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- Thread starter blisscigarco
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I could watch that video on repeat for hours. Love the technique. Your flag is very different from how I do mine. I'm going to give your method a try next session, but with the smaller wrapper leaf I use combined with longer sticks I usually don't have as much scrap leaf to work with. I could with the pa broadleaf I use, but then I would only get two wraps per leaf as opposed to the 4 I can squeeze out now with my current method and I'm a cheap ass.
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Yeah, I understand what you're saying.
One thing that's not in this edit but which is visible in most of my wrapping videos is the attention I put on how the head of the bunch is going to arrive at the foot of the wrapper, and then I backtrack from there (you often see me pulling the bunch back across the surface of the wrapper before laying it down: I'm imagining the roll in reverse.) and start in a location and with an alignment that gets me to a certain spot at a certain angle when it's capping time.
One thing that's not in this edit but which is visible in most of my wrapping videos is the attention I put on how the head of the bunch is going to arrive at the foot of the wrapper, and then I backtrack from there (you often see me pulling the bunch back across the surface of the wrapper before laying it down: I'm imagining the roll in reverse.) and start in a location and with an alignment that gets me to a certain spot at a certain angle when it's capping time.
I love watching this video, I figured that's what you were saying about capping a few weeks ago and that's the practices I have adopted! Honestly, my caps feel so much more natural now and are substantially less frustrating which feels great
Thanks Blake!
An interesting point is how they wash the tobacco prior to use. Just a 15 second rinse. Some even get additional warm water rinse. I also see the same rinse of water on several of the Cuban videos on Youtube.
This makes me wonder... should we wash our leaves? Is there 'stuff' that should be rinsed off? Possibly insecticides? Do the farmers use insecticides? Who knows what's on the leaf?
I once got a pound of Flojo that was filthy dirty. Loaded with sand, dead bugs and who knows what else. It certainly had not been washed prior to stacking. I couldn't use it like it was so I rinsed it quickly in a tub of water. The amount of dirt that came off was amazing. The tobacco, once dried, seemed to be in good condition and smoked the same.
FYI.... I have been doing some experiments with washing lately and found little to no change in flavor. When wetted the tobacco does leach out a bit of an off color. (cat piss) Some may say this is rinse off part of the flavor but it may be losing harshness from whatever it is on the leaf. Let's face it...we don't have a clue what these tobaccos have on them.
The advantages of washing allow several positive things... The leaf becomes soft and pliable and able to strip the stem easily. During this stripping each leaf can be unrolled and stretched flat.(like you see in the videos) This makes for an easier roll and more even burning of the leaf. Once dried the addition of a 'Mojito' or flavoring sauce may be applied and more readily absorbed.
The 15 second water rinse is part of the processing of the tobacco.
(The water I use to rinse is a mild solution of distilled water and citric acid to help lower the PH of the tobacco.)
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I've been "dippin'" since last year when I first saw several videos of it being done on Cuban cigar tours. Ive never had dirty/sandy wrappers, but I think it's a good way to start the process of getting to flat, elastic, shiny wrapper leaf. And since around February I've used the "RaodWarior" method, which includes dipping, hanging, rolling (opposing ends-to-end, scroll-style, for some reason), bagging, and fridging. But I only do these things on brown wrappers; I prefer not to do them on CT Shade, which doesn't gain anything from the processes.
Can you explain this "RoadWarrior" method a little more and the benefits? I'm very curious. Any videos that show the process would be nice as well.
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It's not "RoadWarrior." It's "RaodWarior."
RaodWarior is a dude on WLT who claims that "his customers" just love the sticks he makes with WLT Ec. Maduro wrapper (which of you course you like too and I hate). He says the whole trick to making it usable is to know how to case it in the professional manner, which he states as this (I've edited this for clarity as there were some extremely confusing typos and omissions of key words in his original text. But I think I finally figured out what he was trying to say, and I present that edit here):
"Take the Maduro and dunk it for about 30 seconds in a 5 gal pail of water...shake it out and repeat. Then hang it to drip for about 45 min to an hour. Then unfold the leaves flat; if too dry add some water, otherwise hang for another 30 min. Strip the center vein and lay in a stack with the top sides of the leaf facing upward (half the tips will be pointing one way, half the other). Roll from opposite ends toward the middle as in a scroll and put in zip lock bag and into fridge for 1-2 days. Now put the wrapper on the cigar and you will get the flavor that was meant to be. When you learn to case the wrapper then you will get the most from it. If I can one of these days I will have the wife do a video so you can see how I do it."
He never did make a video as far as I can tell.
One departure I make from this is that instead of fridging it I actually put it in the freezer. I find this makes the leaf stretchier and smoother, faster. Plus there is precendent for freezing fresh rolls to "speed up the aging process."
RaodWarior is a dude on WLT who claims that "his customers" just love the sticks he makes with WLT Ec. Maduro wrapper (which of you course you like too and I hate). He says the whole trick to making it usable is to know how to case it in the professional manner, which he states as this (I've edited this for clarity as there were some extremely confusing typos and omissions of key words in his original text. But I think I finally figured out what he was trying to say, and I present that edit here):
"Take the Maduro and dunk it for about 30 seconds in a 5 gal pail of water...shake it out and repeat. Then hang it to drip for about 45 min to an hour. Then unfold the leaves flat; if too dry add some water, otherwise hang for another 30 min. Strip the center vein and lay in a stack with the top sides of the leaf facing upward (half the tips will be pointing one way, half the other). Roll from opposite ends toward the middle as in a scroll and put in zip lock bag and into fridge for 1-2 days. Now put the wrapper on the cigar and you will get the flavor that was meant to be. When you learn to case the wrapper then you will get the most from it. If I can one of these days I will have the wife do a video so you can see how I do it."
He never did make a video as far as I can tell.
One departure I make from this is that instead of fridging it I actually put it in the freezer. I find this makes the leaf stretchier and smoother, faster. Plus there is precendent for freezing fresh rolls to "speed up the aging process."
Huh, well I'm on the fence about the Ec Maduro, I prefer the LO Ec Habano ligero but to be fair I've only tried one stick with that wrap and need to try it on some other blends before passing final judgement. The stick I had did burn, but not as well as other wrappers, and while I didn't find the flavors unpleasant it wasn't my favorite by any stretch. I'm gonna have to try this out with my broadleaf and Habano wrappers. Wonder if I will taste any noticeable difference. How long are you freezing for?It's not "RoadWarrior." It's "RaodWarior."
RaodWarior is a dude on WLT who claims that "his customers" just love the sticks he makes with WLT Ec. Maduro wrapper (which of you course you like too and I hate). He says the whole trick to making it usable is to know how to case it in the professional manner, which he states as this (I've edited this for clarity as there were some extremely confusing typos and omissions of key words in his original text. But I think I finally figured out what he was trying to say, and I present that edit here):
"Take the Maduro and dunk it for about 30 seconds in a 5 gal pail of water...shake it out and repeat. Then hang it to drip for about 45 min to an hour. Then unfold the leaves flat; if too dry add some water, otherwise hang for another 30 min. Strip the center vein and lay in a stack with the top sides of the leaf facing upward (half the tips will be pointing one way, half the other). Roll from opposite ends toward the middle as in a scroll and put in zip lock bag and into fridge for 1-2 days. Now put the wrapper on the cigar and you will get the flavor that was meant to be. When you learn to case the wrapper then you will get the most from it. If I can one of these days I will have the wife do a video so you can see how I do it."
He never did make a video as far as I can tell.
One departure I make from this is that instead of fridging it I actually put it in the freezer. I find this makes the leaf stretchier and smoother, faster. Plus there is precendent for freezing fresh rolls to "speed up the aging process."
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Either overnight or over two nights.
Rolling from opposing ends is kind of a pain, because I always end up with a bump in the middle. Next time I do a brown wrapper I'll probably just roll from one end and see if I can tell any diff. Doubt it.
Sigh. The more time goes by the more I think "what have I gotten myself into". I haven't "cased?" any of my wrapper. Or at least properly I guess. All I do is pull it out the bag, pull the stem out, wet it generously, and leave it between two wet towels for about 30. Basically what I was doing with all my leaf till y'all said not to use so much water on my filler.
So much to learn....
So much to learn....
It's not hard to do and part of the fun!
For filler... if you follow the video, once the leaves are moist and soft then removing the stem is easy. Once destemmed unravel each leaf and lay them flat in piles. I let them flatten out over night and then spread them out on a table the next day to dry to a low case. This takes a couple of hours to do a pound of leaf. In the end you end up with perfect rolling filler like you see in the videos. I think it's worth the effort instead of simply using it right out of the bag.
I like to spray down only the amount of wrapper I'm going to use in the next couple of days. Spray it down and then let it remain wet/damp overnight in a bag then, now that it's fully hydrated the next day, destem and roll with it in a high case. Soft and very pliable. Like silk.
Hope this helps.
One more point... as this processing occurs I take the time to separate the thinnest leaves and set them in a separate pile. Done out of a pound of seco will yield a good amount of volado used for it's good burning quality since it's so thin.