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How many leaves for 52x5 Robusto?

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So, I rolled up 4 cigars (52x5) last night. I started with ½ leaf Nic Seco Esteli, 2 leaves Nic Viso Jalapa, ½ Nic Ligero Esteli. Nic Binder. I quickly realized that 3 leaves were not enough filler. I rolled 2 more using full leaves of Nic Seco and Nic ligero (4 leaves total). I still think it’s not enough.
What do you experts think? Is 5 leaves to much?

Also my bunches seem a little squishy. Now to me, this could be because I under filled them and the mold could press them. OR I didn’t roll the binder tight enough. How tightly do you wrap your binder?
 
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depends on the size of your leaves. I roll Robusto and Robusto Grande, and most of the time a robusto is rolled out longer and needs to be trimmed, whereas a robusto grande may need a touch more filler. I usually ignore length and roll for the correct diameter and firmness ( to provide burnability) and trim the dolls after I hav closed the mold. If they're squishy, I add some more filler. In the beginning I had the opposite problem: my sticks were too tight and turned my n&^s inside trying to get a good draw. You srt the draw at the head. I usually add a bit more filler there. I figure each of us has about 30 really bad sticks in their fingers. Once you get those out of the way they get much better. The binder gets cased a bit more than filler. It should be flexible and stretchy. When it dries the leaf shrinks and firms up the doll.
 
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So, I rolled up 4 cigars (52x5) last night. I started with ½ leaf Nic Seco Esteli, 2 leaves Nic Viso Jalapa, ½ Nic Ligero Esteli. Nic Binder. I quickly realized that 3 leaves were not enough filler. I rolled 2 more using full leaves of Nic Seco and Nic ligero (4 leaves total). I still think it’s not enough.
What do you experts think? Is 5 leaves to much?

Also my bunches seem a little squishy. Now to me, this could be because I under filled them and the mold could press them. OR I didn’t roll the binder tight enough. How tightly do you wrap your binder?
Standard leaf count for a 5x50 is 4 regular-sized leaves. A 5x52 is quite a bit larger than a 5x50; so you're looking at 4-5 leaves, plus binder and wrapper. How tightly you bind is dependent on whether you're molding or free-handing. But that's one of the hundreds of things about rolling a cigar that your hands are going to have to learn through their own feedback.
 
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Awesome! I knew by feel it was under filled. My leaves are pretty small. I'll roll some tonight with 5. Once I get something that looks like a cigar, I'll post a picture.
Trust the feel, not the count.
This is handiwork. If your hands are trying to tell you something, listen.

I say buy a 52x5 robusto, if that's the size you want, feel it frequently, and make your roll feel like that.
 
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Webmost,
That's exactly what I did. Pull a few different 5x52s to see what they felt like. I knew mine felt light. I bump up to 5 leaves. Changed the blend to 2 leaves Nic Seco Esteli, 2 leaves Nic Viso Jalapa, 1 leaf Nic Ligero Esteli. Now, they may be a tad bit to fat. 4 1/2 is probably the ideal number of leaves, but heck I like big smokes so I left them. I will be wrapping them tomorrow. Two with Nicaraguan wrapper and two with San Andres. The Nic Viso Jalapa has me worried it was super moist almost gummy feeling. I made sure to bunch in in the middle. If they burn wonky but taste good, I'll change it to 1 Jalapa leaf and 2 Ligero Esteli. The blend smelled delicious. I can't wait to smoke them.
 
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Webmost,
That's exactly what I did. Pull a few different 5x52s to see what they felt like. I knew mine felt light. I bump up to 5 leaves. Changed the blend to 2 leaves Nic Seco Esteli, 2 leaves Nic Viso Jalapa, 1 leaf Nic Ligero Esteli. Now, they may be a tad bit to fat. 4 1/2 is probably the ideal number of leaves, but heck I like big smokes so I left them. I will be wrapping them tomorrow. Two with Nicaraguan wrapper and two with San Andres. The Nic Viso Jalapa has me worried it was super moist almost gummy feeling. I made sure to bunch in in the middle. If they burn wonky but taste good, I'll change it to 1 Jalapa leaf and 2 Ligero Esteli. The blend smelled delicious. I can't wait to smoke them.
I do believe the best Lo Nica ligero is the Condega.... ;) Try a sample on your next order if you don't already have some.
 
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