Connecticut shade is wrapper grown from Connecticut-seed tobacco under cloth (or under Ecuador’s constant cloud cover). The shade makes the leaf thinner, smoother, and paler than the same plant grown in full sun. The traditional American home of this crop is the Connecticut River Valley. Much of what is sold as Connecticut wrapper today is grown in Ecuador, where the cloudy climate provides natural shade and less tenting is needed.
The leaf is known as a mild, even wrapper, tan to claro in color, used over blends that may or may not be mild themselves. “Connecticut” on a band refers to the seed and the shade-growing method, not necessarily to the U.S. state.
It is a wrapper grade, not a type of filler. When a company says Connecticut, check whether it means the seed, the farm location, or the color.