CT Tobaccoman
Well-Known Member
As a former foreman in Conn Shade in Conn and Mass, I have come to know which cigars have USA grown wrappers and binders. So, in an effort to take a drop out from the ocean of Ecuador Connecticut wrappers being deceitfully called Connecticut Shade, I'll gradually look through catalogs and report the genuines and the "fakes."
If anybody wants to know about a specific cigar, most likely I can tell you.
I identified quite a few cigars in a post under Introduce Yourself. Take a peek at that first.
Today, with the Cigars International catalog before me:
Genuine USA grown wrappers:
Connecticut Shade USA: Macanudo Natural, Macanudo Robust, Ashton Cabinet, Ashton Natural, Cusano 18, CI Fresh Rolled (cheap,) Helix, Montecristo Classic, Perdomo Fresco, Rocky Patel Vintage 1999, Nat Sherman Host (75% sure,) Pioneer Valley natural, Sancho Panza natural, Varina Farms, probably Excalibur and quite a few others. For the past few years less than 1,000 acres of Shade has been grown in Conn-Mass. and over 75% has been raised by OJ Thrall Inc for General Cigar and by the Altadis Shade Tobacco Co.
Connecticut Broadleaf USA: Macanudo Maduro, Montecristo Media Noche, Munneimaker (all CT BDLF machine made,) Arganese Maduro, Excalibur Dark Knight, Nica Rustica, Reposado 96 Maduro, Ashton Maduro, Cohiba Black, Pioneer Valley Maduro, Don Rafael Maduro, some Gurkha Maduros, Casa de Garcia Maduro, Onyx, La Aroma de Cuba Maduro, Bahia Maduro, Perdomo Fresco Maduro and some other dark Perdomos, Palma Real Maduro, Cu-Avana Maduro, Havana Classico, Saint Luis Rey maduro, Perdomo Slow Aged, La Gloria Cubana Serie N, Backwoods and many more. Altadis Shade USA has set out over half their 2014 crop in Broadleaf in fields with wire and pole infrastructure for shade. Dark cigars are a big fad these days.
Connecticut Havana Seed 7: Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee, Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro (might be from the Medio Tiempo field below,) Excalibur 1066, Xikar HC Maduro, Ramon Bueso Genesis, Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary, and a few others
Conn. USA Habano Medio Tiempo: Partagas Black Label (General Cigar patented wrapper--only 20-30 acres raised each year in Windsor, Conn.)
Pennsylvania Broadleaf: Nish, Patel Brothers, 5 Vegas Gold Maduro, Diesel, Johnson Tiempo 56 and others
Other: MUWAT Genuine KY fire cured
Maybe Conn Shade USA--not certain: some CAO, some AVO, Excalibur--may have switched to Ecuador in the past year, Montecristo Original also may have recently switched to Ecuador, and maybe Nat Sherman Host too.
Ecuador "Fake" Conn Shade: all Oliva, Black Ops, B-Line Connecticut, Graycliff, Gran Habano Connecticut, all Victor Sinclair Connecticuts, Arganese natural, all Torano Connecticuts, Ave Maria Immaculata, Gurkha Connecticuts, CI Mistakes, Tabac Especiale, Acid, 5 Vegas Gold, Brocatus, all Romeo e Julieta Connecticuts, Man o War, Diamond Crown, EO Black Pearl Cobre, No 21, Reposado, Montecristo White, 1876 Reserve, Cargo, Palma Real natural, CI Legends Copper, all Davidoff, all Nat Sherman (with possible exception of Host,) Mark Twain, Rocky Patel Connecticut, Don Rafael, Xikar HC Connecticut, all Griffins, Nub Connecticut, Sinclair Primeros, Sinclair Connecticut, Magellan Dominicans, Joya del Jefe, Gispert, Villager Connecticut, Prof. Sila, Sinclair Cigarillos, C'est La Vie, Espinosa and many more
Uncertain: Free Cuba, Excalibur, Nat Sherman Host, Montecristo Original
Honduras-grown Conn Shade--not bad: Ramon Bueso Odyssey, Alac Bradley American Blend, Baccarat, La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale and a few others
USA Conn Broadleaf Binder, PA, CT Havana (HS):
Pioneer Valley, Macanudo Robust, all Punch, almost all Partagas, Ramon Bueso Genesis (HS,) all Hoyo de Monterey, all Excalibur, Sancho Panza natural and Extra Fuente, Rocky Patel Royale and many others.
If you want to know about a particular cigar, I'll try to answer your questions.
Charlie
If anybody wants to know about a specific cigar, most likely I can tell you.
I identified quite a few cigars in a post under Introduce Yourself. Take a peek at that first.
Today, with the Cigars International catalog before me:
Genuine USA grown wrappers:
Connecticut Shade USA: Macanudo Natural, Macanudo Robust, Ashton Cabinet, Ashton Natural, Cusano 18, CI Fresh Rolled (cheap,) Helix, Montecristo Classic, Perdomo Fresco, Rocky Patel Vintage 1999, Nat Sherman Host (75% sure,) Pioneer Valley natural, Sancho Panza natural, Varina Farms, probably Excalibur and quite a few others. For the past few years less than 1,000 acres of Shade has been grown in Conn-Mass. and over 75% has been raised by OJ Thrall Inc for General Cigar and by the Altadis Shade Tobacco Co.
Connecticut Broadleaf USA: Macanudo Maduro, Montecristo Media Noche, Munneimaker (all CT BDLF machine made,) Arganese Maduro, Excalibur Dark Knight, Nica Rustica, Reposado 96 Maduro, Ashton Maduro, Cohiba Black, Pioneer Valley Maduro, Don Rafael Maduro, some Gurkha Maduros, Casa de Garcia Maduro, Onyx, La Aroma de Cuba Maduro, Bahia Maduro, Perdomo Fresco Maduro and some other dark Perdomos, Palma Real Maduro, Cu-Avana Maduro, Havana Classico, Saint Luis Rey maduro, Perdomo Slow Aged, La Gloria Cubana Serie N, Backwoods and many more. Altadis Shade USA has set out over half their 2014 crop in Broadleaf in fields with wire and pole infrastructure for shade. Dark cigars are a big fad these days.
Connecticut Havana Seed 7: Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee, Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro (might be from the Medio Tiempo field below,) Excalibur 1066, Xikar HC Maduro, Ramon Bueso Genesis, Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary, and a few others
Conn. USA Habano Medio Tiempo: Partagas Black Label (General Cigar patented wrapper--only 20-30 acres raised each year in Windsor, Conn.)
Pennsylvania Broadleaf: Nish, Patel Brothers, 5 Vegas Gold Maduro, Diesel, Johnson Tiempo 56 and others
Other: MUWAT Genuine KY fire cured
Maybe Conn Shade USA--not certain: some CAO, some AVO, Excalibur--may have switched to Ecuador in the past year, Montecristo Original also may have recently switched to Ecuador, and maybe Nat Sherman Host too.
Ecuador "Fake" Conn Shade: all Oliva, Black Ops, B-Line Connecticut, Graycliff, Gran Habano Connecticut, all Victor Sinclair Connecticuts, Arganese natural, all Torano Connecticuts, Ave Maria Immaculata, Gurkha Connecticuts, CI Mistakes, Tabac Especiale, Acid, 5 Vegas Gold, Brocatus, all Romeo e Julieta Connecticuts, Man o War, Diamond Crown, EO Black Pearl Cobre, No 21, Reposado, Montecristo White, 1876 Reserve, Cargo, Palma Real natural, CI Legends Copper, all Davidoff, all Nat Sherman (with possible exception of Host,) Mark Twain, Rocky Patel Connecticut, Don Rafael, Xikar HC Connecticut, all Griffins, Nub Connecticut, Sinclair Primeros, Sinclair Connecticut, Magellan Dominicans, Joya del Jefe, Gispert, Villager Connecticut, Prof. Sila, Sinclair Cigarillos, C'est La Vie, Espinosa and many more
Uncertain: Free Cuba, Excalibur, Nat Sherman Host, Montecristo Original
Honduras-grown Conn Shade--not bad: Ramon Bueso Odyssey, Alac Bradley American Blend, Baccarat, La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale and a few others
USA Conn Broadleaf Binder, PA, CT Havana (HS):
Pioneer Valley, Macanudo Robust, all Punch, almost all Partagas, Ramon Bueso Genesis (HS,) all Hoyo de Monterey, all Excalibur, Sancho Panza natural and Extra Fuente, Rocky Patel Royale and many others.
If you want to know about a particular cigar, I'll try to answer your questions.
Charlie