This is interesting for anyone who wanted to know the diffence between double maduro and oscuro and what exactly a double maduro is. It is a response to the question as answered by one of the big wig cigar guys over at general cigar.
"Oscuro (basically black) - Also referred to as "Double Maduro or "Maduro Maduro." Very few of these are produced today with a few notable exceptions: the very full-flavored...Honduran Punch & Hoyo de Monterrey Double Maduro...Also let me dismiss a common repeated fallacy regarding Double Maduro & Maduro Maduro cigars: These terms refer solely to their color and not that the cigar is wrapped in two maduro wrappers or a maduro wrapper and binder combo. Somehow this "two-wrapper" mistruth continues to be repeated by some tobacconist year after year. Please when you hear someone say this, politely educate him or her for everyone's benefit.
What are double maduro and oscuro? Double maduro is a wrapper which is a darker brown than a traditional maduro wrapper. Sometimes they can be almost black; they are also called "maduro maduro" or "oscuro" wrappers. In error, some supposed experts have stated that it means that the cigar has a maduro binder and maduro wrapper; this is untrue. There is no such thing as a maduro binder, per se. Nobody wastes good wrapper leaf as binder, plus a good wrapper leaf could seldom function as a binder, due to strength and elasticity requirements. Also, some quasi-experts have stated that it means that the cigar has two maduro wrappers on it... this is another bit of errant information. Basically, leaves are bulked to be maduros, which typically means they begin the process as higher-primed and thicker leaves. They require the additional duration and increased fermentation temps in order to make the leaves smokeable. The result is a darker colored leaf. However, due to the natural differences between the leaves, some become darker than others in the process of naturally fermenting them. They are then sorted into maduro and double maduro based on color. Now sometimes you can tell that certain leaves, by their grain and heft, will end up being double maduro wrappers, so as they are bulking the pylons, they try to stack these in differing burros. But until the process is complete, you can not be certain as to the final color. In short, double maduro is JUST a reference to color; not maduro binders and not double maduro wrappers, as I have also heard stated." ¶
"Oscuro (basically black) - Also referred to as "Double Maduro or "Maduro Maduro." Very few of these are produced today with a few notable exceptions: the very full-flavored...Honduran Punch & Hoyo de Monterrey Double Maduro...Also let me dismiss a common repeated fallacy regarding Double Maduro & Maduro Maduro cigars: These terms refer solely to their color and not that the cigar is wrapped in two maduro wrappers or a maduro wrapper and binder combo. Somehow this "two-wrapper" mistruth continues to be repeated by some tobacconist year after year. Please when you hear someone say this, politely educate him or her for everyone's benefit.
What are double maduro and oscuro? Double maduro is a wrapper which is a darker brown than a traditional maduro wrapper. Sometimes they can be almost black; they are also called "maduro maduro" or "oscuro" wrappers. In error, some supposed experts have stated that it means that the cigar has a maduro binder and maduro wrapper; this is untrue. There is no such thing as a maduro binder, per se. Nobody wastes good wrapper leaf as binder, plus a good wrapper leaf could seldom function as a binder, due to strength and elasticity requirements. Also, some quasi-experts have stated that it means that the cigar has two maduro wrappers on it... this is another bit of errant information. Basically, leaves are bulked to be maduros, which typically means they begin the process as higher-primed and thicker leaves. They require the additional duration and increased fermentation temps in order to make the leaves smokeable. The result is a darker colored leaf. However, due to the natural differences between the leaves, some become darker than others in the process of naturally fermenting them. They are then sorted into maduro and double maduro based on color. Now sometimes you can tell that certain leaves, by their grain and heft, will end up being double maduro wrappers, so as they are bulking the pylons, they try to stack these in differing burros. But until the process is complete, you can not be certain as to the final color. In short, double maduro is JUST a reference to color; not maduro binders and not double maduro wrappers, as I have also heard stated." ¶