| Tobacco EverywhereFor making cigars, tobacco is | | | | enter the USA. Exiled Cubans did a great job there. |
| grown all around the world, from Poland to South | | | | Piloto Cubano is a full bodied tobacco but, maybe, is |
| Africa, from Argentina to Canada and, westbound, | | | | missing some aroma. Blended with Olor dominicano |
| from Philippines to Mexico. But cigar tobaccos are | | | | type, more aromatic, Piloto Cubano makes the 100% |
| mainly grown in the intertropical areas.Tobacco | | | | dominican cigar a very decent cigar. Both Dominican |
| OriginTobacco is known as a plant originally from | | | | types are good components for multi-origin blends.East |
| America. Some species were identified in South | | | | Mediterranean CountriesThe Eastern countries of the |
| Pacific. There are many species and varieties. Not all | | | | Mediterranean Sea are devoted to the culture of |
| of them are used in smoking products. Many are | | | | Oriental type tobacco, which is sun-cured. Greece, |
| grown as ornamental plants as they are frequently | | | | Turkey and Bulgaria are the main producers, but |
| blooming, showing colors from white to dark red and | | | | Lebanon, Syria, Macedonia, and Romania are also |
| purple.Here are some of the countries in which | | | | growing. This tobacco has tiny leaves, which are |
| tobacco is grown, to produce your | | | | sometimes only 2 inches long. The sun curing gives |
| cigars.ArgentinaArgentina grows dark air-cured | | | | them a yellowish color and high sugar content. Aroma |
| tobacco in the provinces of Misiones and Corrientes, | | | | is generally rich and a small proportion of oriental |
| and flue cured tobacco in the area of Salta. Misiones | | | | tobacco in a blend brings a lot in the taste. This |
| has also a production of Burley type. These tobaccos | | | | tobacco is not used for long filler cigars, but only in |
| are mainly for cigarettes but Corrientes is appreciated | | | | short filler cigars and cigarettes.EcuadorEcuador is the |
| for short filler cigars because of its smooth taste. | | | | perfect place to grow wrappers, because it is located |
| Argentina used to be a big producer and exporter but | | | | on the Equator! And it has rich soils too. The weather |
| changes in the economic and income tax policies have | | | | conditions, with a nearly permanent cloudy sky, provide |
| seriously damaged the production, making the tobacco | | | | a natural shade, protecting the wrapper plants from |
| too expensive to be competitive on the international | | | | sunshine and allowing the tobacco to grow thin and |
| market. Consequently, production volumes have | | | | light. Ecuador supplies Connecticut and Sumatra type |
| decreased.BrazilBrazil is one of the largest world's | | | | wrappers to many cigar factory in the |
| tobacco producers. The East Central State of Bahia is | | | | world.HondurasHonduras has built up a good reputation |
| an important cigar tobacco growing area, about 100 | | | | in making premium cigars. The country is a rather small |
| miles west of the state capital, Salvador da Bahia, an | | | | tobacco producer and the cigars are mainly made out |
| active port on the Atlantic Coast. The Northern State | | | | of imported leaves. However, Honduras has a pretty |
| of Alagoas hosts a production around the city of | | | | good potential for growing tobacco, especially |
| Arapiraca where maduro cigar wrappers are grown. | | | | wrappers, and could become a major player in the |
| The Southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa | | | | future.IndonesiaTobacco is grown in many islands of |
| Catarina produce tobacco for cigarettes and | | | | the Archipelago but, as far as cigars are concerned, |
| pipe.CameroonCameroon cigar wrappers are grown in | | | | Sumatra and Java are the ones. Sumatra Wrappers |
| the East part of the country. The growing area | | | | are known worldwide. Central Java (Vorstenland) and |
| spreads over the eastern border, into the Central | | | | East Java (Besuki) produce fillers and wrappers in |
| African Republic. Wrappers are air grown, without | | | | abundance. Indonesia is a key country for cigar |
| fertilizers and pesticides, by small farmers. The | | | | tobacco.MexicoDark air cured tobaccos are produced |
| average plantation size is about one acre. The seed is | | | | in Mexico, mainly in Vera Cruz and Tampico provinces, |
| originally from Sumatra, introduced in the country just | | | | on the East Coast along the Golf. There is also some |
| after WWII. Grown first for French Monopoly needs, | | | | production in Yucatan. Previously a state-owned |
| the tobacco was offered on the international market | | | | operation, it is now handled by private individuals and |
| when production was too large for this single use. Well | | | | cooperatives. Mexican tobacco is very dark and the |
| appreciated by European manufacturers and large | | | | best leaves can be used as maduro wrappers. In San |
| American cigars companies, Cameroon wrapper | | | | Andres de Tuxtla (Vera Cruz), there is a very |
| production dropped down during the late 1980s, due to | | | | interesting production of Sumatra seed |
| poor management. Today, quantities are small and | | | | wrappers.PhilippinesIn Philippines, tobacco growing is |
| quality could be better.ChinaChina is by far the biggest | | | | concentrated in the Northern part of the main island of |
| tobacco producer, with approximately 5 millions metric | | | | Luzon. Traditionally, dark tobacco for cigars was |
| tons. USA follows with about 1 million metric tons. | | | | grown and Philippines' cigars were very famous, under |
| Chinese tobacco is a flue-cured type, not aromatic and | | | | the powerful Compania General de Tabaccos de |
| a bit sharp in taste. This tobacco is not suitable for | | | | Filipinas. They probably declined because they were |
| cigars. It is mainly used for local cigarette consumption. | | | | too mild. Today, Philippines still grows dark tobacco and |
| A small quantity is exported. Cigarette industries import | | | | has developed a production of flue-cured tobacco for |
| the tobacco and use it as a neutral and cheap | | | | blond cigarettes.ZimbabweZimbabwe is among the top |
| filler.Connecticut, USAThe Connecticut Valley, in the | | | | three countries for high quality flue cured tobacco (with |
| Northeast of the USA, is well known for its bright | | | | the USA and Brazil). The embargo that hit the country, |
| yellow cigar wrapper. Because of a very hot and | | | | when it was still Rhodesia, did not hurt the production. It |
| sunny summer, the tobacco is shade grown. Whoever | | | | made the Rhodesians more inventive and they went |
| has flown over Hartford, CT, seated next to the | | | | on producing. At this time, Zambia and Tanzania, the |
| window, could not fail to have seen the huge white | | | | neighboring countries were selling a lot! When the |
| acreage of land standing all around: the tobacco fields | | | | embargo was lifted in 1980 allowing us to deal directly, |
| covered with white clothes to protect the plants from | | | | we discovered a fascinating organization and |
| the direct sun radiation. And the huge barns, large like | | | | equipment, the best in the world. Tobacco was the top |
| cathedrals, ready for the flue curing. | | | | activity of the country and getting a job in tobacco |
| Impressive!CubaTobacco grows all across Cuba. Your | | | | was a challenge for many young men. The actual |
| premium cigar has been made, I hope, out of tobacco | | | | Zimbabwean agrarian policy , which we won't discuss |
| coming from the West province of Vuelta Abajo, | | | | here, will probably strike this country off the list of |
| where a really good material is harvested. In Central | | | | tobacco producers. Cigar industry will not suffer as |
| and East Cuba, the provinces of Remedios and | | | | flue-cured tobaccos are mainly concerned. Brazil |
| Oriente yield tobacco that is not supposed to be | | | | should be the major beneficiary of this situation.John |
| acceptable for what everybody calls a | | | | Payne is the Publisher of Web Marketing Ezine, and |
| Havana!Dominican RepublicDominican Republic is a | | | | the Founder of Enviro-Friendly Products.Patrice |
| traditional tobacco-growing country. In the 60's, a | | | | Hirschfeld has spent a lifetime in Tobacco, and is the |
| Cuban seed was introduced and the resulting tobacco | | | | Proprietor of the Online Cigar Shop- Voila CIgars. John |
| (Piloto Cubano) became famous as a good substitute | | | | provides Marketing Consultancy to Voila Cigars. |
| of the Cuban tobacco that was no longer allowed to | | | | |