A guide to wrapper shades
Claro, Colorado, Maduro, Oscuro: what the color of a cigar's wrapper tells you about how it will taste.
The wrapper is the single leaf on the outside of a cigar. It can make up a large share of the flavor, and its color is the quickest clue to what you’re about to taste. Color comes from the tobacco variety, how much sun the leaf got and, above all, how long and how hot it was fermented.
One rule before the chart: darker does not mean stronger. Dark wrappers are usually sweeter and richer, but strength (nicotine) comes mostly from the filler. Plenty of Maduros are gentle.
The common shades, light to dark
Candela (double claro). Green. The leaf is dried quickly to lock in chlorophyll. Grassy, bright, unusual. You won’t see many.
Claro. Pale tan. Often grown under cloth shade to keep the leaf thin and light. Mild, smooth and a little woody.
Connecticut. The classic golden-tan wrapper, either grown in Connecticut’s river valley under shade or from Connecticut seed grown elsewhere, often Ecuador. Creamy, nutty, sometimes a touch of pepper. The usual starting point for new smokers.
Colorado. Reddish-brown. Well aged, with cedar, leather and spice. A good everyday smoke with more character than Connecticut.
Habano. Usually a medium to dark brown leaf from Cuban-seed tobacco grown outside Cuba. Spicier and fuller, with pepper up front.
Maduro. Dark brown. The name means “ripe”: the leaf is fermented longer and hotter, which brings out natural sugars. Expect cocoa, coffee, molasses and a long finish.
Oscuro. Nearly black and oily. The darkest and longest-fermented wrapper. Earthy and intense.
How to use it
- Pick a shade, not a brand, when you’re starting out. Try a Connecticut, a Colorado and a Maduro and note which you liked.
- Compare the same cigar in two wrappers. Many makers sell the same blend with, say, a Habano and a Maduro wrapper. It’s the clearest way to taste what the wrapper does.
- Match the wrapper to the moment: lighter shades for morning coffee, darker ones after dinner.
Our humidor is laid out so you can browse by wrapper. Tell us which shade you reach for and we’ll take it from there. For more on the basics, see New to cigars? Start here.