What's new

Beginner Gars

Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Joined
May 9, 2014
Messages
2,283
Location
Newark, Dull-Aware
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?
 
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Joined
Apr 18, 2020
Messages
186
beginner? don't need to know what you're doing? i'm in. who is don and how do I acquire this cigar tobacco? :cigar:
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
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...
 
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
771
Location
Almonte, Ontario
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.
 
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
2,640
Location
Central Maryland
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.

https://i.imgur.com/KThL25O.jpg


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.

https://i.imgur.com/ly6NGCb.jpg


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.
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
Jan 12, 2020
Messages
53
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.
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
May 18, 2020
Messages
21
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

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
Jan 3, 2020
Messages
77
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

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
May 18, 2020
Messages
21
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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
May 18, 2020
Messages
21
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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Robert Davis on youtube was the easiest for me to follow as he did a superb job teaching and explaining!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Top