My short spiel is know your leaf.
I believe there is no substitute for the relationship building with the leaf.
Having to prepare leaf for cigar assembly in addition to what you buy I believe, is unavoidable.
A lot of what you'll get will be different as far as classification.
Meaning, caricature in body or weight / thickness, color, qualities like burn, aroma, taste. All which will determine what and how much preparation will need to be done.
I believe that the final preparations should not be done before the manufacturer. Because it would not store well.
In addition, there are things being done that manufacturers will not talk about. A master blender is not going to tell us his petuning method or recipes. They are there trade secrets.
I want leaf straight out of a bail. I don't want any additional handling being done that is not necessary. I want to be the one doing the final sorting and classifying. I'm very happy to be able to get leaf that has been prepared properly for bailing.
Applying moisture to the leaves makes the leaves easier to handle and reduces the risk of broken leaves.
I believe there is no substitute for the relationship building with the leaf.
Having to prepare leaf for cigar assembly in addition to what you buy I believe, is unavoidable.
A lot of what you'll get will be different as far as classification.
Meaning, caricature in body or weight / thickness, color, qualities like burn, aroma, taste. All which will determine what and how much preparation will need to be done.
I believe that the final preparations should not be done before the manufacturer. Because it would not store well.
In addition, there are things being done that manufacturers will not talk about. A master blender is not going to tell us his petuning method or recipes. They are there trade secrets.
I want leaf straight out of a bail. I don't want any additional handling being done that is not necessary. I want to be the one doing the final sorting and classifying. I'm very happy to be able to get leaf that has been prepared properly for bailing.
Applying moisture to the leaves makes the leaves easier to handle and reduces the risk of broken leaves.