Beginner Gars

[webmost]

This thread is intended to encourage beginner rollers.

Prolly six or eight years ago, I rolled these beginner gars. Yeah, they are rough. I doubt I even owned a mold at the time I cobbled these fectos together. These few are all that's left of them. Ugly? Yeah. But every once in a long long while, mebbe once a year, I dip into this box, and thoroughly enjoy an excellent smoke. I didn't keep a record back then, & I didn't put bands on them, so I don't know for sure what's in them. Judging from the delicious one I torched today, I'd say it's got some piloto inside and that both wrapper and binder are that fabu Habano 2000 I first secured from Don, way back in the way back when I first set out. This H2K is prolly what made me a devotee of the art. I used to cut out the waste crescent from the inside of the wrapper & use that as binder. From the dull dull finish on these, I'd say this is way back when I dreadfully over-wet the wrap.

But! Good Lord, these are some tasty nubbers! Summa the best I ever.

Beginners, I'd like to let you know that the good news is, you don't have to know what you're doing, much less be able to do it, to come out with a grand smoke, even by accident. Roll ugly and you can still smoke beautiful...

Who else has got a pic of their ugly beginner gars to contribute?

 

[acer999]

beginner? don't need to know what you're doing? i'm in. who is don and how do I acquire this cigar tobacco?

 

[Jim D]

Don of Whole Leaf Tobacco. He has some great leaf to work with.

@webmost when I started, I got frustrated with the lack of burn ability of my wrapper. I don't recall what it was but I remember making the last ones really big just to use it up and order something else...let me dig up the remaining few and I'll snap a pic to post...

 

[blisscigarco]

These are my first rolls, the Melodioso Cremoso kit. I also did the kit with the Habano wrapper, simultanously to this kit. Early 2015.

 

[webmost]

Damn you were good right off the bat!

 

[Bruce T.]

I didn't take photos of my early attempts.... too ugly.

But I'll make 2 observations about the early ones.

1. My biggest problem was getting a good draw. They were usually too tight and sometimes too loose. I finally got good at it when I learned that the filler needed to be MUCH drier then what I had been using. Now I can roll nice and firm but the draw stays good.

2. I find that home rolls get much better over time. I think it might have to do with the tobacco we buy not being aged. Most premium cigars use aged tobacco or actually age the finished product. I have commercial cigars that are a few years in my humidor and they smoke a bit better, but my home rolls show a huge improvement after a couple of years.

 

[Jim D]

Found those old buggers...

 

[Marc L]

Before there was a thing called whole leaf (in my world) there was the devil site, cheep sticks and dis-assembly. An old Durex perfecto cigar mold was the best thing ever. I found some wraps something somethings which sucked. The re-used wrappers where better, just not enough of it but, it was nice.
Fruit pectin held it all together.

Then I found go ogle. That was amazing. I loaded up on samples because it made sense because the other site didn't look real and they didn't have them.
Got another mold and I was off and running.

Every time I look at these, I say, why do I keep these. Maybe this is why. .. maybe its time.

Thinking now, I still think is there a bottom to this hole? I resist, for what I have believed for a while now, the answer is no.

 

[Nate Esq]

I started rolling this past December using descent seco leaf as binder and wrapper. They looked like Jim D's above. My first stick was on the loose side but I sipped it, and thought, "wow this tastes like a cigar!" The next month or so I used newspaper strips and got a tighter roll, and they looked and smoked better. Now I have 2 molds, and still cant cap worth a $%#t, but I love the taste of them. My biggest issue was not letting them dry long enough after using a mold, they take longer to dry. I've purchased a few $12 sticks that I used to love, and I like the taste and aroma of mine alot more. I do appreciate the flawless construction of the store bought sticks though. I've probably rolled about 300 sticks and I might just be starting to get the hang of it, blending is impossible for me to figure out what the stick will taste like. Proper casing and consistent bunching still is a PITA for me too. But smoking my favorite stick I rolled myself, on a quiet evening is priceless.

 

[MrBOakley]

The last 2 remaining from my first rolling session. The one on the right is way over glued, it still has a bit of shine from the glue on it haha. These are 5 years old and I smoked one at the end of last year and I have to say it was a very nice blend.

 

[Jphillips1866]

Here are my very first rolls I dis last week

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[MrBOakley]

Here are my very first rolls I dis last week

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So much cleaner than my first rolls! Looking really smooth. What where your blends?

 

[Jphillips1866]

So much cleaner than my first rolls! Looking really smooth. What where your blends?

It was the starter kit from leaf only. What ever was in there Dominican Seco Nicaraguan Binder and Ecuadorian Viso Shade Wrapper. But I've gotten a few pounds since last week of some others I'm trying out

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[Jphillips1866]

So much cleaner than my first rolls! Looking really smooth. What where your blends?

And thank you

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[lightnin93]

It was the starter kit from leaf only. What ever was in there Dominican Seco Nicaraguan Binder and Ecuadorian Viso Shade Wrapper. But I've gotten a few pounds since last week of some others I'm trying out

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Those look great for the first time! Good job and welcome. It’s a lot of fun. Did you get the video from leafonly? I thought about getting it but figured I would get enough info from YouTube and from here.


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[webmost]

XLNT!

 

[Jphillips1866]

Those look great for the first time! Good job and welcome. It’s a lot of fun. Did you get the video from leafonly? I thought about getting it but figured I would get enough info from YouTube and from here.


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I got the video but never watched it. Just utilized tou tube. Some of the rolling videos where great and well done with reasons why and technic and simplified it tremendously

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[manover84]

These are pretty damn good

 

[Jphillips1866]

Those look great for the first time! Good job and welcome. It’s a lot of fun. Did you get the video from leafonly? I thought about getting it but figured I would get enough info from YouTube and from here.


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Robert Davis on youtube was the easiest for me to follow as he did a superb job teaching and explaining!

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[lightnin93]

Robert Davis on youtube was the easiest for me to follow as he did a superb job teaching and explaining!

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I agree. That’s Webmost on here. Also Bliss has great videos. Between those two guys you have plenty of info! Thank you both!


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