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Sprouthog

Sprouthog

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BrewinHooligan said:
1 leaf corojo seco (WLT), 1 leaf criollo viso (WLT), 1 leaf Dominican ligero (jorge), Ecuadorian binder (jorge), PA broadleaf wrapper (LO). Rolled 3/30/16


Initial flavors are sweet cream, cocoa, some toasted nuts, espresso, and the perfect amount of leather and earth for my tastes. I was expecting more spice than I am getting but I can overlook that with everything else that's going on. An inch in starting to get hints of vanilla. Draw is a little snug due to a tightly packed bunch but a flattened paperclip opens it right up and now the spice I was looking for starts to show. This pairs exceptionally well with some Russels Reserve bourbon.

Going into the second third the flavors are staying about the same but some hints of toasted oak appear. Approaching the halfway point the spice is steadily increasing and each draw is better than the last. There is a lot going on here I can't put into words, but I'm thinking the ligero from Jorge is where most of the magic here is coming from. Along with the other flavors I'm picking up some nutmeg now and the retro is pure red pepper.

The final third the strength is building. I'm having to slow myself down because the smoke is getting hot but it's hitting my buttons so well I'm having a hard time pacing myself. The spicy retro is my favorite part at this point. I would reach for this more than I would most commercial sticks. The only drawback has been the tight draw. Now I want to try this blend wrapped in Brazilian Mata Fina and CT broadleaf to decide what works best for this filler blend.
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Why am I blend testing when you've already done the work?

Do you find the draw tighter when the cigar is ready to smoke than when you test it prior to molding?
 
BrewinHooligan

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Sprouthog said:
Why am I blend testing when you've already done the work?

Do you find the draw tighter when the cigar is ready to smoke than when you test it prior to molding?
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I test the draw coming out of the mold right before wrapping. I haven't really marked any that seemed tighter than others to see if they changed after resting. Sounds like something I need to keep track of. The biggest thing with the accordion bunching is making sure the mold isn't overstuffed. A little is ok and doesn't affect the smoke, too much though and they start to plug up. Have gotten much more consistent with my bunching in the last two months and haven't been coming across any bunches with an overly tight draw as of late.
 
Jim D

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Typically I have rolled .5 ligero, 2 viso, 1 seco. Last rolling session I did .75 ligero, 1.5 viso, 1 seco ( all Nicaraguan from LO) with Dom binder and Ec seco shade wrapper. This was definitely a move in the right direction for my preferences.
 
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Gdaddy

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Jim D said:
Typically I have rolled .5 ligero, 2 viso, 1 seco. Last rolling session I did .75 ligero, 1.5 viso, 1 seco ( all Nicaraguan from LO) with some binder and Ec seco shade wrapper. This was definitely a move in the right direction for my preferences.
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Go for it! There's lot's of flavor in the ligero. I like a combination filler of 3 ligeros. Criollo98(med), dominican(mild) and a touch of Nicaraguan(strong). No seco or viso in the filler. Use a thin binder for easy burn (Dom seco) and a mild and thin wrapper like Brazilian. PA broadleaf wrapper adds way too much nicotine to this blend so I'd avoid that. The thinner combination of the binder and wrapper also make for a better burn line also.

Even though I'm nicotine sensitive this doesn't bother me at all. It makes an interesting cigar and you'll learn a lot from doing it. Fear not.
 
BrewinHooligan

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Gdaddy said:
Go for it! There's lot's of flavor in the ligero. I like a combination filler of 3 ligeros. Criollo98(med), dominican(mild) and a touch of Nicaraguan(strong). No seco or viso in the filler. Use a thin binder for easy burn (Dom seco) and a mild and thin wrapper like Brazilian. PA broadleaf wrapper adds way too much nicotine to this blend so I'd avoid that. The thinner combination of the binder and wrapper also make for a better burn line also.

Even though I'm nicotine sensitive this doesn't bother me at all. It makes an interesting cigar and you'll learn a lot from doing it. Fear not.
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I have been playing with this idea for a while. I have criollo ligero, Dominican ligero from jorge, as well as Piloto cubano ligero. Might make just a couple test sticks to see. Jorge's ligero is a powerhouse and not sure I would like the piloto cubano in the mix as I seem to prefer Dominican tobaccos in smaller quantities.
 
Gdaddy

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BrewinHooligan said:
I have been playing with this idea for a while. I have criollo ligero, Dominican ligero from jorge, as well as Piloto cubano ligero. Might make just a couple test sticks to see. Jorge's ligero is a powerhouse and not sure I would like the piloto cubano in the mix as I seem to prefer Dominican tobaccos in smaller quantities.
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Jorge's tobacco is definitely stronger than the other suppliers. The dark wrapper is a powerhouse of nicotine. I'd suggest the combination of criollo ligero, Dominican and Piloto. Then try another blend using the addition of Jorge's ligero just to see what the difference is. Use the thinnest/mildest binder and wrapper you've got.

Curious to hear how you like it!!
 
BrewinHooligan

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Gdaddy said:
Jorge's tobacco is definitely stronger than the other suppliers. The dark wrapper is a powerhouse of nicotine. I'd suggest the combination of criollo ligero, Dominican and Piloto. Then try another blend using the addition of Jorge's ligero just to see what the difference is. Use the thinnest/mildest binder and wrapper you've got.

Curious to hear how you like it!!
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The only Dominican ligero I have is Jorge's and the WLT Piloto cubano. I may do a 2.5 leaf blend only using a half leaf of Jorge's ligero and will try to bind in Nica Habano seco and wrap with CT shade and Brazilian Mata Fina. I'm excited to give it a try
 
BrewinHooligan

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Last night I smoked one of my marshmallow blends that I had rolled the first of the month. I had spritzed all of the filler of that batch with my mojo and I was dying to see how it affected the smoke. It was amazing how much smoother the smoke had become. I think there was a combination of things I need to address for future experiments though. First, I think my original mojo was too strong so it has been watered down a little since then. Second, I think I used a little too much. I had lost most of the marshmallow flavors which was a little disappointing as that is my signature blend and I want to keep it true, but want to smooth some rough edges from youth so my sticks can be enjoyed sooner. If y'all aren't working with mojo, I suggest you work on changing that. Just remember that a little bit goes a long way.
 
BrewinHooligan

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blisscigarco said:
I have stopped using citrus/pineapple in my mojos for now because my tobacco is already very smooth and it just gets too damn smooth. I want SOME "hit," ya know. ;)
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This I totally get. I went a little overboard and it showed in the smoke but it was still enjoyable. A toned down mojo and a much lighter spritz should soften the sharp edges towards the end of the smoke. Amazed at how smooth a two week old stick was, it was fun seeing the power of the mojo first hand.
 
Hopduro

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BrewinHooligan said:
This I totally get. I went a little overboard and it showed in the smoke but it was still enjoyable. A toned down mojo and a much lighter spritz should soften the sharp edges towards the end of the smoke. Amazed at how smooth a two week old stick was, it was fun seeing the power of the mojo first hand.
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So... a misting before bunching?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
TheFlask

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BrewinHooligan said:
This I totally get. I went a little overboard and it showed in the smoke but it was still enjoyable. A toned down mojo and a much lighter spritz should soften the sharp edges towards the end of the smoke. Amazed at how smooth a two week old stick was, it was fun seeing the power of the mojo first hand.
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Are you using water too or just mojo?
 
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