Veins of a cigar,...question

[Lance]

People here will say that a cigar has fine veins, or no veins, or a big nasty p3nis vein running down the side.

What is the significance of the veins of a cigar wrapper? Does it affter burn or quality in any way?

[kansashat]

It can effect the burn & draw. It sometimes just feels funky in your mouth, but has no real effect, that I'm aware of, on the flavor.

I think it is mostly an eye appeal kinda thing.

I've noticed in the past that Villazon cigars will have "veiny" wrappers at what seems to be a higher ratio than some other manufacturers. The Puros Indios product seem to have a higher ratio of "sun spots" on their wrapper leaf.

[mosesbotbol]

How veins are cut out of the filler does affect the way a cigar smokes and is an indicator of quality construction.

[PaulMac]

agree with other posts, aesthetics AND smoking quality are affected

[Charles]

Some cigars have them and are very noticeable and others don't. Doesn't really bother me. Have to agree with the comment on Puros Indios sun spots!

[Jeff]

In my opinion, its a way for the manufacturer to set their product above others by using the first thing we see, the wrapper. A cigar without veins has probably been constructed better than a veiny one, but that may not alway be true. Just my take on the subject.

[MikeP]

I would think the "veininess" of the wrapper primarily has to do with the type of wrapper - how it is grown and wear - while the construction/wrapping would be a secondary factor. While I don't know that the flavor or taste quality would be affected, I believe that the burn could be. I can't say that I've ever noticed a burn problem relating to veins though. Of course, I may be intimidated a little by the real veiny cigar.

[RPB67]

The most obvious of the three cigar components, the wrapper is the easiest to discern for most cigar smokers. Industry experts claim that up to 75% of the flavor of a cigar comes from the wrapper! These leaves should be thick and oily feeling, smooth and uniform in color, and with small veins running through the leaf. Flaky, dry, and thin wrappers are the bane of cigar enthusiasts and can ruin the overall pleasure of the event. Although wrappers are actually categorized by country of origin, most cigar smokers identify wrappers by color.

A.M.S. or American Market Standard wrappers are light green in color and offer a sweet sour flavor that is akin to green apples. Also known as Double Claro, Jade, and Candela, these wrappers are primarily grown in The United States and were extremely popular during the origins of the cigar industry in the USA. Ironically, even though this wrapper is uniquely American, this leaf is unpopular today.

E.M.S. or English Market Standard wrappers are rich brown in color and are truly the industry standard today. Made popular by English smokers in the 19th century, this wrapper is also known for its variant names such as Claro (somewhat lighter), Colorado (somewhat richer in color), and Natural; a catch-all term for this category. The best E.M.S. wrappers are grown in the Vueleta Abajo region in Cuba, Connecticut, and Cameroon.

Maduro wrappers are now very popular and can be easily spotted by their dark brown to black colors. This color is achieved by allowing the temperature during fermentation to surpass 165 F. This process requires are thicker wrapper to achieve a rich, sweet, smooth flavor that is popular with more experienced smokers looking for more flavor. Other grades of this leaf are known as Double Maduro and Oscuro. The best maduro wrappers come from Connecticut and the San Andreas region of Mexico.


The less viens the better the burn and the better the leaf of the tobacco and the better leafs are used in the better cigars.

[Jeff]

I think I read one time that the leaves located near the top, which are most exposed to the sun, tend to develop more veins.

[El Gato]

When buying singles at the B&M I check the wrapper near the head of the cigar to see if the wrapper has thick veins. I've found heavy veins can prevent the wrapper from lying flat on itself causing a "vent" that air draws in when you puff. I've found this on a lot of LGC's in maduro. It makes me crazy smoking a cigar like this, I gotta pinch the gap closed to get a proper draw.

[TypeO-]

Speaking of wrappers, I just finished smoking an Upmann Coronas Major, machine-made Habano. It had the ugliest wrapper I've ever seen on a cigar. It was a nice smoke though.

[AAlmeter]

Some nice autopsy photos and a little vein information here:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthr...highlight=vein