Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 3/15/2008

Question
I enjoy smoking maduro wrapped cigars (usually Partagas) and believed the wrap was important to taste enhancement with respect to the "maduro" category. Lately I have experienced a paper thin wrap unraveling or cracking when I attempt to cut the end. I own a Xikar cutter and it is fairly new, so I do not know if I the wrap is cheap or a common occurrence. 1. is a maduro cigar normally more robust?
2.How do you measure the quality of a true maduro?
signed, Mixed up Maduro

Answer
David,
You are correct in that the wrapper is typically the most dominant flavor of a cigar. Most maduro wrappers are thick, heavy sun-grown leaves, the most common being Connecticut Broadleaf and Mexican Sumatra. Brazilian grown maduro wrappers are becoming more popular although they are still a small percentage of the total maduro production. There are many other types grown, and some of them probably are on the thin side. True maduro wrapper is naturally dark and has oils in the leaf that allow it to darken more when fermented. A thin, lighter colored wrapper can be darkened somewhat by the natural processes of bulk-piling and heating, or can be "dyed" with either an alcohol based solution or one of the "trade secret" methods some factories employ. Regardless of the thickness of the wrapper, you should be able to cut the cigar without it unraveling or cracking. Unraveling is usually a sign of either not enough head paste used in the construction of the head or too much of the head being cut off. Cracking is caused by the cigar being dry, the bunch (the binder and filler) not being properly constructed and leaving a weak spot in the head or a cigar cutter that is not properly sharp.

A maduro wrapper is not necessarily more robust in flavor, in actuality these wrappers are typically well-cured through a process of natural heating which removes much of the ammonia in them, thus causing them to be milder.

The true quality of a maduro wrapper from a manufacturers standpoint is judged on appearance, taste and physical strength of the leaf. From a consumers standpoint all that really matters is taste - you should judge it on how much you enjoy smoking the cigar, not on what qualities the leaf my be touted for.

Hope this helps.

Bill