Why are some sungrowns are darker than others?

[LilBastage]

I tried a search and found nothing about this so I thought I would ask a newbie question.

Why are some sungrown wrappers darker than others?

The Rocky Patels, Cuesta Rey Centro Fino SG, and some others I've seen look like "natural" wrappers.

The AF SGs, the VSGs, and others are dark like maduros.

What accounts for the difference?

 

[Burnt Tongue]

Good question, I don't know the answer.

 

[Devil Doc]

Some SG's are actually cloud grown like the ones from Ecuador and some are grown in more intense sun like those from Nic.

Doc

 

[grateful1]

Tanning oil!



<edit>
Probably the seed and the time at which it was harvested.

Just my 2cents.

 

[jabba]

I think it also depends from what section of the plant the leaf comes from, for example, the Centro Fino comes from the middle part of the plant and gets natural shade from the top leaves which are usually darker. Also, I believe the plant is picked bottom up meaning the top leaves spend a lot more time in the sun. I believe this is why the top leaves are also stronger. If I'm not mistake, the Ligero leaves come from the top. The leaves at the top will be much thicker and oiler and will require longer air curing which will give them a darker shade of brown.

BTW, I think the Cuesta Rey Centro Fino is an amazing medium strength/full flavoured sungrown, for those that don't like the super strong sungrowns

 

[Marcos]

I think that any leaf that is not shadegrown can be called sungrown so ther is a lot of room for variation. None of what I said may be true.

 

[Burnt Tongue]

I found this on CA thought it was interesting:

"The other category of tobacco is tobaco del sol, sun-grown tobacco. These are the leaves grown for the cigar's filler and the binder that hold the bunch together. Sun-grown tobacco plants do not grow as high as their shade-grown cousins. In addition, the leaves are not as large or fine, and the farmer is paid less for them. It's less expensive to farm sun-grown since no cheesecloth is needed, and the cultivation is much less rigorous."

There was another site that showed some pictures of sungrown leaves being strung together and being redied for aging in an aging barn. The leaves in the picture were all green. Maybe the color is related to aging time.

 

[jabba]

Leaves are all green when picked but depending what section of the plant the leaves come from influence the amount of time they need to be cured. Air curing removes the moisture from the leaves which turns them to different shades of golden brown. Sungrown leaves are thicker and richer in oils therefore need to be cured for much longer.

Fermentation also changes the colour of the leaves and generally results in a more even shading.

 

[Krautle87]

It's not just sungrowns, Maduros can range from Medium brown to jet black, "naturals" can be very light or a bit dark, candelas can range from a slight greenish tinge to the color of the Geico Gekko. We're talking about natural products here, there's gonna be alot of variety.

 

[jabba]

Why are some sungrown wrappers darker than others?

The quick and dirty answer is... the darkness/colour is dependant on the thickness and oiliness of the leaf. The thicker and oilier, the more curing time and fermentation time is need, thus darkening the leaf.

It's not just sungrowns, Maduros can range from Medium brown to jet black,

That depends how much die is injected!

 

[LilBastage]

Wow, good information!

I realize that there are natural variances in the shades of natural, maduro, even sungrown wrappers. I was asking about the stark difference between say an Ashton VSG (which is darker than some maduros) and the Cuesta Rey Centro Fino SG (which is about the shade of some CT shade grown wrappers).

It appears that the difference is in the drying and curing time based on the thickness and oiliness of the leaf. I would reckon that this would be dependent on the variety of tobacco and the soil conditions in which the plant is grown.

It makes sense now that I've thought about the explanation. I always just thought it was the actual "sungrown" part that distinguished these variations.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[Qualls07]

I have had RP, Cuesta Rey Centro Fino, and Fuente sungrowns. I just lined up one of each, and they were all a different shade, but I sure like each one :love: . That is about all I have to add to this thread.

 

[tigger]

Good info here from jabba, I think.

Which primings are used is a big factor, IMO. Also the degree of cloud cover, and genetics of the variety of tobacco grown.

 

[jabba]

Good info here from jabba, I think.

Which primings are used is a big factor, IMO. Also the degree of cloud cover, and genetics of the variety of tobacco grown.

Correct, the more sun, the more the plant changes to protect itself, changes such as producing more oils etc.