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Cigars are composed of filler, a binder, and a wrapper. All of these contribute to the characteristics of the cigar, influencing the flavor, the appearance, and the smoking characteristics of the cigar. You will often find a cigar whose filler, binder, and wrapper come from two or three different countries; a cigar in which these three components all come from the same country is known as puro, or pure.
The wrapper of a cigar refers to the large tobacco leaf used to bind the cigar together. For a tobacco leaf to be used as a wrapper, it should be free of holes and, usually, free of blemishes as well. The wrapper contributes a good deal to the overall flavor of the cigar. Wrappers are classed according to their shade, and while cigar manufacturers recognize over 100 different shades, seven are most commonly used. The color of the wrapper is often used to describe the cigar as a whole; you will often hear a cigar referred to as a "claro" or a "maduro." From lighest to darkest, the seven most widely used shades are:
- Double Claro
- Claro
- Colorado Claro
- Colorado
- Colorado Maduro
- Maduro
- Oscuro, or Double Maduro
Generally speaking, the lighter wrappers have a dry taste, and the dark wrappers have a sweetish taste and, sometimes, an oily appearance. Double Claro and Claro wrappers sometimes have a light green shade, from retained clorophyll.
The filler of a cigar refers to the bunched-up tobacco inside the cigar, and makes up most of the cigar's mass. Cheap cigars tend to use short fillers — chopped-up bits of tobacco that can sometimes contain bits of tobacco stems, usually burn hotter, and sometimes leave bits of tobacco in the smoker's mouth. Higher quality cigars contain long fillers, or large sections of tobacco leaf, which provides the best smoking experience. Depending on where on the tobacco plant the filler leaf is taken from, it can be dry or sweet, bitter or smooth, minimally flavorful or strong. The overall composition of a cigar's filler is referred to as the "blend."
The binder comes between the wrapper and the filler. Usually, a leaf used as a binder has some imperfection (such as a hole or a visible blemish) that prevents it from being used as a wrapper, but can still contribute substantially to the flavor of the cigar. Some high quality cigars, or cigars intended to have a strong or complex taste, use a wrapper leaf as a binder.
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