Alright folks… today we’re going to tackle a controversial topic! I’m sure most of our readers have heard that 70% of a cigar’s flavor comes from the wrapper. However, I’ve never been completely sold on this concept – the math just doesn’t add up to me. 

And yet, I’ve heard this quoted from one the most respected blenders in the industry, giving it a lot more weight than just hearing it from a YouTube personality. 

So I’ll lay out the case below to debunk this theory and let you decide. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section as well! 

Sorting

It’s commonly known that wrapper leaf is the most expensive part of the cigar. Depending on the blend, you could make the case that wrapper leaf costs 70% of the cigar if it doesn’t provide 70% of the flavor. The reasons for this are the extra attention and care it receives to reduce blemishes and cure evenly. 

But we know that this extra TLC isn’t the reason we’re told that the wrapper leaf is where 70% of our flavor comes from. How? Because a significant portion of this leaf that was purchased for use as wrapper will be downgraded to binder or even filler tobacco.

For instance, Black Label Trading Company has to downgrade a huge portion of their wrapper tobacco just because the color isn’t dark enough for their portfolio. If I remember right, James Brown was talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% of what they purchase is actually downgraded for aesthetics. And this is a common theme, even if the percentages vary from brand to brand and supplier to supplier. 

And when you consider cigars that feature two binders, it further complicates the 70% argument in my opinion.

Short and Sweet: Wrapper leaf doesn’t provide the lion share of the flavor profile just because it’s expensive and high quality since most binder tobaccos are actually downgraded wrapper leaves.

The Blend

Of course, no flavor conversation would be complete without taking into account the entire blend as a whole. Analyzing one ingredient in a vacuum is a failed endeavor.

I think we can all agree that there are some blends where the wrapper really does provide 70% of the flavor profile because it’s overpowering the binder and filler tobaccos. But that door should swing both ways: surely there are potent tobacco leaves that can overpower milder blends no matter where they’re placed. 

Short and Sweet: While I disagree with the notion that the wrapper provides 70% of the flavor as a blanket statement, I don’t believe that it’s always false. This is one of those questions that shuns absolute answers altogether and will usually need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. 

Ratio 

The main thing I hear about smaller ring gauges is that there is a higher wrapper to filler ratio, resulting in more flavor. But I think we may be overlooking one fact: there are fewer tobacco leaves used altogether. Does this mean that the wrapper leaf suddenly pops more, or that each component now has more room to shine with less actors on the stage? 

Just like making a drink, the less diluted it is the more you can taste each individual component. And conversely, the more you add to the drink, the less apparent each ingredient becomes. 

Short and Sweet: I believe we may be oversimplifying the conversation and incorrectly correlating smaller ring gauges, ratios, and flavor. I’d be curious to see how several different tobacco leaves perform when swapped out in wrapper, binder, and filler roles. 

Wrapper Swaps

Proponents of the 70% Flavor theory often point to cigars where the wrapper tobacco was solely swapped to create a new blend. I think this is a powerful argument because you can see it, smell it, and taste it. RoMa Craft’s CroMagnon and Aquitaine are interesting examples of this, as well as plenty of Maduro blends.

But we haven’t seen very much of the opposite for comparison. Or have we? Fratello created an interesting duo called the Navetta and Navetta Inverso whereby the first blend was turned inside out for the Inverso. In this case, the Navetta filler became the Inverso wrapper and the Navetta wrapper became part of the Inverso filler. 

The end result was a completely different flavor profile, but not as clear cut as swapping a filler leaf for something from the island of Ometepe. Also, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t an exact exchange of tobacco and priming selections were changed for combustion and flavor. 

We also know that placement is key. I’ve heard several times that a blend conceptualized years ago never came together until they thought to rearrange the placement of tobaccos in the bunch, creating a different experience that was much more satisfying. 

Short and Sweet: I’m not so sure that blends with wrapper swaps are the authoritative answer to this question since we haven’t seen very many publicized blends on the other side of the equation. Especially since we see a lot of Connecticut, Habano, and Maduro wrappers getting switched around. It only makes sense that transitioning from a Connecticut wrapper to a Maduro wrapper would drastically affect the flavor profile. 

That’s it from my angle. What do YOU think? Tell us in the comments below!