What are these green or pale spots and marks on my cigar?
Cigars can have minor imperfections, afterall they are a handmade from natural items. There can therefore be some marks, spots and stains on a cigar's wrapper. But what are they and what causes them?
What are these green spots on my cigar wrapper?
Green stains, spots or marks on a wrapper are not mould, as is often wrongly assumed. They are in fact just chlorophyll that has not been completely broken down when drying. They are absolutely nothing to worry about and will not affect the flavour in any way. Chlorophyll is found in plant leaves and is vital for plants absorbing light, it gives the plant its green colour. During the drying process, the chlorophyll is broken down and the leaves turn brown. If the humidity is slightly too low, or temperature slightly warmer, it can speed up the drying process slightly. If there are pockets of extra moisture in the leaves, either due to being slightly thicker or near to a vein, it can cause some of the chlorophyl to be locked in and keep its colour.
What are these pale, yellow spots on my cigar wrapper?
White, yellow, or tan spots on a cigar’s wrapper, which can almost look like pale freckles, are another minor imperfection which will not affect the taste of the cigar. These little dots and marks are called “sunspots” and are usually caused by a water droplet on the leaf when growing, this can cause a slight magnification to the suns rays and cause a slight scorch mark.
So why are these green or yellow mark on my expensive Cuban cigar?
Growing perfect wrapper leaves is hard. Like, really hard. Tobacco itself grows easily, but growing flavourful, thin, silky smooth, wrapper leaves which are large enough to wrap around a big vitola, and plentiful to meet such high demands, is almost impossible. (Hence when cigar supply is low, or it’s been a poor harvest, it’s those larger vitolas such as Behike 56 and Siglo VI which are first to disappear.) Wrapper leaves are more likely to be hit by things like mould, fungus, and rot during the growing, drying and curing process, or are more easily damaged due to their delicate nature. Therefore, those leaves which make the grade are very precious. Minor imperfections which will not affect the flavour are usually easily forgiven. These are a handmade product, made from natural ingredients after all, so these blemishes and beauty spots are all part of the enjoyment. It makes those perfect ones stand out even more.
Green or pale spots and stains will not appear after rolling or storing. So, if you think they have developed whilst in your humidor, chances are you simply just missed it before. If you are 100% certain it was not there before, you might want to investigate other issues.
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