Ligero tobacco is leaf
tobacco, taken from the top of the tobacco plant. These leaves have had the most
exposure to the sun during growth, and as a result are the richest in the various
aromatics and oils that tobacco produces. As a consequence of this, they are not only the strongest-tasting type of filler leaf, but they also are the slowest-burning. They are typically used as
long filler in
cigars, to regulate the burn and to form a 'base' for the taste. Since they are so strong, they are typically mixed with other types of tobacco (usually of
seco or
volado leaves) in order to even out the experience. The 'taste' of a cigar will vary on the type of tobacco used in the filler. It will also vary on the
ring size of the cigar, since a narrower cigar will tend to taste much more strongly of the
wrapper tobacco (as more of that leaf, by proportion, is burning). This is one reason that cigars of the same type and maker will taste different depending on their construction and type; the 'fatter' the cigar, the less the taste is influenced by the wrapper.
Ligero is not typically used for wrappers, as it requires around two years of aging before the strong flavors and harsher oils are matured enough. As a result, the leaves do not have the flex and strength required to hold together the cigar, and will not look nearly as 'clean' as wrapper tobacco does.