Click Image Below to See the Cigar Tobacco Family Tree
According to legend, tobacco has been cultivated for around 5,000 - 8,000 years and is native only to the Americas originating in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and Peru. Technically, tobacco is any plant from the genus Nicotiana. Nicotiana belongs to the Solanaceae family which is widely used for food (eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.), medicine (henbane, etc.) and drugs (nicotine).
President of Drew Estate, Steve Saka, mentioned there are 66 types of tobacco in his Spring 2006 article Black Tobacco for Cigar Magazine. Of those types, only two are used in the tobacco products used today, Nicotiana rustica Linnaeus and Nicotiana tobacum Linnaeus. Both types were named by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. He credited Nicot de Villemain, an ambassador documented as introducing tobacco to France, by naming the genus after him.
The first type,
Nicotiana rustica Linnaeus, was the main tobacco used in pre-Colonial days in North America and is now typically used in Northern India and Afghanistan. Known for its high nicotine content a study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology authored by D.E. Hadley examined the use of
Nicotiana rustica Linnaeus, hydrated lime, and water as an insecticide.
| Nicotiana rustica Linnaeus | Nicotiana tobacum Linnaeus |
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Nicotiana tobacum Linnaeus, the second type, is considered the “sweeter” of the two. Within this species are many subspecies, some of which are listed below.
- Black
- Blond
- Burley
- Oriental
Of these subspecies, the blond, burley and Oriental are typically flue or fire cured and used mainly for cigarettes while the black tobacco is air cured and used for cigars. Black tobacco provides more robust flavors and aromas, has a higher nicotine content than the other subspecies and is meant to be enjoyed for taste and aroma alone.
Black tobacco seeds can be grown nearly anywhere, it has been cultivated as far north as Canada and as far south as New Zealand, but it prefers a hot and humid climate and sandy loam volcanic soil. This makes the Central Americas and Caribbean Islands an ideal location to cultivate premium cigar tobacco.
Although this area produces some highly sought after premium cigar tobacco, there are five basic types of black tobacco and not all regions fit within the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. The five basic types are listed below.
- Bahia - From Brazil this tobacco type is one of the oldest native seed tobaccos
- Broadleaf - This type is widely grown especially in the USA
- Habanesis Hybrids - Developed from seeds brought to Cuba from Mexico this type forms the basis of the Cuban seed tobacco family
- San Andreas Negro - From Mexico this tobacco type was cultivated by the Aztecs
- Sumatran - Dutch explorers and traders brought this tobacco to Indonesia circa 1500
From the five basic types introduced above, come thousands of varieties. Similar to wine varietals, each black tobacco variety has its own characteristics yet the exact same variety can have very different flavors, body and aromas when grown in different terroir. Some of the most common black tobacco varieties are listed below.
- Broadleaf - From Windsor, Connecticut this sun grown variety gives it more strength and body than a shade grown strain. This variety is popular for Maduro wrappers
- Cameroon - Originating in Africa this variety offers a subtle sweetness and complex character. Typically used as a wrapper and can be hard to match with a filler
- Connecticut Shade - Originally from the Connecticut River Valley but also grown in Nicaragua and Honduras, this shade grown variety produces a thinner and finer tobacco than its sun grown counterpart. Typically used for wrappers of milder cigars
- Connecticut Sun Grown - Different than sun grown broadleaf this comes from Cuban seed and may also be called Havana Seed and Maduro Tiempo
- Corojo - Created by Cubans from breeding Criollo plants and now widely planted in Honduras, Nicaragua and others
- Corojo 99 - Developed in Cuba as wrapper leaf and widely planted in Ecuador and other locations
- Criollo - Originally a native seed Cuban tobacco this variety can be flavorful and smooth or very powerful. Is also grown in Honduras and Nicaragua
- Criollo 98 / Criollo 99 - Developed in Cuba to be more disease resistant than the standard Cuban Criollo plant. The Criollo 98 is also planted in Honduras and Nicaragua
- Habana 2000 - Disease resistant variety to replace the Cuban Corojo and widely used for wrapper. Also grown in Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico
- Olor - Mild native to Dominican Republic
- San Andres - Frequently made into Maduro and used as wrapper. Flavor ranges from chocolatey smooth to a light peppery. Grown in Mexico and Costa Rica
- Sumatra - Originated in Indonesia and can be sweet to tangy depending on where grown. Now also in Mexico, Ecuador and others
As we can see, there is no shortage of cigar tobacco variety and thanks to modern science there will be more varieties to come.
| Interesting Fact: In American Colonies, tobacco was used as money throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. So, while money doesn’t grow on trees, apparently it once grew from the seeds of the tobacco plant. |
References used in this article:
- Steinberg, R.A., T.C. Tso, Physiology of the Tobacco Plant, Annual Review of Plant Physiology, Vol. 9, 151 - 174, June, 1958.
- Haley, D.E., F.L. Follweiler, Studies on Nicotiana Rustica as a Source of a Nicotine for Insect Control, Journal of Economic Entomology, Vol. 18, No. 6, 807 – 817, December, 1925.
- Knapp, Sandra, The Solanaceae as Drugs and Medicine: A Natural History of the Potato Family, The Natural History Museum, 2002.
- Breen, T. H. Tobacco Culture, Princeton: New Jersey Press, 2001.
- Saka, Steve, Black Tobacco, Cigar Magazine, Spring 2006.
