Impact of the wrapper
Many smokers believe that the wrapper does not influence the flavor of a cigar. But it is not true. In the process of smoking the wrapper touches your lips, ether oils dissolve in the saliva and the smoker tastes the flavor. The oilier is the wrapper, the more ether oils are present and, thus, more flavor is produced. Nevertheless, the wrapper is not as rich in flavor and taste as the filling.
The dark color of wrapper is typically associated with a strong cigar. That is why the strongest Cuban cigars are wrapped in a darker tobacco leaf. This is a kind of warning: if the wrapper is dark, the filling is strong. Though the flavor and taste depend on filling, in this case the wrapper serves as an indicator - the dark color warns you that the cigar is strong.
Intensity and peculiarities of the wrapper's flavor and taste depend on the tobacco, growing conditions and drying methods. Besides, in the process of conditioning (before they are sold in shops, all Cuban cigars are stored, ready and packed in boxes, in a special room at the factory for at least a year) the flavor migrates: flavors from the filling settle down on the wrapper. The heaviest flavor particles (ether oils) cannot evaporate through the less porous wrapper and are retained by it. Thus, the wrapper of a cigar which has been left to be conditioned for some years is oilier and shinier than that of a newly-produced cigar.
The impact of the wrapper on the flavor of a cigar can be checked during a simple experiment. Roll off 1-1.5 cm of the wrapper from the head side of a cigar, smoke half of it, cut the cigar to the edge of the wrapper and then smoke it to the end. Compare the taste.