HOW MANY LEAVES GO INTO MAKING ONE CIGAR?

The question of how many leaves one cigar really contains cannot be answered easily, even for enthusiasts who for scientific purposes might be willing to sacrifice a cigar to examine its insides.

Generally speaking, the answer isn’t as straightforward as you may think. Of course, it’s obvious that the amount of tobacco used will vary considerably from Vitola to Vitola, and that it will also be influenced by the destiny of the roll.

It can be said definitely that, as a rule, the wrapper and the binder each use one half of a tobacco leaf – less the ribbing that is removed and the excess bits that are cut off.

Now leaving the wrapper and the binder behind, the inquisitive researcher penetrates into the filler, where he quickly realises that even long fillers do not consist of entire tobacco leaves in the actual sense of the term.

A standard format bouche, the heart of the cigar, has between two and three entire tobacco leaves. As the filler is made, these leaves are shaped to guarantee the even roll of the cigar body.

Since the blend of a cigar often contains a large number of different tobaccos, different percentages of tobacco are worked in the filler, depending on the mixture needed.

The filler tobaccos of a cigar amount for the largest part of the volume and it is here that one finds the biggest differences that depend on the format.

All in all, it can be assumed that a medium format cigar uses an amount of tobacco that corresponds to three to four entire leaves.

If you enjoyed this blog and want to find out more, please be sure to contact us today at Taylors Tobacconists.