Broadleaf is a real pain in the ass, but some people just can’t help but love it.
Right out in the field, you can tell it’s not like it’s sophisticated shade-grown cousins. It’s bigger, thicker, and veinier. In short, it’s not as pretty. Tobacco growers regard it as a real “blue collar” leaf: strong, stubborn, and hard to work with. But, of course, if you can use it right, you get rewarded with great flavors of leather and mineral for a cigar unlike any other.
It starts at harvesting. While most tobacco is lovingly picked in primings, with particular leaves taken carefully and bunched for curing and fermenting, Broadleaf is chopped down, leaf and stem. It’s called stalk-cutting. You head out to the field, grab the plant by the center stalk, and chop the whole thing in one shot. Nothing delicate about it.
Next, you hang the plants upside down in a curing barn and start heating things up. Over a month or more, the leaves will lose their green color and turn a rich dark brown as they continue to pull nutrients from the stalk. Then it’s time for fermenting. During fermentation, huge piles of tobacco (pilones) are kept huddled together as warmth allows for the further breakdown of certain chemicals, causing the leaves to release harmful ammonia and develop mature flavors. After that, the Broadleaf can be aged according to a manufacturer’s desires. Once it’s fully aged, it’s time to roll.
And so we come to the point: Rocky Patel Broadleaf cigars, featuring that badass Broadleaf described above around a Honduran and Nicaraguan filler blend. You know the process that brought the leaf to your lips, now it’s time to cut, light, and enjoy the potent flavors of cocoa, espresso, honey, and pepper. You came a long way, baby, and the journey was well worth it.
Please browse our selection of Rocky Patel Broadleaf cigars at your leisure.
