The growing of cigar tobacco has a long history in the United States beginning with its cultivation by Dutch settlers in 1610 in the Connecticut River Valley. The cool, short growing season in this very broad, glacier formed valley make it the antithesis of the usual hot, humid and volcanic places that air-cured tobaccos are grown. But it is this distinctive soil that produces unique dark leaf tobaccos.

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• Broadleaf - A native seed of North America, it was imported from Maryland in 1833 to East Windsor, CT. This is a sun grown, short, wide plant with big, drooping, elephant ear like leaves that is grown for wrappers and binders. The leaves are heavy, thick and oily. Unlike most other black tobaccos, it is not primed but stalk cut. This less labour intensive harvest makes it one of the least expensive wrappers to buy, but its thick nature and rough qualities require tremendous bulking and aging making it one the most expensive wrappers in the end.

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• Havana Seed - In the 1870's this grown variety began as a transplanted seed from Cuba, however today it is hard to recognise the plants roots. It is a bush like tobacco whose leaves stand upright from the stalk. Originally grown for wrappers and binders, this leaf fell out of favour and was replaced by Cuban seed grown elsewhere. Just recently this variety has seen a renaissance in Connecticut, it is a rich spicy leaf of considerable strength and dark colour. Alternative names include Medio Tiempo, Connecticut Sun Grown and US Type 52.