The tradition of growing cigar tobacco in Indonesia, specifically the tropical islands of Sumatra and Java, goes back hundreds of years.   The rich volcanic soils of the island produce a tobacco with color, flavor, and aroma characteristics that are between Connecticut and Central African varieties.  The seed varietal grown in Indonesia is distinctive and old enough to merit its own name: Sumatra.  Sumatran seed tobacco is grown extensively in Mexico and Ecuador as well.  Whether grown in Sumatra or expatriated to other countries (Ecuadorian-Sumatra or Mexican-Sumatra), this tobacco is consistently dark in color, rich in flavor, not particularly complex, and produces excellent wrapper leaves.

Located northeast of Indonesia, the Philippine islands are not especially famous for growing premium tobacco leaf, but they do produce enough mild and subtly rich tobacco to merit mention.  Philippine tobacco is popular as a filler component in many small and machine made cigars.  These tobaccos are rarely found in today’s premium and luxury products.