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  • BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE

    Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over the next few weekends BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.

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  1. Gdaddy

    Beginner Resource

    Appears singular to me. No mention of anything plural, like 'leaves'. "Havana CT Fronto Leaf is a medium, dark leaf. The flavor and roll quality of this tobacco leaf is right on point, spite the size being slightly smaller! Connecticut grown tobacco leaf is usually known for being premium...
  2. Gdaddy

    Beginner Resource

    It appears the price is for one ( 1 ) leaf ???
  3. Gdaddy

    Experiments anyone?

    Yes but it would be wise to do a small amount first to see what changes result before doing a whole pound. You never know what's possible until you try. BTW...The leaf also darkens during this process. If you want some dark maduro wrappers this can make them near black.
  4. Gdaddy

    Experiments anyone?

    It's 'stoving' the tobacco. You got it right. It doesn't reduce the amount of nicotine but takes the leaf and makes it less harsh. To remove some of the nicotine the leaf could be briefly washed in water and will rinse out some of the nicotine then dried. Play with it and you might be surprised...
  5. Gdaddy

    Mojo recipe from 1883... flavor for Havana

    The green coffee bean has NO coffee smell. None. The coffee bean only takes on a coffee aroma when roasted. The point of this has nothing to do with tasting like coffee. The green powdered solution has a certain character to reduce harshness without imparting any flavors. Leaving the tobacco...
  6. Gdaddy

    Mojo recipe from 1883... flavor for Havana

    The following recipe being described is one taken from a tobacconist written in a pamphlet in 1883 called 'Bentley's Acme flavors for the Tobacconist' by S.O. Bentley. I had tried this recipe a while back and saw NO real positive results. As time went on I would lay in bed at night and...
  7. Gdaddy

    Experiments anyone?

    Have you got some tobacco that's unpleasantly harsh sitting around doing nothing? Well then, let's do some testing! What's the worst that could happen? Following two things can quickly and sometimes dramatically change the characteristic of the tobacco. It WILL be different, hopefully for the...
  8. Gdaddy

    Adventures in home rolling

    The 'Mummy'.
  9. Gdaddy

    Life gets in the way sometimes

    Sorry to hear this news. However, many of these condition caught early are easily correctable. I'd definitely get a second opinion. I've got a hunch you're going to be just fine! You just need a few tweaks every now and then. At 67 my energy level has gone down and I think you have to roll with...
  10. Gdaddy

    Cap or no Cap

    I started with molds but got away from them. I much prefer learning to hand roll using paper (I like stiff copier paper). I can get as pretty of a cigar with better consistency of draw time after time. Stuffing a set amount of tobacco into a mold will inevitably produce some cigars that are too...
  11. Gdaddy

    How good can rolling your own cigars get?

    I hope you are encouraged as this is a great hobby especially if you like working with your hands. Can you roll "great cigars" simply by pulling leaf from the bag? What blend could be used to taste like a Padron or a Fuente? Cigar producers like Padron spend MUCH more time and effort...
  12. Gdaddy

    Videos

    I guess you'd call that the accordion method of rolling? Nothing special, she just folds them over into her hand and tears off the bottom and then redistributes the torn off leaves at the end. Seems pretty simple. Rolled into a double binder and NO glue to the binder. Blend... pretty simple also.
  13. Gdaddy

    Non designated leaf: how does it fit into my blend strategy?

    What specifically is it that makes them look "homemade" ?
  14. Gdaddy

    Non designated leaf: how does it fit into my blend strategy?

    What carries the flavor in a raw unprocessed Sit tight. Been doing a lot of revisions on recipes and will post some shortly. FYI... I now use a digital scale to measure everything. I'm converting these measures of weight into standard measures using simple ounces and teaspoons. This way there...
  15. Gdaddy

    Non designated leaf: how does it fit into my blend strategy?

    An example...take a top quality steak. (Yes, you can buy a top quality piece of meat.) In its basic form if you don't season it and just cook it, it will be mediocre at best. Even the simple addition of salt will make huge improvements to the flavor. Of course they're are herb rubs as well. Ruth...
  16. Gdaddy

    Non designated leaf: how does it fit into my blend strategy?

    After you have exhausted every possible blend combination and find it's still lacking you might look for a new avenue for improvement. I not saying that blending isn't important but it's a final 'tweak'. For example, La Flor Dominicana has a triple ligero that tastes fantastic. Why is this if...
  17. Gdaddy

    creating a smooth blend

    Have you weighed them to see if they're actually heavier and by how much?
  18. Gdaddy

    Mojo

    Here is an old article written about the positive effects of citric acid on cigars...
  19. Gdaddy

    Mojo

    Just as Brewinhooligan says. Be sure you use high quality vanilla extract. Probably the most important element is the citric acid in the pineapple juice helps to chemically lower the ph of the tobacco which is usually too alkaline. It acts as a smoothing agent.
  20. Gdaddy

    Pics of Your Sticks

    Very interesting. They look like they would have a grassy type flavor. I can almost taste the chlorofil. How would you describe the flavor profile?
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