Blend testing

[BrewinHooligan]

I'm having nothing but failures trying to find a blend to bind with PA BL binder. I need suggestions for filler and wrapper that won't go full on stankish ashtray on me. Here's what I have plenty of for fillers:

Corojo -- seco, viso, & ligero
Criollo -- seco, viso, & ligero
Willy's -- seco, viso, & ligero
Nicaraguan -- seco, viso, & ligero
Piloto -- seco, viso & ligero
Mata Fina -- unspecified
Honduran -- seco & viso
LO Dom volado
Habano lidero
San Vicente ligero


I'd appreciate tips which to bind with PA broad.

For wrapper, I have Hab 2k, corojo oscuro, CT shade, Honduran habano, Honduran cuban seed, Brazilian sumpin or other, and a whole lot of odds and ends; plus LO Ec shade viso and ligero (used up all the seco... gotta score more)

TIA

Just a stab in the dark, but I would personally try Nica seco, mata fina, and Piloto ligero and would try wrapped in Brazilian on a few and corojo on a few and see if anything sticks. The LO Ec shade probably won't compliment that blend well, the Honduran Habano may be nice though.

 

[Gdaddy]

I also find it interesting that the PA broadleaf smells so good (like raisins) but takes on an 'off' flavor when burned. The dark Ecuador BL wrapper from Jorge is the most amazing smell ever but it doesn't taste right to me when burned. That rich raisin odor turns to diesel oil flavor when burned.

My only suggestion would be that since it is a thick wrapper make sure that it's dry to the bone before smoking. This can make all the difference.

Of the wrappers you mention, I find the Brazilian to be a real winner. I know it's small and a little tricky to work with but it's never overpowering and has a slight woodiness/sweetness to it. Not overly thick and burns well.

 

[nic]

I'm having nothing but failures trying to find a blend to bind with PA BL binder. I need suggestions for filler and wrapper that won't go full on stankish ashtray on me.

What have you already tried? Without knowing that, I'm not sure what to suggest.

To take a blind stab at it, I'd be tempted to try Dominican & Honduran puros wrapped in Honduran and/or Brazilian.

 

[webmost]

What have you already tried? Without knowing that, I'm not sure what to suggest.

To take a blind stab at it, I'd be tempted to try Dominican & Honduran puros wrapped in Honduran and/or Brazilian.

Tried any number of combos. Don't remember all of them. Here's what failed last night: 1 part mata w/ 2 parts criollo, PA binder, corojo oscuro wrapper.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

After hearing @Gdaddy talk about straight ligero blends I rolled a batch with what I had on hand. These were rolled 7/01 and finally passed the two month mark so I had to test them out. This blend was one leaf criollo ligero (WLT), one leaf Piloto Cubano ligero (WLT), and 1/2 leaf Jorge Dominican ligero, bound in Ecuadorian habano seco (LO), and wrapped in Brazilian Mata Fina (LO). I had no idea what to expect, but I did expect some burn issues. What I experienced was a full flavored, complex smoke that was almost chewy. It started out with a strong syrup type sweetness, lots of cedar/wood, and an earthiness that was very pleasant to me. After the first third the sweetness faded some and there was a baking spice present. Towards the end there was a creamy leather flavor that was unique and also hints of vanilla and some nuttiness. This blend is an absolute keeper and I will be rolling much more of these.

The burn line on this was razor sharp start to finish and the ash fell in solid chunks at each third. To say I'm happy with this blend and how it turned out is an understatement.

 

[Gdaddy]

After hearing @Gdaddy talk about straight ligero blends I rolled a batch with what I had on hand. These were rolled 7/01 and finally passed the two month mark so I had to test them out. This blend was one leaf criollo ligero (WLT), one leaf Piloto Cubano ligero (WLT), and 1/2 leaf Jorge Dominican ligero, bound in Ecuadorian habano seco (LO), and wrapped in Brazilian Mata Fina (LO). I had no idea what to expect, but I did expect some burn issues. What I experienced was a full flavored, complex smoke that was almost chewy. It started out with a strong syrup type sweetness, lots of cedar/wood, and an earthiness that was very pleasant to me. After the first third the sweetness faded some and there was a baking spice present. Towards the end there was a creamy leather flavor that was unique and also hints of vanilla and some nuttiness. This blend is an absolute keeper and I will be rolling much more of these.

The burn line on this was razor sharp start to finish and the ash fell in solid chunks at each third. To say I'm happy with this blend and how it turned out is an understatement.

Great job and a beautiful cigar!

Many people fear the ligero but the reality is it's really not that unbearably strong. Not like a La flor Dominicana double ligero that will easily knock you down. Especially when you remove the center stem that holds 3/4 of the nicotine, you're left with pure goodness.

It's good you let it age as long as you did. Thick leaves like that can cause burn problems if not properly dried.

A fun cigar to try is dig in the bag of Criollo98 ligero and find a good dark leaf to use as a wrapper. I do add some seco in the filler at this point but the sweet ligero is nice to taste. It makes a very dark, exotic looking, rough and rustic manly/man cigar.

Criollo98 ligero wrapper...

 

[blisscigarco]

My triple ligeros will be ready to sample on October first.
http://blisscigar.tumblr.com/post/147424740386/bliss-tripel-belga-fatty-robusto-and-angel-food

 

[Gdaddy]

One more criollo 98 ligero wrapper rolled out of my new 42 RG mold. Oddly enough in this size they seem to burn better and taste better. I've always been a 50 rg or bigger but now I'm lov'in this size cigar(thanks to Bliss) and they really seem to roll faster also and using less tobacco to boot!

This cigar is 5 days old and burned perfectly. A little rough looking since the ligero is thicker and lumpier but still an acceptable cigar. I like the contrast of the bright, light ash against the dark wrapper.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Forgot I had this one stuffed away in my long term aging cooler. Rolled 3/30/16. 1 corojo seco (WLT), 1 nica criollo viso (Willy), 1 Dom ligero (Jorge), Ecuadorian binder (Willy), and San Andrés wrapper (LO). In the first third there is lots of cream, some toasted nuts, a malt sweetness, and cocoa with a slight pepper on the retro

Going into the second third the flavors are remaining constant but the spice on the retro increases some which I enjoy.

Going into the final third the creaminess and toasted nuts have faded but the rest has remained constant. The spice has steadily increased but nowhere near overwhelming. I'm gonna have to roll quite a few more of these.

 

[greenmonster714]

After hearing @Gdaddy talk about straight ligero blends I rolled a batch with what I had on hand. These were rolled 7/01 and finally passed the two month mark so I had to test them out. This blend was one leaf criollo ligero (WLT), one leaf Piloto Cubano ligero (WLT), and 1/2 leaf Jorge Dominican ligero, bound in Ecuadorian habano seco (LO), and wrapped in Brazilian Mata Fina (LO). I had no idea what to expect, but I did expect some burn issues. What I experienced was a full flavored, complex smoke that was almost chewy. It started out with a strong syrup type sweetness, lots of cedar/wood, and an earthiness that was very pleasant to me. After the first third the sweetness faded some and there was a baking spice present. Towards the end there was a creamy leather flavor that was unique and also hints of vanilla and some nuttiness. This blend is an absolute keeper and I will be rolling much more of these.

The burn line on this was razor sharp start to finish and the ash fell in solid chunks at each third. To say I'm happy with this blend and how it turned out is an understatement.

You made my mouth water reading this. Sounds like you've rolled a winner.

Sent from my SM-J100VPP using Tapatalk

 

[BrewinHooligan]

You made my mouth water reading this. Sounds like you've rolled a winner.

Sent from my SM-J100VPP using Tapatalk

Out of over 50 different filler combos and about 8 different wrappers I have found about 8 blends that are keepers and 3-4 that I consider outstanding and always try to have on hand. As you can see there have been more misses than hits, but even the misses are more enjoyable to me than most cheap commercial sticks

 

[nic]

My first cigar from a package of homerolls that @Spenny sent me.

2 criticisms:

• The wrapper was on upside down. I have also been guilty of this with shade wrappers. It seems once they get to proper case, it can be easy to loose the vein. The more you work with it, the better you'll get identifying the proper side.
• The cap wasn't great. Specifically the 2nd, flag cap wasn't glued well, and came off within a few minutes of smoking. The wrapper started to unravel about 25 mins into the smoke, but the cigar was nearly finished at that point, so it didn't really matter. Caps are tough, keep rolling, you'll get it.

Otherwise, this was a solid smoke. Very much on the mild side of flavor and strength. Hay, grass, and sweet tobacco where the constant flavors. It had a very easy draw, but the bunch was over all pretty good. There was 1 soft spot about a half inch from the cap, but it didn't hurt the burn or draw. It didn't change all that much during the smoke, but being so small I didn't expect it too.

@Spenny - keep rolling. For a little as you roll, this was a very solid smoke. I wasn't rolling this well at that point.

 

[webmost]

Filled my box of 39 Sonoros, with 9 extras for me to burn while waiting for the box to age. Looking for the next stashworthy blend to fill the next box. I've got loads of criollo and corojo on hand, all three primings. This morning I began the tedious process of coming up with a blend using these six leaves. Usually takes a whole lot of stabs in the dark, wasted stickage, false starts, snuffed gars, rewraps, all that stuff.

Not this time. Whipped up a quickie parejo: Half leaf Corojo ligero, one leaf Corojo seco, one Criollo seco, Ecuador Habano seco shade binder, Nic wrapper. Boom. Ay que rico coño . Sweet robust nutmeg Corojo, cocoa & cedar Criollo, summa my fave Habano, with a spicy bite of Nicaragua on the tongue. The aroma of this combo is ambrosial. The only down side I can think of is it kicked my azz. Breakfasted at 4:30 in the morning; smoked this about one in the afternoon. Not the cigar you want to smoke on an empty stomach. This is mostly my fault, cause it being a quickie, I did not trim the inner thick veined parts off either binder or wrapper. Gonna try a more polished construction tomorrow.

Even a blind squirrel...

 

[webmost]

A terrific morning mouth, too, sweet nutmeg, malt, and cedar. The whole experience reminds me so much of Ave Maria, a medium body just bursting with flavor.

 

[TheReMixologist]

Winding down my blending for the year... one month to go! Whoot Whoot! 64 solid blends with most of them driving me crazy to capture. In the end... the only thing that mattered was that they were desired and enjoyed... people found moments of peace and down shifted their soul in a ReMix Moment... they were in "a happy place". For me... that's the aim when blending. December is 'wish list month' where my tasting members get to request their blend of the month for the year ending holidays. Then in January the 64 List rolls out again. This was my first public year and I'm proud of the roll out. I will say... it's not easy for a female roller... and definitely not for a bbw roller... we are expected to know how to put a wrapper and a cap on a stick... we are not expected to know how to blend... when it comes to blending we get the side eye... truth is... as a mother of five children I cooked thousands upon thousands of meals for my children over 25 years, acquiring a foodie palate so that I could expose my children to tastes from around the world. Now, many women do not cook... or cook well... I believe if you cook well... you can blend even better. Understanding the compliments of flavors and the palate pleasure principles... these things make one a great blender. Of my 64 blends in 11 months... I've tasted every leaf in a single leaf burn ... once I've established the leaf profile (which can vary by the batch slightly) I determine the blend compatibility ... bunch it according to desired notes in transition... then modify that blend for desired strength. I'm sure this is the classic prep for most of us blenders. As a woman... we deliver our final product the way we would any other intimate indulgence... sensually and with great anticipation for the moment when the consumer connects and becomes one with the cigar... immersed in the tranquility and comfort of the warm toasted leaf barreling up the core of their cigar's body as a cloud of melodic air releases blankets of harmonizing notes that tune the tongue... swirling around the recesses of their air way captivatingly suspended for the harvest of one blissful exhale ... woooooooossssahhhhhh! I blend... I bunch... I roll ... for this measure of pleasure... repeatum. Enjoy your Sunday morning ~xox

 

[Gdaddy]

Wow!! I have to write this down somewhere.

As a woman... we deliver our final product the way we would any other intimate indulgence... sensually and with great anticipation for the moment when the consumer connects and becomes one with the cigar... immersed in the tranquility and comfort of the warm toasted leaf barreling up the core of their cigar's body as a cloud of melodic air releases blankets of harmonizing notes that tune the tongue... swirling around the recesses of their air way captivatingly suspended for the harvest of one blissful exhale ... woooooooossssahhhhhh! I blend... I bunch... I roll ... for this measure of pleasure... repeatum.

 

[TheReMixologist]

Wow!! I have to write this down somewhere.

Thank you kindly~xox

 

[webmost]

I scored some Dominican volado (piloto) from LT. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Anyone here gotten good mileage out of this? What did you blend/bind/wrap it with?

 

[Gdaddy]

The volado has little flavor and is used for better burn (combustion). I've used it for binder and some as filler but I always keep it around the outer edge of the cigar. I now select leaves from my regular Dominican. Seems to work just as well.

 

[TheReMixologist]

The volado has little flavor and is used for better burn (combustion). I've used it for binder and some as filler but I always keep it around the outer edge of the cigar. I now select leaves from my regular Dominican. Seems to work just as well.

You are exactly right although... I think it does add a lil something to the flavor that is like a gentle touch of silk to the tongue... in a nutty kinda way