That's the exact kit I started with since I have always been a fan of corojo. I agree that the corojo and criollo work wonderful together. If you like the Caldwell Eastern Standard this should be in your wheelhouse.
Adventures in home rolling
- Thread starter BrewinHooligan
- Start date
Noted for my next order
I haven't seen or heard of any others... There are lots of guys on Fairtradetobacco.com that grow and ferment their own. @USHOG does as well and posted an awesome thread and video going over his tobacco garden that made me so jealous I could cuss. I can't wait to get out of an apartment and have a little room to try my hand at growing some of my own.
There's only a couple others but they're small operations and selection is limited for cigar tobacco. There's a lot of nice leaf between the two vendors though. They've been getting more variety in recently too.
Ok, rolling up some sticks now. This one I'm going to show used up the last of my corojo seco so now on to a different blend. This one is 1/2 leaf corojo seco, 1/2 leaf Nica Habano seco, 1 leaf corojo viso, and 1/2 leaf Dominican ligero with a Dominican binder and will get wrapped in PA broadleaf.
The filler laid out. Seco on the left, viso in the middle, ligero on the right.
Stacking and cutting to make the right size. I keep the ligero off to the side to make sure it goes in the very center of the bunch to help with combustion:
All stacked and ready to be rolled up in the binder:
Always make sure that tips of the leaves point down and that the veins of the leaves are pointing the same direction.
The filler laid out. Seco on the left, viso in the middle, ligero on the right.
Stacking and cutting to make the right size. I keep the ligero off to the side to make sure it goes in the very center of the bunch to help with combustion:
All stacked and ready to be rolled up in the binder:
Always make sure that tips of the leaves point down and that the veins of the leaves are pointing the same direction.
Only got a chance to roll a couple today, my Habano seco is a little too dry and I'm out of big ziplock bags to bring it up to higher case and have a herf to go to. Did manage to roll one of a new blend:
1/2 leaf Nica Habano seco, 1 1/2 leafs corojo viso, 1 leaf Dominican ligero, Dominican binder, and PA broadleaf wrapper. I expect this one to be pretty strong and I'm looking forward to it.
1/2 leaf Nica Habano seco, 1 1/2 leafs corojo viso, 1 leaf Dominican ligero, Dominican binder, and PA broadleaf wrapper. I expect this one to be pretty strong and I'm looking forward to it.
That's what I love about the hobby. So many different ways to do things and I love to see how other people do things. I'm still using the book method, I'm intimidated by rolling entubado but need to try that soon
Don't know what BH is bitching about. This one looked better than some of the sticks I've paid for. Talk about transitions between thirds. Burn through the closed foot and it was toasted marshmallow. Into the first third and it was heavy coco powder. Second third was black licorice and the final third was earthy goodness and some mild spice. A sleeper on strength too.
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Glad to see you've gotten back into rolling!!!!
So I got my leaf in from whole leaf today and tried my hand at rolling a couple cigars. I think this is going to be very fun!
Here are my first two cigars. Both of them are too soft, but the shorter one was really soft - it was the second one I rolled but the binder leaf was in really poor shape with more hole than leaf. Probably should have used two. Next time.
I couldn't resist smoking one, so I smoked the short one. Waited one puff too long before I took a picture lol
So the cigar was too soft, too wet since I just rolled it. Hell, the glue wasn't even close to being dry! But it didn't unravel, and I've had more touch up lights required in premium cigars, but it was
*my* cigar and that was pretty damn satisfying!
One of the packages of tabacco that I bought is latakia - I'm going to try incorporating that into the mix soon too. I think the neatest thing about this is that my 6 year old son was probably more excited about this than I was and kept asking if he could roll one too. He might do better than me haha
Thanks again to @BrewinHooligan and @HIM* for the inspiration to give this a try and advice as I'm getting started.
Here are my first two cigars. Both of them are too soft, but the shorter one was really soft - it was the second one I rolled but the binder leaf was in really poor shape with more hole than leaf. Probably should have used two. Next time.
I couldn't resist smoking one, so I smoked the short one. Waited one puff too long before I took a picture lol
So the cigar was too soft, too wet since I just rolled it. Hell, the glue wasn't even close to being dry! But it didn't unravel, and I've had more touch up lights required in premium cigars, but it was
*my* cigar and that was pretty damn satisfying!
One of the packages of tabacco that I bought is latakia - I'm going to try incorporating that into the mix soon too. I think the neatest thing about this is that my 6 year old son was probably more excited about this than I was and kept asking if he could roll one too. He might do better than me haha
Thanks again to @BrewinHooligan and @HIM* for the inspiration to give this a try and advice as I'm getting started.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Gives me a whole new level of respect for the torcedors who do their jobs correctly.
You and me both brother!!! I try like hell to not have my sticks look like something my dog shat out and sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. What I love about the hobby though, even if I roll a stick that looks like a turd, I haven't rolled a single stick that didn't smoke. Of course I'm always trying like hell to make them look like they came out of a factory but I have to remember I'm still new and still learning and maybe should cut myself a little slack here and there.
Keep a photo journal as you go along! It's awesome to see yourself improve as you go and get the feel for the process and how tight to roll and how much to stretch the wrapper. It's a damn good feeling to smoke a smoke you rolled on your own! What was your blend? Once you get a Latakia blend going you like we will definitely have to swap some sticks. When I pipe I favor Lat heavy English blends so you have my attention.So I got my leaf in from whole leaf today and tried my hand at rolling a couple cigars. I think this is going to be very fun!
Here are my first two cigars. Both of them are too soft, but the shorter one was really soft - it was the second one I rolled but the binder leaf was in really poor shape with more hole than leaf. Probably should have used two. Next time.
I couldn't resist smoking one, so I smoked the short one. Waited one puff too long before I took a picture lol
So the cigar was too soft, too wet since I just rolled it. Hell, the glue wasn't even close to being dry! But it didn't unravel, and I've had more touch up lights required in premium cigars, but it was
*my* cigar and that was pretty damn satisfying!
One of the packages of tabacco that I bought is latakia - I'm going to try incorporating that into the mix soon too. I think the neatest thing about this is that my 6 year old son was probably more excited about this than I was and kept asking if he could roll one too. He might do better than me haha
Thanks again to @BrewinHooligan and @HIM* for the inspiration to give this a try and advice as I'm getting started.
On the recomendation of @HIM* I opened the Azucarado Oscuro package first and just used that. And I just used the leaves in the same proportions that they came, so for these two cigars, it was 1 Dominican Liqero, 1 Flojo Viso, 2 Nicaraguan Seco, 1 leaf of Dominican for binder and 1 leaf of Excuador Maduro as the wrapper. Volume wise, there was a lot more Seco there than anything else. I split it all down the middle and made the two cigars.
I've been an exclusive pipe smoker for the last 10 or 15 years and heavy latakia english blends are usually my favorites so I had to get some to add into the mix. the latakia came in a vacume sealed bag with a label on it that says "1997 Crop". Aged latakia in a cigar is more than a little exciting to me!
Now you are hooked Captain !! We all starterd this way. On the Fair Trade Tobacco forum you find a lot of helpfull videos.
I know it is difficult in the begining, but try to give them a few weeks rest before you smoke them.
When I started I kept buying cigars so could rest mine for a few months.
I know it is difficult in the begining, but try to give them a few weeks rest before you smoke them.
When I started I kept buying cigars so could rest mine for a few months.