any suggestions on strains, and persons with seed so that I can grow next year would be greatly appreciated!

Michibacy

 

[johnlee1933]

Any suggestions on strains, and persons with seed so that I can grow next year would be greatly appreciated!Michibacy

I don't know anything about the cigars you talk about. I use CT shade as wrapper on some of my cigars. I like it for appearance and aroma. It has been a premiere wrapper for expensive cigars for a lot of years. I have some seed if you would like it. -- John

 

[Matty]

I concur with Johnlee, try the CT wrapper. I bought some of the lovely VBN leaves from the whole leaf store. Good leaves, nice taste and smell but they lack a bit of punch. I recently brought out some CT shade leaf and used it for wrapper on a few sticks, what a difference, it was quite tasty. When I buy cigars I usually pick up a few cubans like Romeo y Julieta, H. Upman, Aurora... I'm trying to get a similar, well rounded smoke with what I have. The CT shade helped a lot. Broadleaf is not too bad either but it makes for a more "american" style cigar, IMO.

 

[deluxestogie]

I should point out that my CT Shade, when grown in full sun, did not produce very nice wrapper grade leaf. On the other hand, FL Sumatra grown in full sun produces a high percentage of lovely wrapper grade leaf. The FL Shade is darker and mellower than shade-grown CT Shade.

My Glessnor also produced some wonderful, huge wrapper leaf that can be used after only a few months of shed aging. It's smoother and darker after kilning.

Bob

 

[Michibacy]

Hey Bob, have you got any extra Glessnor seeds I could snag from ya? if so, PM me and I'll give you my address and get you some money

 

[deluxestogie]

Glessnor seed, along with seed for all my other varieties from 2012, will be going into the FTT seedbank for member access. BigBonner will also have the seed, so if you order from him in advance, he could provide you with started plants.

Bob

 

[Randy]

Glessnor is that a burley or maryland?

 

[Kaneo]

Bob,

When you said your sungrown Ct Shade did not make good wrapper, was that because it made the leaf ribs to thick? or was it a taste issue?

I'm growing CT Shade in three areas, 15 plants have alot of shade, 6 plants have full sun and the other 6 plants are on my deck in buckets this limits the amount of full sun

 

[Randy]

I have idea how to get sungrown CT shade to do better??......hang up-side down pots like everyone seems to love growing tomatoes latley??? just a thought


Randy

 

[FmGrowit]

If tobacco was a vine like a tomato. hanging them upside down might work, but it's not.

Discovering the centuries old processes is what this forum is best known for. That information alone has been difficult to find. Expending beyond the proven processes seems a little self defeating...IMO.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Michibacy, In reference to your original guestion: I've grown the following for wrappers, all under shade except where noted.
Havana 263- an average wrapper, nothing to write home about
Conn Shade- very thin and elastic wrappers, has that classic pee smell when curing and fermenting
Yellow Orinoco- nice long leaves but not very elastic not tasty as a wrapper ( good for chew and a pipe though)
Florida Sumatra- an excellent choice, nice thin and elastic with a good taste
Glessnor- grew this in the sun. Also a tasty wrapper. I plan to grow this again this summer under shade.
Havana 425- very thin and elastic but devoid of taste
MD609- This was sun grown. I thought the large thin leave would make a good wrapper. Even though the leaf was paper thin, the little veins that bracned out from the mid rib were too big to make an effective wrapper.
Vuelta Abajo- A very nice wrapper when shade grown. The leaves are on the small side though but combined with sun grown Vuelta Abajo filler and binder it makes a very pleasent Cuban style puro

So, if you do not plan to grow under shade I would recommend FL Sumatra, then Glessnor in that order. These two varieties though are what you would have found on American Cigars during the big Cigar Boom of the 1880's. You did say you were looking for a Cuba style cigar so that would narrow your choice down to Vuelta Abajo, which you should grow under shade.

 

[deluxestogie]

Glessnor is classed as a cigar filler variety. It appears to be a PA Broadleaf/Seedleaf derivative, with a darker green leaf.

My comments on sun-grown CT Shade is with regard to the leaf conformation. My sun-grown leaf tended to be a bit smallish for wrapper, and more to the point, its margins are rippled and its lamina somewhat puckered. This makes it less than ideal for use as a wrapper. The flavor is nice, but not a pungent as the shade-grown leaf. It burns well.

FL Sumatra will produce a wrapper that I would categorize as similar to Ecuador Sumatra, often used on Caribbean-made cigars.

Bob

 

[Kaneo]

Thanks for clearing that up Bob.

It will be interesting to see how the Ct Shade goes this year but Fl Sumatra or Glessnor could be the better option for FY13

 

[SmokesAhoy]

This is totally from left field but I'd try Don's silver river for wrapper. I have some gorgeous huge sails of leaves gifted to me that are just perfect for wrappers. Its one of the most curious strains out there and everyone should have some

 

[Knucklehead]

This is totally from left field but I'd try Don's silver river for wrapper. I have some gorgeous huge sails of leaves gifted to me that are just perfect for wrappers. Its one of the most curious strains out there and everyone should have some

I haven't seen that on the website. Is that a request item? I've tried the Bezuki and it's really good.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Its not a wrapper leaf per se, but it is a total unknown outside Don's circle of influence so who knows what its classification is. But the plant produces enormous leaves that have very delicate veins and I think one of its uses could be wrapper leaf easily.

 

[Knucklehead]

I meant I haven't seen it on Whole Leaf site for sale. Is that the one with the slight menthol taste?

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Yup. No its not for sale afaik, gotta obtain seeds somewhere. I will do a grow next season but its been around a few years and the seed can be found sooner than that I'm sure. I think its interesting as a wrapper but it certainly does not have that distinctive Cuban taste.

 

[johnlee1933]

Its not a wrapper leaf per se, but it is a total unknown outside Don's circle of influence so who knows what its classification is. But the plant produces enormous leaves that have very delicate veins and I think one of its uses could be wrapper leaf easily.

If it has good strength and a bit of streach, why not. It's an interesting taste. -- John

 

[ChuckP]

Bob,

When you said your sungrown Ct Shade did not make good wrapper, was that because it made the leaf ribs to thick? or was it a taste issue?

I'm growing CT Shade in three areas, 15 plants have alot of shade, 6 plants have full sun and the other 6 plants are on my deck in buckets this limits the amount of full sun

Howdy Kaneo,

I grew some CT Shade under similar conditions. Some under door screen that had 50-60% shade effect, some that had full shade in the middle of the afternoon and some in full sun. I preferred the product from the first two mentioned, the stuff under the door shade required work attention. The horm worms like the shade too! Both were smooth and creamy, but the full sun was harsher in comparison. Have you tried Black Mammoth as a wrapper? IMO - it has a richer flavour. FL Sumatra is my other wrapper of choice. I would like to get a couple Brazil Bahia and Boliva Crillo Black to try as a wrapper next year.

Let us know how things turn out down there.
Regards, Chuck.