My Father Limited Edition 2010

Size: 6.5” x 52

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo

Origin: Nicaragua

Age: Fresh

This is a cigar I’ve been eagerly awaiting since I heard it will feature some of Pepin’s Pelo de Oro leaf.  What’s Pelo de Oro?  Meaning “golden hair”, PdO is the grandfather to the modern day Corojo wrapper.  According to Tobacconist University:

it is usually a reference to a potent Cuban cigar varietal which was popular in the early and middle 20th Century. This tobacco could be used for wrapper and filler as well, but is disease prone and can infest entire crops and regions so it is rarely grown today. Pelo de Oro can be considered a ‘campesino’ or ‘guajiro’ tobacco since many agricultural workers grow and smoke it to this day – especially in the central part of Cuba.  It is known for being quite strong and flavorful as well as sweet.

My Father LE 2010

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Cigar Wrappers A-Z – Corojo

This is the probably the trendiest wrapper right now.  It is of course also one of the wrappers they use in Cuba (Corojo ’99 variety).

Original Corojo, in fact, was derived from the Criollo seed by natural selection, and this ancient seed is the genetic base seed for the Corojo ‘99 hybrid. A lot of cigar makers have been trying to emulate the rustic taste of a Cuban cigar for years, and this is the leaf they’ve been using.  Here’s a nice article on the Corojo wrapper.

Versions of Corojo

• Costa Rican – I find this has a milder and earthier flavor than Corojo grown in other regions. Try the Alec Bradley Trilogy Authentic Corojo for a good example of this leaf.



• Corojo ’99 – developed in Cuba for wrapper leaf in 1999, but also widely planted in Ecuador and elsewhere.

 

• El Corojo – historically used for Cuban cigars.  Replaced with Corojo ’99 in 1999.

 

• Honduran – One word – Camacho. They do Honduran Corojo and do it often. They Honduran-grown version is very spicy, lots of pepper and wood with underlying earthiness. One problem with Honduran Corojo is that it is nearly flame retardant. You can always expect to have burning problems with this leaf. Examples: Camacho Corojo and Vibe by Rocky Patel (not as spicy).

 

 

• Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 – Nicaraguan grown version of the Ecuadorian transplant of the Corojo ’99 plant, this is most famous in the Tatuaje line by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin Garcia.  The combination of Don Pepin Garcia and the Nicaraguan Corojo plant has made this leaf one of the more popular wrappers today.

 

• San Andres – A Corojo leaf grown in Mexico featured in the Altadis Edicion Limitadas (RyJ, H. Upmann, Trinidad & Montecristo).

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