Continent | North America
Outpost Field Notes: Mexican San Andres Tobacco
OUTPOST FIELD NOTES: MADURO
“Maduro” is a word frequently used in cigar circles, but surprisingly few know what it really means. In an effort to share our tobacco expertise with you, we’re going back to the basics to discuss what exactly classifies Maduro tobacco, the many ways Maduros can be crafted and to highlight some of your favorite CAO cigars that feature Maduro leaves.
WHAT IS A MADURO CIGAR?
Put simply, Maduro is a classification of the cigar’s leaf color. Maduro leaves are dark and reddish brown, making them distinct from green (candela), golden brown (colorado), and completely black (oscuro) wrapper leaves. Translated from Spanish as “ripe,” Maduros are often aged cigars and are highly coveted in the industry.
HOW ARE MADURO CIGARS MADE?
There are three different ways cigar makers craft a Maduro tobacco leaf.
1. Allow the plant to grow in full, direct sunlight. Similarly to how Connecticut Shade leaves are made lighter and more mellow by being shielded from the sun, direct sunlight lends a deeper color and richer flavor to Maduro leaves.
2. Extend the aging to create darker colors. Just like direct sunlight, this process allows complexity to develop in the tobacco, darkening its appearance and improving its flavor.
3. Utilize tobacco toasting techniques, which are not often used in premium cigars. Various heated fermentation techniques, most often used in pipe tobaccos, can also alter the flavor and color of tobaccos enough to warrant a Maduro classification. We only mention this technicality because some cigar brands have been tinkering with including what are traditionally pipe tobacco leaves in their premium cigars.
WHY ARE MADURO CIGARS SO POPULAR?
Cigars featuring Maduro tobaccos have been popular for decades because of their deeper, more robust flavor profiles, which are often preferred by experienced smokers. While not all Maduro blends are full-bodied, many are. With the rise in popularity of stronger, bolder blends, the popularity of Maduro cigars has also risen.
CAO CIGARS WITH MADURO TOBACCO
Maduro
We couldn’t end this blog on Maduro cigars without highlighting the ever-elegant CAO Maduro. A timeless classic in our portfolio, Maduro just celebrated its 30th birthday. What has made it stick around for so long? Featuring an impressive Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper fermented under the intense Nicaraguan sun for three months, CAO Maduro is a rich and dark cigar with a razor-thin burn that is worthy of awards.
MX2
If you like Maduro wrappers, you’ll love CAO MX2, which has two. Maduro X 2 = MX2. It’s wrapped in a well-fermented Connecticut Broadleaf with a spicy Brazilian Maduro binder. The rest of this cigar’s sweet and zesty flavor comes from its superb blend of tobaccos harvested in Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Peru, making MX2 a smoke that’s twice as nice.
Flathead
Every size of Flathead, from the petite Flathead Spark Plug to the monstrous Flathead Resonator, features the iconic Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro that earned a 95 rating from Cigar Aficionado. A box-pressed badass that fires on all cylinders, Flathead is a Maduro you won’t want to pass up.
These are just a few of the many cigars we’ve crafted featuring Maduro tobaccos. Explore our full lineup to learn more.
SIMILAR ADVENTURES
Explore other CAO cigars whose origins began on the same continent.
