SUN grown wrappers

[Ben Brand]

Hi All
After posting my planned grow log, a lot of growers suggest I grow my wrappers in shade. I had most of my tobacco in shade last season, but with the storm the trees broke and was dumped on my tobacco. The Flor Sumatra I planted in the sun was better off in the winds and storms.

What I want to ask, why do we plant our wrapper in the shade? What is the difference between sun grown and shade grown wrappers. I see on the net that a lot of big cigar companies do use sun grown wrapper, is it certain varieties or can all wrappers be sun grown.
Delux mentioned that I can grow Flor Sumatra in the sun, but why not Conn B/leaf and Com Spanish? Will the veins be to thick or the leaf it self? Just asking these questions to make sure about sun grown wrappers.
All the best
Ben S-Africa

 

[Ben Brand]

Just want to answer my own question about sun grown wrappers, http://blogcritics.org/the-ten-things-to-know-about/ explains it all.
Thanks
Ben

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Any tobacco can be grown in the sun for wrappers but they will be thicker than shade grown. Florida Sumatra is a good sun grown option because it is naturally thinner than most other tobaccos. Glessnor is nice too, although thicker than the Sumatra, the leaf is nice and elastic.

 

[workhorse_01]

Thanks for this post Ben, I actually chew moist snuff, but I've started playing with cigars and that link is saved to my favs.

 

[deluxestogie]

Ben,
With regard to the article about wrappers, I would make a few of points:
First, the only reason that one could assert that the wrapper contributes so high a percentage of the flavor is if, as is often the case with factory cigars--regardless of the price, the fillers are limited to a tiny selection of varieties. With the variety of filler available to a home grower, the filler blend often dominates in flavor.

A nit-pick in the EMS paragraph: colorado is usually considered darker (actually more red) than claro.

True claro is blond, with no hint of green or sourness.

With well made candela (green wrapper), there is no sourness. It tastes like the chlorophyll that is fixed in the leaf.

Your observation about susceptibility to wind damage is generally true. Since shade-grown plants grow taller, with a thinner stalk, thinner veins and a thinner, broader leaf shape, they are more likely to suffer from wind damage than the same variety sun-grown.

Sun-grown CT Shade, in my experience, does not make a nice wrapper--too small, too rippled. CT Broadleaf is usually sun-grown, with thicker veins and lamina.

One of the strengths of FL Sumatra is that it does produce a nice, albeit darker wrapper, even when sun-grown. Mutki (an Oriental), also makes beautiful and thin wrapper when sun-grown. Likewise for Kelly Burley (lower leaves). I'm sure there are others as well.

Bob

 

[workhorse_01]

My big gem cured yellowish gold and the leaf was very thin. I use it for wrapper and have had no complaints.

 

[BarG]

When your limited you will use whats on hand. Why should you be limited? I shouldn't have to say but Don has some of the finest wrappers I may ever see and I use my cigar varietys mostly for fillers as wrappers are aged and the best burning from Wholeleaftobacco.com

I loved the sun grown Ct. Shade from Don some years ago And have decided to try some this year. His was 24" leaves and a dark oily brown and very tasty.

 

[Chicken]

My big gem cured yellowish gold and the leaf was very thin. I use it for wrapper and have had no complaints.

i dont grow big-gem... no more,

the leaf was very thin,

im looking for a much thicker leaf for my cigg's,

but i'd say big-gem would make a good wrapper.

 

[BarG]

Big gem is a good producer.

 

[Ben Brand]

Thanks all for the remarks.
Decided to plant all my tobacco (wrappers included) in the sun. So what if the wrappers are not like a bought cigar, as long as they taste nice.
I saw some really nice cigars on the web that was covered by sun grown wrappers, grown in Cameroon, well that is in Africa, only a few 1000 miles from where I live will give it a go.