Popular Seeds and Tobacco Varieties

Chamuco Cigars may be known for premium  Nicaraguan cigars, but we are also knowledgeable about seeds and tobacco varieties from other areas. Here are a few popular seeds and tobacco varieties that  are ideal for maduro wrappers:

·         Habano: Described as Criollo, Habano seed and sometimes Corojo, Cuban-seed rapper is often found growing in the heartiest varieties throughout Honduras and Nicaragua, thus Habano wrapper from these areas is ideal for a wrapper that is rich, earthy and a little bit sweet.  

·         San Andres: Harvested in Mexico’s San Andres, this Cuban-seed tobacco San Andres wrapper is noted for its smooth, toasty qualities. This wrapper exhibits the sweetness found in the majority of maduros and is a perfect choice for blenders because it pairs well with most fillers.

·         Jaltepec: Jaltepec seeds are the same Cuban-seen tobacco grown in San Andres, but harvested in Costa Rica. Due to the nutrient-rich soil in Costa Rica, the wrapper is sweeter than the San Andres, but otherwise exhibits many similar qualities.

What Makes a Cigar a Maduro

Chamuco Cigars offers two Maduro blends: the Chamuco Black Magic Maduro, which is a Full Body Maduro, and the Chamuco Maduro, which is a Medium Body Maduro. But do you know what a maduro cigar is?

The word maduro translates to “ripe” in Spanish, so it’s not hard to see why maduros age extremely well. After the tobacco leaves are harvested from the plants, they are transported to a curing barn, where they mature from green to brown over the course of 45 days. The leaves then ferment in large “pilones” (that’s piles to us non-Spanish speakers) for up to three years, during which time the leaves change from light to dark brown as the sugars extract and the leaves become less and less tannic.

The amount of time a leaf needs to ferment is dependent on the thickness of the leaf as well as it’s nutrient content, which is determined by various factors such as growing region, the priming on the plant and the seed type.

It can take three to five years of fermentation for a tobacco leaf to naturally ripen into a maduro. Many seeds and tobacco types spawn thin, delicate leaves, thus they can never become true maduros. Stay tuned for our next blog to learn about some of the most popular varieties.

Where to Find Chamuco Cigars

Our boutique cigars can be found in Dallas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Los Angeles and other cities, in addition to our online retail store. In San Diego, Chamuco Cigars are sold at several retailers. Read about one of them below and stay tuned for more spotlights on cigar shops featuring our cigars:

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar in La Mesa.

Hoffer’s is named after Phil “Hoffer” Hoffman, who has been a San Diego resident for 40 plus years. You’ll find Chamuco Cigars in this upbeat, elegant space alongside a broad selection of cigars and a large selection of draft beers and wine. What more could you ask for?

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar is located 10 minutes from downtown San Diego, in the heart of old La Mesa. San Diego Magazine has hailed Hoffer’s one of the best suburban bars in the San Diego area. Can you think of a better place to enjoy your quality cigars from Chamuco?