Dominican56
CRA #99997657
For me, it was simple curiosity to see if a home made cigar was actually good.
What got you into the cigar rolling hobby? and Why roll your own?
- Thread starter Dominican56
- Start date
I do not roll my own, but the idea is interesting, I don't want to jack your thread.
But I am curious what the cost per stick works out to be. Doing your own rolling?
What tools do you need to start up?
Last question is what is the initial investment on tools, Tabacco, to start up with the expectation of good smoke able sticks?
But I am curious what the cost per stick works out to be. Doing your own rolling?
What tools do you need to start up?
Last question is what is the initial investment on tools, Tabacco, to start up with the expectation of good smoke able sticks?
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2017
- Messages
- 82
I had been lurking on the forum for a while and was curious but the catalyst for actually starting was the quality of commercial sticks I was receiving after shipping. Specifically, I have had too many orders show up with mold, too wet, too dry, etc. (CI, Cigarbid, CC's for overseas). I also couldn't stand paying good money for some highly rated stick just to be completely disappointed (Gurkha). Now, I roll one and if I don't like the flavor I am not stuck with a whole box of crap I wouldn't even give away.
SurfnSafari - the cost per stick depends a lot on the size and if you save your scraps. I am averaging just under $2 for a 54 rg X 6" but I don't keep scraps or try to get multiple wrappers out of the same leaf half. The wrapper is by far the most expensive leaf.
As for start up, I invested nothing more than the cost of the blend pack from WLT as I didn't know if it was for me. I used a pizza cutter on my granite counter, wrapped in paper strips for a mold, and used honey for glue. The flavor was excellent so I haven't bought commercial sticks since.
SurfnSafari - the cost per stick depends a lot on the size and if you save your scraps. I am averaging just under $2 for a 54 rg X 6" but I don't keep scraps or try to get multiple wrappers out of the same leaf half. The wrapper is by far the most expensive leaf.
As for start up, I invested nothing more than the cost of the blend pack from WLT as I didn't know if it was for me. I used a pizza cutter on my granite counter, wrapped in paper strips for a mold, and used honey for glue. The flavor was excellent so I haven't bought commercial sticks since.
I apprieciate the reply about cost per stick that has me thinking. As far as your personal experience with Cigar Bid, my personal experiences are 110% positive with them. When I did have a problem, I called, or emailed Customer Service. Got total satisfaction ASAP. I inspect everything I get from them on delivery. Did have ONE PROBLEM with a BOX, the Wrappers were split. The Box was unopened 90 days, and stored in proper RH & Tempetures. When I discover the split, I call CigarBid, and they sent a RA #, asked how much it cost to return the box. Box was returned USPS, and got Credit for postage, and NEW Replacement Box in 7 days. That is my personal experience.
Again thank for the reply. Hoping for more replies to my ??
Again thank for the reply. Hoping for more replies to my ??
Brother, cost is not much, and neither is cost the point. Most of my sticks I make prolly cost me a buck or less. I don't go for big fact mandingoe jawbreakers. I roll coronas and handy perfectos. Most all Bliss rolls are coronas too, I believe. Plus, because I started with perfectos, I can roll bustos as well without much waste at all. But the real point of it is twofold: 1) Rolling is itself as good as smoking a good cigar. It's an hour of pure baccy pleasure. The aroma, the oils in your hands, the satisfaction you get from any handiwork. It's contemplative. That's why we prolly most all roll way more than we use. Then, 2) once you catch onto how to blend some blends you like, well you're not paying eight clams & up for a stick that makes you go "GACK!" but then you feel obliged to finish it cause it was rated high and reviewed tasty, and, after all, even tho you hate it, you blew eight bucks. Even you are blending up something new, you get a pretty good feel for how to cook up something that you will enjoy. Way way more reliable than airbrushed ads in a magazine.
Nope. Cost ain't much. Cost ain't the point.
As for initial investment, take a look at this vid, which is aimed at the raw & totally new beginner, what he needs to get started, & how to roll a first gar:
If you are up to try, PM my your addy & I'll shoot you out a beginner batch of leaves, a bit of glue, and so forth. Nothing I like more than suckering a newb into this tar baby of a hobby.
Well I watch a few minute of the Video, when I have more time I will explore the Full Video. Looks very good to give my real deal ideas. Again thanks again for the information. Effort apprieciated.
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,956
I agree with Webmost here. Cost ain't the point; and in fact I believe that bundles of excellent prerolled cigars can be bought for less than we can roll them. You just have to stay away from the expensive big-name IG-click-winning brands.
For me it's about the fact of making them myself; about learning so much more about cigars than the average dude who's smoked them for 30 years; about the joy of fondling tobacco, of rendering big-ass leaves into a fine and beautiful custom cigar; about the the hours of quiet meditation, the satisfaction of learning and improving your skills at something you love, the joy of making others happy with what you've made for them, the friendships that arise from belonging to what is nowadays an incredibly small fraternity, sharing ideas with them, etc. And finally of smoking something you just rolled with your own hands, of sitting out in the sunlight with the paper and some far-out new vitola you just invented that draws perfectly, smells and tastes great. Being able to roll it through your fingers, studying it, seeing what you could have done better, and thinking Damn, I made that.
The friendships. You jokers make life/work/relaxation a little bit easier
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So tempted, yet so wary of new slopes…
Safety third
Brah. Jump in.
Webby will help you!
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Let me ask you this: can brother A make a better cigar than brother B using the exact same leaf? Because if not, I'd rather just have more of your stuff…Brah. Jump in.
Webby will help you!
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Even a turd in looks will smoke better than a commercial stick. Jam leaves on cylinder, light and prosper!
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Agree. For me its the zen. I lay out binder, right filler and mold. I start rolling and before i know it I have a mold full of dolls ready to press.
As far as cost, the items you HAVE to have are a rolling surface ($12.00 walmart) a tool to cut leaf ( Pizza wheel $3.00) and leaf ( filler $17/pound binder wrapper $20/pound)
for me, the process became much more rewarding when I added a chavetta ( $30.00) and a mold ( Robusto grande, $80.00)
I roll because I have a problem. I have to make everything myself. Not always, but at least once. I made my own beer, wine, furniture, built two homes, built my humidor, I even grew my own tobacco one year just so I know that I can. I enjoy commercial sticks but I have to roll to feed my DIY addiction.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
I'll chime in a bit.
There are some NRE things you might WANT, not need. Molds = is a want, not need. I'm rarely using a mold lately for a few reasons.
Cutting tools are a NEED. You should spend 25-35 for a good cheveta once you decide you want to roll more than a trail batch.
A quality cutting board. I got one from a supplier here in Michigan for 35 to 45 bucks. (can't recall exactly how much I paid)
Scissors - you need a pair of decent 6 inchers if you want to continue with this hobby.
Cigar glue - minimal expense.
Sprits bottle - minimal expense
Cigar leaf: This is the gotcha.
You'll want to try all of them which adds cost. I've got more than a few pounds of leaf I won't buy again. It's R&D cost to my way of thinking so I really don't mind. Sometimes I find ways to use leaf I'm not particularly fond of. For example I have some Honduran viso that I really didn't care for. As an experiment I sprayed it with chardonnay to change the Ph of the leaf and to add some other flavor. It worked and worked well. Now I like that leaf as long as it's "sprayed."
You can in fact make cigars that rival premium cigars. You'll discover a few blends that are your go-to cigars so you could settle on buying only those leafs that make those blends. But, most of us are pretty curious and when someone posts a particular blend using leaf you don't have.... well that is part of the slippery slope. You'll HAVE to get that leaf to try out that blend. I'm pretty sure we here all do that. I do!
But, if cost is your motivation, then you certainly can save money with making your own. Simply copy a blend you might like and buy a minimum amount of leaf and roll only that blend. (BORING!) But, as mentioned it's not about saving money it's really about making an excellent cigar with your own hands using your own blend that YOU enjoy.
For me, I enjoy prepping leaf, thinking about which other leaf might work well together for a particular taste in a blend. Also I am just now starting to have some cigars that are ripe.
There are some NRE things you might WANT, not need. Molds = is a want, not need. I'm rarely using a mold lately for a few reasons.
Cutting tools are a NEED. You should spend 25-35 for a good cheveta once you decide you want to roll more than a trail batch.
A quality cutting board. I got one from a supplier here in Michigan for 35 to 45 bucks. (can't recall exactly how much I paid)
Scissors - you need a pair of decent 6 inchers if you want to continue with this hobby.
Cigar glue - minimal expense.
Sprits bottle - minimal expense
Cigar leaf: This is the gotcha.
You'll want to try all of them which adds cost. I've got more than a few pounds of leaf I won't buy again. It's R&D cost to my way of thinking so I really don't mind. Sometimes I find ways to use leaf I'm not particularly fond of. For example I have some Honduran viso that I really didn't care for. As an experiment I sprayed it with chardonnay to change the Ph of the leaf and to add some other flavor. It worked and worked well. Now I like that leaf as long as it's "sprayed."
You can in fact make cigars that rival premium cigars. You'll discover a few blends that are your go-to cigars so you could settle on buying only those leafs that make those blends. But, most of us are pretty curious and when someone posts a particular blend using leaf you don't have.... well that is part of the slippery slope. You'll HAVE to get that leaf to try out that blend. I'm pretty sure we here all do that. I do!
But, if cost is your motivation, then you certainly can save money with making your own. Simply copy a blend you might like and buy a minimum amount of leaf and roll only that blend. (BORING!) But, as mentioned it's not about saving money it's really about making an excellent cigar with your own hands using your own blend that YOU enjoy.
For me, I enjoy prepping leaf, thinking about which other leaf might work well together for a particular taste in a blend. Also I am just now starting to have some cigars that are ripe.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
There is a ton of information in the posts and videos in this forum. Check some of them out if you're really interested in rolling your own cigars.
Two years ago I considered making my own but assumed (wrongly) that it would be impossible to make ones own cigar that was actually good.
I started making my own cigars this summer, July I think and haven't looked back. I learned how to do it and got support and inspiration from all of the great people here on BOTL.
Sure there is a learning curve, but with all of the things posted by the pioneers of home rolling right here, your learning curve will be short.
I can make a stick that looks pretty close to a commercial cigar, but I rarely take the time to do so. I make cigars that are OK looking. They are for me and I don't care that they aren't rolled as visually appealing as commercial cigars are.
Today is my birthday and this is probably one of the best presents I'm going to get!
I got started rolling because I have a major diy addiction. I brew my own beer, I roast my own coffee, I make my own sausage, and I build ar15s. Not so much to save money, but I have particular taste and if I want something a certain way it usually comes out best when I do it myself. On a homebrewing forum I'm on there was a cigar thread and a guy there started rolling his own so naturally I had to give it a try. Like any other hobby I get involved in, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing and now I'm working on transitioning from a home-roller to going pro because I have a huge passion for it and unless everyone has been lying to me, I've gotten pretty decent at blending and with the help of a gentleman from Cuba who has mentored me, my rolling skills have greatly improved from where I started.
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