Homogenized tobacco leaf (HTL) is made from scrap leaf and tobacco dust mixed with a binding agent, usually a cellulose adhesive, and then rolled or pressed into a sheet like paper. Factories cut the sheet for use as binder, wrapper, or both on high-speed machines.
It is still tobacco, not white cigarette paper, but it is not a whole leaf. Value cigars commonly have a natural leaf wrapper over an HTL binder, and cheaper cigars may also use HTL as the outer wrapper. Premium handmade cigars use whole leaf instead. Chapter: handmade vs machine-made.