Pelo de Oro
/ PEH-lo deh OH-ro /
Tobacco & LeafCuban Spanish
Definition
An old Cuban variety whose name means hair of gold, celebrated for intense, distinctive flavor and notorious for its vulnerability to blue mold and other disease. Cuba effectively stopped commercial cultivation of it, though growers in Nicaragua and elsewhere have revived small plantings.
Why it matters
It is a collector's leaf: when a blender lists Pelo de Oro, the yield was small and the flavor is meant to be the point.
In context
"A few Nicaraguan farms still put in a hectare of Pelo de Oro and accept that they may lose it."
Related terms