Corojo

Corojo is a type of tobacco, primarily used in the making of wrappers for cigars. The variety was originally grown in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba but is today grown exclusively in the Jamastran valley of Honduras and in the United States in Western Kentucky.

History

Origin

Corojo was originally developed and grown by Diego Rodriguez at his farm or vega, Santa Ines del Corojo and takes its name from the farm, which was located near the town of San Luis y Martinez in the vicinity of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.^[1]

Corojo was used extensively as a wrapper for many years on Cuban cigars, with the tobacco's spicy "punch" becoming a commonly associated trademark of the country's tobacco products.^[1] Indeed, between the 1930s and the 1990s all Cuban cigars, regardless of brand or factory, made use of Corojo wrappers.^[1] However, the variety's susceptibility to various diseases, including blue mold and black shank disease caused Cuban agronomists to search for a more hearty and reliable alternative.^[2]

Cuban genetic engineers ultimately developed various hybrid forms that would not only be disease-resistant, but would also display excellent wrapper qualities.^[2] Today no pure Corojo is grown in Cuba, the last harvest taking place there during the 1996/97 agricultural year.^[1]

Use of Corojo today

Today, both hybrid and pure strains of Corojo are used in the production of cigars. Most of the pure Corojo leaf is currently grown in Honduras' Jamastran Valley, while the hybrid varieties are more widely grown and used.^[2]

Recently, pure Corojo seed has been propagated in Western Kentucky as the F1 generation Kenbano tobacco in 2007.^[2] Currently the so-called "Kenbano" tobacco seed is being raised for future production of hand-made cigar blends.^[2]

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "What’s So Special About Cuban Corojo Cigar Wrappers?" Cigar Envy, July 5, 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Mark Bernardo, A Tale of Two Seeds, Smoke Magazine, Spring, 2004 issue (vol. 9, issue 2).