I have never really found an answer to this. I've searched here also. When it comes to a flavor like pepper. Is that injected into a stick? Does it occur naturally?
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Just a flavor in the tobacco, not injected or infused. I find it heaviest in Nicaraguan tobacco.
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That is cool how that can be done. Thanks for the quick answer.
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Spot on.
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I think (no scientific basis, just observation & experience) that it is the flavor of naturally-occurring nicotine; that's why it's more prevalent the more ligero a blend contains.
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Nicotine is tasteless and odorless.

Ligero is the strongest leaf on the plant, due to sun exposure and other natural factores.
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From my knowledge, the tobacco plant leaves are like this :

Corona
l
Ligero
l
Viso
l
Seco
l
Volado

However, in Cuba I believe they only use the "proper" terms for Ligero, Viso and Seco. Corona and Volado are, generally disregarded.

I've heard Jonathan Drew, in interviews, talk about Ligeron. Which, he describes as a stronger leaf than the Ligero, maybe that's actually the Corona?
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The name of the priming can change depending on the country. In Cuba & the DR, the middle primings are "seco" in Nicaragua and Honduras, those same primings are "viso". Cuban/DR volado (bottom primings) = Central American "Seco". It tends to make things a bit confusing.

Corona just means the crown/top of the plant.

Ligeron is a super strong ligero top priming. It's a sorting classification that that JdN started doing some years back. Not all pants will yield what they consider ligeron, only something like 10-15% of the ligero can be classified as ligeron. It's fun stuff, I stuck my face into a hand of it down at the JdN factory and I had a contact buzz for the next 10-15 minutes. Mario Perez thought I was nuts when I went back for seconds. And a full leaf of it in a cigar blend will probably burn all the hairs out of your nose.
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Thanks for the info :-)

That sounds pretty crazy! Contact buzz from a leaf. Did it have a distinct smell?
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I took a pretty long slow breath on the stuff because Johnny needed to get some video footage for JD. There are also certain parts of the drying / curing process, you can get exposed to a lot of nicotine just by being in the same room as the leaves.

It was criollo, and it smelled basically the same as the hand of Antano capa leaf (which is the same Criollo ligero) that was next to it, just more intense.
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Man, that sounds like a good time :-)
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When you say pepper, are you asking about the black pepper taste or the chili pepper bite. I find these in different cigars.
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You have to use a special pepper grinder and sprinkle it over your cigars. Be sure to post some pictures for us to enjoy. :-)
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If you mean me? Yeah the black pepper (which I love in a cigar) This has been an education,for sure.
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Just smoked a Famous Nic 3000. About two years aged. Definite black pepper and leather.
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The new Ashton San Cristobal Elegancia has a 'white pepper' taste.
It's also a tad smoother than the regular SC, due to the wrapper.

I find Nicaraguan tobacco to be more 'coarse' than DR tobacco.
But I smoke leaf from many places, if it fits my taste.

Chemyst :-)
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Thanks for the "Ligeron" Lesson Adam!:-)
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Yes thank you. It helped
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