I recently purchased 8 bags of tobacco. I have rolled and smoked some cigars from blends of these leaves, but until now neglected to sample each leaf alone. Recently I dug out some Zig-zags, rolled eight small cigarettes and smoked the individual tobaccos. Here's what I tasted. All leaves are from LO, purchased in October and November 2020.
Candela wrapper - Grain like Ralston hot cereal, or maybe cooked bulgur. Mild, no spice. Not intrusive. As a wrapper, will let flavors from the filler and binder show through. I've read other posts saying that candela wrappers taste like grass, but that's not what I tasted. Grain, not grass. Very pleasant to my pallet.
San Andreas wrapper - Starts sweet, followed by medium chocolate. Slight spice, black pepper. Not super complex, but not one dimensional either. Comfortable. Better than I expected, frankly.
Nicaragua binder - Super mild blah flavor, maybe some milk chocolate, then a moderate-plus hit of spice that I didn't see coming. I like mild smoke, but for me the flavor of this leaf just isn't sufficiently interesting. I'm glad I have it though. Structurally it is a nice leaf and makes a good binder for me because it resists tearing and as a roller I'm still steep on the learning curve. However, I'll think twice about using the cutoff scraps as filler.
Indonesian Sumatra seco filler - Mushrooms, then milk chocolate followed by earthy compost. No spice. A super thin, tear prone leaf, otherwise I'd try it as a binder. Unique flavors to my liking...nicer than expected.
Honduras viso filler - Milk chocolate and that's about it. One dimensional. Like the Nic binder without spice. Disappointing to me, but your mileage may vary.
Honduras seco filler - Milk chocolate followed by English walnut, then cranberry. Way more complex and interesting than the Honduras viso. Very slight spice. Nice, especially if you like discovering nuts and fruits in your smoke.
Nicaragua Jalapa ligero filler - Dark chocolate. Moderate spice. Glad I got it so I can blend in a little spice with my other mild tobaccos.
Dominican Piloto seco - Mushroom, then orange peel, if you can believe that. Moderate-plus on my spice scale. I really like this leaf a lot and look forward to blending it with the Honduras seco and Indonesian Sumatra seco. Physically the leaf is in good shape and I've used some of the most intact leaves as a binder.
I've had some training as a coffee taster, but I don't claim to know what I'm talking about when it comes to tobacco, so take these reviews with a grain of salt. I'd be interested in hearing what you taste in your tobaccos.
