Pics of Your Sticks

[Jim D]

Thought I'd try a couple wrapped in CT1LS. Took a couple pieces from between the veins and wrapped a pair of corojo blends. The broadleaf will probably over power them, I'll make some larger ones so there will be more filler to wrapper ratio next time. Anyway, here's a pic:

 

[lightnin93]

Here are a few I rolled about a month ago. Used a mold I built. The two on the left didn't make it into the mold because I didn't have enough filler. I used the paper wrap on them. I smoked one that had been in the mold last night.

I’m about 3/4 inch in and it’s kind of like smoking a watered-down Coke. Smoke it thick and sweet at first then leaves sweetness and a slight bite on the top of your tongue. I’m just drinking water with it. My lips even taste a little sweet.
At the first light, I had a strong bitter flavor. Now I’m at the 2/3 mark and it came back. I think it’s the Ometepe leaf
Tongue - middle front and middle back were hit. The bitter part hit the back of the throat.

Wrapper:
Mexican San Andres

Binder:
Brazilian Mata Fina - is wrapper grade I just wanted it in the blend.

Fillers:
Esteli - Seco
Honduran - Viso
Brazilian Arapiraca
Ometepe - Ligero

Amount filled:
Esteli - Seco - 2x leafs
Honduran - Viso - 2x leafs
Brazilian Arapiraca - 1 strip
Ometepe - Ligero - 1/2 leaf.

 

[webmost]

Here's how you know when you've rolled a good one:

Daily Habit #39 plumpfecto

3 Esteli seco
1 1/2 Mata
Criollo wrapper as binder
FX Smith's CT shade wrapper

 

[Jim D]

Made a whimsical blend while on a conference call tonight.
1 mata fina, 1 criollo seco, .5 corojo seco, some Am. CT shade pieces, bound in CT1LS. Then wrapped in another layer of CT1LS. So far, it's alright. Got a hint of the criollo seco once, but the smoke is young...

 

[Jim D]

Today's roll for time in the wood shop:

It's two small criollo seco leaves, a small Dominican ligero, bound in Nicaraguan habano seco, wrapped in Ec shade seco.
Not a bad start for the day. Thick smoke, mild flavored. Seems I should've bound it tighter though. Still figuring out how to get it right with a mold vs paper strip....

 

[Nate Esq]

I've just graduated to a mold, its definately more difficult. The paper will wrap anything you make. But they all taste the same. I've probably rolled over 100 sticks, and I'm just starting to get somewhat of a feel for the bunch. No matter what you can throw another wrapper and you're good to go. I do want to make sticks with the wow factor in the looks dept, but I'm not stressed over it. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[webmost]

 

[webmost]

^^ That's a Daily Habit #55 from last September, 4 1/2 T-13 viso, Indonesian wrapper as binder, and FXSS CT shade fort wrapper.

That Indo is some funny stuff. Hard to find a blend that likes it., But here, it adds a nice mellow effect.

This was a nubber

 

[Bruce T.]

The February Photo of the Month goes to....... Jim D.

 

[webmost]

Halftime in the XFL is ten minutes. Watching in the garage while smoking the Daily Habit #55. I set this down when the teams were leaving the field. Fetched my blade from upstairs, brought it back to the garage, sharpened up the edge with two grits of a water stone, honed the edge with a diamond stone, cleaned up. By now the second half had started.

The DH 55 was still burning strong.

That Indo wrapper I used for binder is 4 layers, but each layer is super super thin. Wonderful burner.

I like the XFL. Good football fun. The DC fans built a beer snake... that's where they stack empty beer cups into a long stack that reaches from the front rail clear back to the last seat. Pretty cool idea.

 

[Nate Esq]

2nd set of smokes from my new mold. 48x7. 1st ones were too fat, and these were a little too skinny. Dried one in the micro and it was deliscious.
PA Binder
Sumatra wrapper
1 jorge ligero
1/2 T13 V WLT
1 CV Coro V WLT
1 corojo seco WLT
1/2 Estelli Seco LO

 

[blisscigarco]

2nd set of smokes from my new mold. 48x7. 1st ones were too fat, and these were a little too skinny. Dried one in the micro and it was deliscious.
PA Binder
Sumatra wrapper
1 jorge ligero
1/2 T13 V WLT
1 CV Coro V WLT
1 corojo seco WLT
1/2 Estelli Seco LO

Is that Jorge ligero from back in the day, or something you bought from him since he recently started selling again?

 

[Nate Esq]

Is that Jorge ligero from back in the day, or something you bought from him since he recently started selling again?
[/QUOTE]

It's the new stuff, thought I'd try it after reading about it on here. Ships fast and in good case. The two blends I tried it in taste pretty good, but I'm new and probably not the best judge. I should have followed your advice and ordered 3 types of leaves and stuck to that for a year.

 

[webmost]

"I should have followed your advice and ordered 3 types of leaves and stuck to that for a year."

Never heard that one, but it sounds like damn good advice to me.

 

[webmost]

Workin my way toward a wheel of Delicados:

 

[lightnin93]

Is that Jorge ligero from back in the day, or something you bought from him since he recently started selling again?

It's the new stuff, thought I'd try it after reading about it on here. Ships fast and in good case. The two blends I tried it in taste pretty good, but I'm new and probably not the best judge. I should have followed your advice and ordered 3 types of leaves and stuck to that for a year.[/QUOTE]

Thats sounds like great advice. Stick to 3 types for a year. I got crazy and have 15 different 1/4 pound bags of leafs. Looked at the cigars I enjoy most and went with leaves that are common and then a few others that seemed interesting.
Now I’m spending time thinking of blends over spending that time just rolling and getting that part down.
It is fun blending though. Still need to practice rolling more though. Almost ready to share a few with friends.
Last batch I made I think I had the leaves cased pretty good. The filler didn’t crumble on me and the wrapper stretched nicely. I wonder if there would be enough demand to offer a cigar creation class. YouTube is great but getting to feel the leaf is worth 1,000 videos.


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[Nate Esq]

They have wine making stores, where you use all their equipment and supplies to make your own wine at their establishment. Why not the same with cigars? Not a bad idea.

 

[blisscigarco]

"I should have followed your advice and ordered 3 types of leaves and stuck to that for a year."

Never heard that one, but it sounds like damn good advice to me.

It's what I tell people who ask about getting started--usually during live YouTube rolling sesssions

Workin my way toward a wheel of Delicados:

That's a pretty darn neat wheel.

 

[Nate Esq]

T13 binder
Sumatra wrapper
1 Jorge Ligero
1 Jalapa Viso
1 CV Coro Viso
1 Estelli Seco
Delish, and a super fine burn line that doesnt happen often. My next set drying are 3 visos and 1/2 ligero, no seco. We'll see.

 

[Dran]

Totally cheated here, got a 5er of EZ Raw, which is a retail bunch, pre wrapper... easy way to scratch the rolling itch without the outright aggrevation I get from bunching and molding. Threw a Honduran seco shade wrap on whatever they sent me. The Belicoso smelled heavily Nicaraguan.

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