Fronto vs "regular" wrapper leaf

[waikikigun]

Trying to get a more rational grasp of what fronto leaf is.

An hour or two of Googling tells me that it's air cured wrapper leaf, darker, richer, smoother, thicker, and chocolatier than "normal" wrapper leaf because of the "special way it's cured and processed."

There is nothing to suggest that it comes from any specific kind of leaf variety.

Its use is as a blunt wrapper (weed wrapped in tobacco), or, chopped up, after which it becomes "grabba," used in a spliff (a cigarette with weed and tobacco mixed).

WLT offers a few kinds:

Black and LaRose Fronto

Fronto (also known as Fanta, Funta and various other names) has been around for years. These whole leaf wrapper grade tobacco leaves are popular in the U.S.A., Jamaica and other Caribbean islands.

wholeleaftobacco.com

The Bay Front offers "superior rolling and burning qualities."

The Black Fronto is "cured in a manner by which the harshness is removed from the leaf," and it has "a smokehouse aroma." Was it fire-cured? Or more likely subjected to smoking after the initial normal air cure?

The LaRose is "also known as Grabba," and has "superior rolling and burning qualities."

(Even though grabba is usually cut up fronto used for filler, fronto used as wrapper can also be referred to as grabba in some places).

So, what I'm trying to grasp is how much of the front concept (as different from regular cigar wrapper) is purely marketing, in terms of these special processes and superior qualities and so forth. And also, are there typical kinds of leaf used for this stuff, more American type than Caribbean, for example? And is this stuff really smoother, chocolatier, etc from some special version of air curing and/or other processing?

Or is it just any leaf sold as blunt wrap instead of cigar wrap?

And if anyone has tried the WLT offerings, what's their opinion on what kind of leaf variety it seem to be, and does it seem to somehow have been processed differently from normal cigar wrapper leaf?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Snowblithe]

The dark fronto from WLT to me is almost indistinguishable from the Kentucky fire cured on offer (the batch I got was actually labeled Tennessee fire cured). I don’t know for certain, but I suspect you’re onto to something with it just being marketing. Or maybe it’s like Bourbon or champagne where regionality determines the name. Hopefully someone who knows more will chime in.

 

[deluxestogie]

See the posts from @FmGrowit.

Fronto/Grabba leaf

I see fronto/grabba leaf listed on Wlt now. What is it and what is it used for? Looks interesting... Gavin

fairtradetobacco.com

Black Fronto

Anybody tried WLT's Black Fronto yet? My order can in yesterday and I was surprised; the description said it " has a smokey, full tobacco flavor". I haven't rolled any yet, so can't comment on the favor but I believe the smell is every bit as strong as the Dark Fire WLT sells. It is beautiful...

fairtradetobacco.com

What the heck is gabba fronto tobacco

Wasn't sure where to post this question. I smoke a pipe so I'll try here. I purchased some gabba fronto leaf from LO over a year ago. I found out after the fact that it is normally used by pot smokers as a wrap. I haven't ordered from LO for about that long finding the sources on here much...

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

See the posts from @FmGrowit.

Fronto/Grabba leaf

I see fronto/grabba leaf listed on Wlt now. What is it and what is it used for? Looks interesting... Gavin

fairtradetobacco.com

Black Fronto

Anybody tried WLT's Black Fronto yet? My order can in yesterday and I was surprised; the description said it " has a smokey, full tobacco flavor". I haven't rolled any yet, so can't comment on the favor but I believe the smell is every bit as strong as the Dark Fire WLT sells. It is beautiful...

fairtradetobacco.com

What the heck is gabba fronto tobacco

Wasn't sure where to post this question. I smoke a pipe so I'll try here. I purchased some gabba fronto leaf from LO over a year ago. I found out after the fact that it is normally used by pot smokers as a wrap. I haven't ordered from LO for about that long finding the sources on here much...

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

Fantastic, Bob! Thanks so much for digging up those threads. They answered all my questions (except now I have to lean what Dark Air Cured tobacco is, which I'll do now).

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Dark air is delicious and is my favorite pipe tobacco blending component. It works well in an Italian style cheroot too.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Maybe read about the individual dark varieties that @skychaser sells.

Northwood Seeds Providing organically grown seed for home gardeners

 

[deluxestogie]

what Dark Air Cured tobacco is

I find the origins of USDA tobacco market categories fairly uninspired. Certain large-leaf, sticky tobacco varieties air-cure to a dark color. During life, the leaves appear almost fuzzy, since they grow a denser crop of trichomes than most other categories of tobacco. Since trichomes are the tiny "hairs" that secrete defensive alkaloids over the leaf surface, the leaves are stickier. They tend to be high in nicotine. These mostly arose in southwest Kentucky and northwest Tennessee. When simply air-cured, the dark air-cured leaf takes on the dark color of well-fermented cigar ligero.

Over the past 150 years, dark air-cured varieties have been agronomically selected to further emphasize all these traits, and their "native" growing regions have become iconic of the dark air-cured category.

From Doug Moats' Nicotiana Project:

Type 21. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Virginia Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in the Piedmont and mountain sections of Virginia.​

​

Type 22. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Eastern District Fire-cured, produced principally in a section east of the Tennessee River in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.​

​

Type 23. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Western District Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in a section west of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and extending into Tennessee.​

​

Type 35. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as One Sucker Air-cured, Kentucky-Tennessee-Indiana One Sucker, or Dark Air-cured One Sucker - including the upper Cumberland District One Sucker - and produced principally in northern Tennessee, south central Kentucky, and southern Indiana. One-Sucker is a common name for Type 35 tobacco and is used in the manufacture of chewing tobacco.​

​

Type 36. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as Green River, Green River Air-cured, Dark Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of the Henderson and Owensboro Districts, and produced principally in the Green River section of Kentucky. It is of the one-sucker type and is commonly used in the production of chewing tobacco, though to some extent it is used for snuff and smoking tobaccos.​

​

Type 37. That type of air-cured or sun-cured tobacco commonly known as Virginia Sun-cured, Virginia Sun and Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of Virginia, and produced principally in the central section of Virginia north of the James River.​

You'll notice that fire-curing vs. air-curing vs. sun-curing is kind of vague, when it comes to specific varieties. They are big, thick, strong leaves that can often be cured by any of those methods.

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

I find the origins of USDA tobacco market categories fairly uninspired. Certain large-leaf, sticky tobacco varieties air-cure to a dark color. During life, the leaves appear almost fuzzy, since they grow a denser crop of trichomes than most other categories of tobacco. Since trichomes are the tiny "hairs" that secrete defensive alkaloids over the leaf surface, the leaves are stickier. They tend to be high in nicotine. These mostly arose in southwest Kentucky and northwest Tennessee. When simply air-cured, the dark air-cured leaf takes on the dark color of well-fermented cigar ligero.

Over the past 150 years, dark air-cured varieties have been agronomically selected to further emphasize all these traits, and their "native" growing regions have become iconic of the dark air-cured category.

From Doug Moats' Nicotiana Project:

Type 21. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Virginia Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in the Piedmont and mountain sections of Virginia.​

​

Type 22. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Eastern District Fire-cured, produced principally in a section east of the Tennessee River in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.​

​

Type 23. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Western District Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in a section west of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and extending into Tennessee.​

​

Type 35. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as One Sucker Air-cured, Kentucky-Tennessee-Indiana One Sucker, or Dark Air-cured One Sucker - including the upper Cumberland District One Sucker - and produced principally in northern Tennessee, south central Kentucky, and southern Indiana. One-Sucker is a common name for Type 35 tobacco and is used in the manufacture of chewing tobacco.​

​

Type 36. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as Green River, Green River Air-cured, Dark Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of the Henderson and Owensboro Districts, and produced principally in the Green River section of Kentucky. It is of the one-sucker type and is commonly used in the production of chewing tobacco, though to some extent it is used for snuff and smoking tobaccos.​

​

Type 37. That type of air-cured or sun-cured tobacco commonly known as Virginia Sun-cured, Virginia Sun and Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of Virginia, and produced principally in the central section of Virginia north of the James River.​

View attachment 36384 View attachment 36385

You'll notice that fire-curing vs. air-curing vs. sun-curing is kind of vague, when it comes to specific varieties. They are big, thick, strong leaves that can often be cured by any of those methods.

Bob

Thanks a lot. I've had my hands on some of that stuff so I can visualize what it's about now.

Do you have any sense of the PH of this kind of stuff, as it relates to the scale of inhale-able cigarette-type leaf to shouldn't-be-inhaled cigar type stuff? I ask this in the context of wondering how people inhale blunts wrapped in it, and therefore why it is chosen for blunt wrap / "fronto."

 

[waikikigun]

Maybe read about the individual dark varieties that @skychaser sells.

Northwood Seeds Providing organically grown seed for home gardeners

Fascinating list and individual reads. Who could resist Rot Front?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I find the origins of USDA tobacco market categories fairly uninspired. Certain large-leaf, sticky tobacco varieties air-cure to a dark color. During life, the leaves appear almost fuzzy, since they grow a denser crop of trichomes than most other categories of tobacco. Since trichomes are the tiny "hairs" that secrete defensive alkaloids over the leaf surface, the leaves are stickier. They tend to be high in nicotine. These mostly arose in southwest Kentucky and northwest Tennessee. When simply air-cured, the dark air-cured leaf takes on the dark color of well-fermented cigar ligero.

Over the past 150 years, dark air-cured varieties have been agronomically selected to further emphasize all these traits, and their "native" growing regions have become iconic of the dark air-cured category.

From Doug Moats' Nicotiana Project:

Type 21. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Virginia Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in the Piedmont and mountain sections of Virginia.​

​

Type 22. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Eastern District Fire-cured, produced principally in a section east of the Tennessee River in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.​

​

Type 23. That type of Fire-cured tobacco, known as Western District Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in a section west of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and extending into Tennessee.​

​

Type 35. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as One Sucker Air-cured, Kentucky-Tennessee-Indiana One Sucker, or Dark Air-cured One Sucker - including the upper Cumberland District One Sucker - and produced principally in northern Tennessee, south central Kentucky, and southern Indiana. One-Sucker is a common name for Type 35 tobacco and is used in the manufacture of chewing tobacco.​

​

Type 36. That type of air-cured tobacco commonly known as Green River, Green River Air-cured, Dark Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of the Henderson and Owensboro Districts, and produced principally in the Green River section of Kentucky. It is of the one-sucker type and is commonly used in the production of chewing tobacco, though to some extent it is used for snuff and smoking tobaccos.​

​

Type 37. That type of air-cured or sun-cured tobacco commonly known as Virginia Sun-cured, Virginia Sun and Air-cured, or Dark Air-cured of Virginia, and produced principally in the central section of Virginia north of the James River.​

View attachment 36384 View attachment 36385

You'll notice that fire-curing vs. air-curing vs. sun-curing is kind of vague, when it comes to specific varieties. They are big, thick, strong leaves that can often be cured by any of those methods.

Bob

Type 37.
Do you think this could be what we call Dark VA?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Fascinating list and individual reads. Who could resist Rot Front?

LOL. That's German for red leaf.

 

[waikikigun]

LOL. That's German for red leaf.

Oh. Now I'm less eager to try it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Type 37.
Do you think this could be what we call Dark VA?

I don't know. In commercial blends, terms like "mature Virginia", "Red Virginia" and "Dark Virginia" are tossed around carelessly. If a variety is labeled as "Dark Air-Cured", "Dark Fire-Cured" or "Sun-Cured Virginia", then you know what it is--sort of.

My favorite dark air-cured variety is the unique, Little Yellow.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

ow people inhale blunts wrapped in it, and therefore why it is chosen for blunt wrap

" the tar level and the pH of marijuana smoke was much higher than that of tobacco smoke. "

Cannabis Smoking and Risk of Lung Cancer in Men: A Pooled Analysis of Three Studies in Maghreb

Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug worldwide and the relation between cannabis smoking and lung cancer is suggestive, albeit inconclusi…

www.sciencedirect.com

I would guess that the dark wrapper increases absorption of all the alkaloids.
Bob