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Adventures in home rolling

HIM*

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I started one year ago with home rolling. Bought some tobacco with FTT and watched a lot of rolling videos.
These is my last batch of cigars in the mold, 52 x 6.5 inch.


View attachment 68733
Welcome to BOTL and nice first post! Feel free to post an intro thread too were a nice bunch.
 

Jan Bynens

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Well, I live in Hionduras and smoke cigars whole my live.
One year ago i found the FTT forum on line, bought a starter kit and started rolling. It is unbelievable what you can achieve after such a short time.
I have like 10 different kinds of tobacco (filler, wrapper, binder) to play with. I can make my own blend.
After a few months rolling I even stopped buying cigars.

@ Hooligan : I cut the bunch before wrapping.

Thanks for having me,

Jan.
 

HIM*

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I hate this thread. ;) It makes me want to whip out the Visa and piss off the wife.
Not to be an enabler but one of the best parts of the hobby is the price. A # of leaf is about $20 and is good for a couple boxes worth of home rolls. If you find a blend you like and can roll a decent smoke I think it's kind of a steal.
 
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Not to be an enabler but one of the best parts of the hobby is the price. A # of leaf is about $20 and is good for a couple boxes worth of home rolls. If you find a blend you like and can roll a decent smoke I think it's kind of a steal.
I have no in depth knowledge of blending though. I would love to try the Arturo Fuente Hemingway's maduro wrapper with a Virginia Gold Leaf binder and then I have no idea for the insides. I know I need some ligero for body and that is about it. lol

ETA:
You are an enabler of the worst kind. :cautious:

I'm eyeballing the starter kit at leaf only now.
 
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To the guys wanting to get started I will say the same thing I say about brewing beer. Don't buy a bunch of equipment to start. Try to keep the costs low for the off chance you don't enjoy the hobby. If you do, things can be added down the road. Molds can be spendy and you can get good results without them. Definitely try the method of wrapping the sticks in strips of paper towels to mold them. Get good with that method and then get a mold or two. A chaveta isn't necessary, a pizza cutter works very well to cut the leaf. I took the Dremel to mine to sharpen it some, but it still worked before I did that. Pre-blended kits are perfect to get your feet wet, maybe add a pound of some different wrapper so you can play around with the blend some. After that you will typically want some seco, viso, and ligero to balance out your fillers. Sometimes seco isn't even needed but it does help combustion. Most importantly, enjoy it. Find what works for you. If you don't enjoy the hobby it turns into work and work sucks.
 
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To the guys wanting to get started I will say the same thing I say about brewing beer. Don't buy a bunch of equipment to start. Try to keep the costs low for the off chance you don't enjoy the hobby. If you do, things can be added down the road. Molds can be spendy and you can get good results without them. Definitely try the method of wrapping the sticks in strips of paper towels to mold them. Get good with that method and then get a mold or two. A chaveta isn't necessary, a pizza cutter works very well to cut the leaf. I took the Dremel to mine to sharpen it some, but it still worked before I did that. Pre-blended kits are perfect to get your feet wet, maybe add a pound of some different wrapper so you can play around with the blend some. After that you will typically want some seco, viso, and ligero to balance out your fillers. Sometimes seco isn't even needed but it does help combustion. Most importantly, enjoy it. Find what works for you. If you don't enjoy the hobby it turns into work and work sucks.
Another option is a quilting wheel cutter. Basically an Exact-O pizza wheel. Super sharp.
 
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@BrewinHooligan can you post a pic when you get a chance of how much filler you bunch together?
You bet brother, going to try to roll some tonight and will post up some pictures then. My current blend though is:
1/2 leaf corojo seco, 1 leaf corojo viso, 1/2 leaf habano seco, 1/2 leaf Dominican ligero with a Dominican binder and wrapped in PA broadleaf. I was going to use some Nica ligero in the blend as well but that was the leaf that had the beetle Infestation. The leaves are pretty long, since the sticks I roll are short I have to cut it into thirds or else they would be like 8-9" long. The thicker leaves (viso and ligero) always go in the middle of the bunch. Ligero is the thickest so I make sure it is always in the very middle.
 

HIM*

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I have no in depth knowledge of blending though. I would love to try the Arturo Fuente Hemingway's maduro wrapper with a Virginia Gold Leaf binder and then I have no idea for the insides. I know I need some ligero for body and that is about it. lol

ETA:
You are an enabler of the worst kind. :cautious:

I'm eyeballing the starter kit at leaf only now.
I don't know much about blending honestly other than I know I really like criollo and corojo together. Together they hit a lot of the notes I enjoy in cigars.
Of all the kits this is the one I generally recommend.... http://wholeleaftobacco.com/Terroso-Profundo-CgrBlnd4.htm I've been rolling that blend and something similar to it but wrapped in broadleaf or SA. Makes for a good smoke.
 
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