Blending Thread

[BrewinHooligan]

In terms of percentages, how much would you guess the wrapper influence the taste and body of a cigar??

Hard to throw a percentage out there because it also depends on the ring gauge of the cigar. The smaller the ring gauge the larger the percentage however. Even with my largest sticks (50rg) the wrapper plays a huge role on the taste. I don't think the wrapper affects body as much, the filler is doing the majority of the work there.

 

[blisscigarco]

In terms of percentages, how much would you guess the wrapper influence the taste and body of a cigar??

100+

 

[blisscigarco]

50/50 LO Honduran seco and Jorge viso (1.75 years aged after purchase) bound in Honduran seco, wrapped in FX Smith CT Shade = mild heaven.
Other things that = mild heaven: perfect medium-rare New York strip. Raw oysters. Crab. Spanish mackerel sushi. A woman you love who loves you. Skydiving. Very good chocolate. 15-18-year Scotch. A winning streak at the black jack tables. A long glance from a beautiful woman in a crowd. Touching down in Honolulu Intl Airport. Your first solar eclipse. Fish tacos on a beach in Baja when you caught that fish one hour ago.

 

[Jim D]

I've read about pairing your drink with your smoke and conceptually thought I grasped the idea, but now I wonder if this is a whole new arena I need to learn in the sport of cigar blending...
The last cigar blend review I posted was when I had started off with 4 Roses Small Batch bourbon (only one sip before lighting the cigar) and I really enjoyed the flavors of that cigar.
The next time I had one of that same blend, I was driving to work so my drink was an ice tea. The cigar profile still had a buttery mouth feel and was enjoyable but I did not have all the same cinamon and spice. They were there but muted.
So did I accidentally stumble onto a really good pairing instead of a really good blend? It now seems this was an decent blend that became awesome with the bourbon...

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I've read about pairing your drink with your smoke and conceptually thought I grasped the idea, but now I wonder if this is a whole new arena I need to learn in the sport of cigar blending...
The last cigar blend review I posted was when I had started off with 4 Roses Small Batch bourbon (only one sip before lighting the cigar) and I really enjoyed the flavors of that cigar.
The next time I had one of that same blend, I was driving to work so my drink was an ice tea. The cigar profile still had a buttery mouth feel and was enjoyable but I did not have all the same cinamon and spice. They were there but muted.
So did I accidentally stumble onto a really good pairing instead of a really good blend? It now seems this was an decent blend that became awesome with the bourbon...

The pairing can make a huge difference on the cigar

 

[Hopduro]

The pairing can make a huge difference on the cigar

Crux PB5 and not your father's vanilla cream soda

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[Jim D]

Crux PB5 and not your father's vanilla cream soda

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Sounds like something I'll have to try

 

[Jim D]

I know we all keep notes on our blends and I'm sure some of you are way more detailed and organized than I, but I thought I'd share what my notebook looks like.
I'll write the date and blend on the page. Then if I like it some time down the road, I'll come back and flag it and put notes on the back of the page.
As I'm going along now, I tend to look back at the flagged recipes to see which I feel like reproducing.
Anyway, here's what it looks like:

 

[Fusion555]

When i visited Ruiz Custom Cigars in Reno, talking with the owner and main roller Marvin about blending, he told me i am use too much Seco in my blends,
said binder and wrapper are usually a Seco plus the 2 i would normally use in the filler so i was putting 3 seco in my 5 leaf blends.
This roll i used only 1 Seco if you count binder, 2 Viso and 1 Ligero and wrapped in FX Smith Conny
This one is only 1 week old but is smoking very nice, great burn, thought it would be real strong but its not.
Full blend details
1 Piloto cubano ligero wlt
2 piloto cubano viso wlt
1/2 dom seco wlt
Ecuadorian seco binder Lo
FX smith Connecticut wrapper

 

[Hopduro]

When i visited Ruiz Custom Cigars in Reno, talking with the owner and main roller Marvin about blending, he told me i am use too much Seco in my blends,
said binder and wrapper are usually a Seco plus the 2 i would normally use in the filler so i was putting 3 seco in my 5 leaf blends.
This roll i used only 1 Seco if you count binder, 2 Viso and 1 Ligero and wrapped in FX Smith Conny
This one is only 1 week old but is smoking very nice, great burn, thought it would be real strong but its not.
Full blend details
1 Piloto cubano ligero wlt
2 piloto cubano viso wlt
1/2 dom seco wlt
Ecuadorian seco binder Lo
FX smith Connecticut wrapperView attachment 106870

I'm going to disagree Cuz i like the light cubanesque profile of seco heavy cigars. Higher primings will definitely change the taste/strength... but then again what do i know :O

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[Fusion555]

I'm going to disagree Cuz i like the light cubanesque profile of seco heavy cigars. Higher primings will definitely change the taste/strength... but then again what do i know :O

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Cant say i agree with him myself, thought i would give it a try, i have 3 more of these, ill give them a little more time and return to them at a later date.

 

[webmost]

Holy schidt, that's PAPER, Jim!
People still use that stuff?

Love the detailed analysis: "It was really good."



Don't mind me. Minnesota came to visit, so I'm sitting here in the House of Germs, bored, needing to pull someone's leg.

 

[Jim D]

Holy schidt, that's PAPER, Jim!
People still use that stuff?

Love the detailed analysis: "It was really good."



Don't mind me. Minnesota came to visit, so I'm sitting here in the House of Germs, bored, needing to pull someone's leg.

Glad you enjoyed the notes!
My paper has never had a virus, crash, failed motherboard...even with coffee or water spilled on it, it keeps working.
I like tech but I also like simple and reliable. This little notebook fits in the box of homerolling tools so it's always there.
You are right about my level of detail, it's a little lacking.

 

[ras_oscar]

Entirely depends on the region, just to confuse more! But typically its shown like this

Left is Criollo, right is corojo, but only when grown in Cuba.

In Cuba they do not use the term viso for filler tobacco. Seco grown elsewhere in the world is comparable to Cuban Volado. Seco in Cuba is comparable to Viso elsewhere.

To summarize in the easiest of terms:

• Cuba has (from top to bottom) corona, ligero, seco, volado
• Elsewhere has ligero, viso, seco, where seco = volado in most cases

Edited for clarification.
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ah, the great primings debate. Not sure why we are discussing Cuban designations. Is Cuban leaf available for purchase on the hobby market? I have chosen to use the volado/seco/visio/ligero/corona designations, since that seems to be what I see available retail.

I suspect that volado leaves that are usable are primed as seco, and corona primings that are usable are primed as ligero, but what do I know?

 

[ras_oscar]

I HA

I've used capella drops to give homebrews like a witbier that extra orange zest "pop". Or a pumpkin ale some graham cracker notes. I really like their product as it doesn't smell or taste artificial. The stuff is highly concentrated. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp is usually enough to flavor 5 gallons of beer so I'm sure it'd have to be diluted with water and either spayed or brushed onto the leaves.

I wonder how well capella would work to clone a coffee infused cigar like Drew Estate Java?

Anyone have experience with flavoring tobacco?

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I have taken to flavoring cigars regularly, because I like them. Here's my process:

1. line a Tupperware container with a double layer of paper towels
2. moisten the entire surface with flavoring ( more on that later)
3. lay in a layer of Banditos unflavored cheroots cigars
4. Continue steps 1, 2 and 3, ending with paper towels
5. close and let rest for 2 weeks
6. Store in an airtight container (mason jar works well)
7. depending on how heavy a hand you have in step 2, it may be necessary to let them "air out" 5 or 10 minutes before smoking.

Flavorings: I have done Jack Daniels Honey whiskey, khalua, black seal rum and Frangelico. Tasty!!!

I suppose one could use a similar process to flavor cigar filler leaf, but I have never done so, nor do I have any idea how it would affect burn properties. Remember, a cheroot has a high percentage of wrapper in the roll, and the flavoring is in physical contact with the wrapper only.

 

[ras_oscar]

I bet that blend is very complex and would keep things interesting. When you mentioned, "staggering them allows for each phase to reveal an entirely new blend." I began thinking of a journey through a Willy Wonka type factory but with Cigar blends where I could go to different booths and trying cigars but when I got to the last booth, it was this cigar. A blend of all the blends....As I gazed upon such a sight, the philosophy of how it was rolled and the architecture was as if a miracle had happened. Then, the entire factory visitors began gathering around...Then I woke up. Damn...

Or, you could do a stick that staggers one component.. say for instance, the same visio and seco, but 3 different ligeros, lined up in the center, end to end. Maybe leave a gap between to sense the change points?

 

[ras_oscar]

Let alone a few other things, IMHO: Which bunch of seeds? Which farm? Which crop? Who handled the sprouting and in what fashion? What were the priming intervals? What shack was it cured in, and for how long? Who fermented it, where and how? How long and where was it aged? Who selected from the aged leaf and blended? Now multiply most of those things by each priming...

Imagine that every Cuban is made from the same varietals but that each brand clearly tastes different....

with the above in mind: When you are rolling an experimental bend batch, how many of the same blend do you roll?

 

[blisscigarco]

with the above in mind: When you are rolling an experimental bend batch, how many of the same blend do you roll?

1-4, depending on how certain I am about the quality of the individual leaves. If all the leaves are good then any blend will be good. If any of them are bad then no blend will be good.

 

[Josh Smith]

Glad you enjoyed the notes!
My paper has never had a virus, crash, failed motherboard...even with coffee or water spilled on it, it keeps working.
I like tech but I also like simple and reliable. This little notebook fits in the box of homerolling tools so it's always there.
You are right about my level of detail, it's a little lacking.

I'm always close to a notepad. It's low tech and works great.

 

[ras_oscar]

1-4, depending on how certain I am about the quality of the individual leaves. If all the leaves are good then any blend will be good. If any of them are bad then no blend will be good.

so your tasting process does not take aging into account?