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Wrapper Shine

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webmost

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I've finally gotten to where I can roll and wrap a WebMost Uppowoc perfecto tight, smooth, and shapely. What I can't seem to do is make it shine.

I like the oily sheen that a fine premium cigar will often have. Makes the cigar aromatic when you unwrap it, makes the wrapper flavorful under your tongue, and makes a delightful stinkfinger you can sniff all night long. Don's Habano leaf comes in with shiny oils on it, just like that. But by the time I wet it enough to make it lay out on the board, the darn stuff has lost its sheen.

Any tips how to stretch out this delicate leaf and still have it shine after you wrap?
 

Jitterbugdude

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I am not too sure but I think the shine comes from the oil content in the wrapper. Wrappers, being grown in shade are always going to be lower in oil content than sun grown wrappers. The only think I can think of is maybe a light coat of glycerine, or use an oily wrapper. My shade grown Florida Sumatra has a nice sheen to it as well as my Vuelta Abajo.
 

deluxestogie

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Interesting question. "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't."

The light effect that we perceive as "shine" results from a narrowing of the bright area of reflection. Rough surfaces diffuse the reflection. I agree with JBD that surface oil, which smooths the surface imperfections, determines a cigar's shine. So, oilier wrapper shines more. A smoother roll shines more. Also, after wetting and rolling, a rest period allows the surface oils to redistribute more evenly. Using paper to assist in rolling removes some of the oil.

Bob
 

MarcL

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You might find that the head of your smokes will tend to have a sheen to them, where the rest might not. like some of mine. It's because we pull the wrapper around the contour of the head a little extra. I do remember hearing the stretch gives it sheen somewhere. I think type of wrapper makes a difference. Try the lift, tug and roll thing to get an extra little stretch.
 

DGBAMA

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A few days in the kiln maybe would leach the oils back to the surface of the leaf?
 

CT Tobaccoman

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All I know is that toothy wrappers have less shine, in general. Some CT Shade shines nice, some not, but there is little tooth. Something like Nicaraguan Corojo or Conn and PA Broadleaf are maybe too toothy to shine.

BTW, for those who might not know, "tooth" is the tiny bumps on the wrapper that you can feel with a sensitive finger. In the ash, tooth appears as little dark dots. Tooth is neither good or bad, it just is or is not.

Definitely, oils are a factor. There will be more oils in upper primings.

Charley
 

CT Tobaccoman

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I find, rank amateur roller that I am, that I often wet the wrapper leaf too much, which dries it out more as a result, and maybe ruins the shine. I can't get any wrappers to shine--but I am just starting to try to roll
 

FmGrowit

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For a wrapper to have a shine, it must first possess the oils in the leaf. My experience is shade grown wrappers don't have any shine at all. Typically a thicker sun grown wrapper like a Maduro, Criollo or Corojo wrapper are sufficiently mature to develop oil in the leaf.

As far as wetting too much...I've had a genuine Cuban torcedor in my shop who sprayed a wrapper until it was literally dripping wet. He immediately wrapped a pressed cigar and lit it. Literally, within one minute, the leaf was dripping wet to burning.
 

CT Tobaccoman

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For a wrapper to have a shine, it must first possess the oils in the leaf. My experience is shade grown wrappers don't have any shine at all. Typically a thicker sun grown wrapper like a Maduro, Criollo or Corojo wrapper are sufficiently mature to develop oil in the leaf.

As far as wetting too much...I've had a genuine Cuban torcedor in my shop who sprayed a wrapper until it was literally dripping wet. He immediately wrapped a pressed cigar and lit it. Literally, within one minute, the leaf was dripping wet to burning.

That's funny. I guess it isn't the wetness that is the problem then.

There are cigars wrapped in Conn shade that shine nice, and others that look more like a brown paper bag. It must certainly be mostly about the oils, and I guess that can be affected by the position of the leaf on the plant and on how well the tobacco is stored.

I have Conn leaf from 2004 packed in boxes which have simply been at indoor room temperature for years. I am afraid to even touch the boxes--the tobacco must be so dry and brittle. Sometime, I'll try to bring it back to life--but that is one way NOT to store tobacco. The fact that it is aged means nothing at all if it is dry as dust.
 

Knucklehead

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That's funny. I guess it isn't the wetness that is the problem then.

There are cigars wrapped in Conn shade that shine nice, and others that look more like a brown paper bag. It must certainly be mostly about the oils, and I guess that can be affected by the position of the leaf on the plant and on how well the tobacco is stored.

I have Conn leaf from 2004 packed in boxes which have simply been at indoor room temperature for years. I am afraid to even touch the boxes--the tobacco must be so dry and brittle. Sometime, I'll try to bring it back to life--but that is one way NOT to store tobacco. The fact that it is aged means nothing at all if it is dry as dust.

I think tobacco stops the aging process once the moisture is all gone. Rehydrate and the aging begins again. Guys is this correct or am I misremembering again?
 

deluxestogie

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I think tobacco stops the aging process once the moisture is all gone. Rehydrate and the aging begins again. Guys is this correct or am I misremembering again?
As long as the tobacco has not reached 149ºF, it will resume aging when there is moisture.

Mist the top layer of the box, then remove all the flexible leaf the next day. Repeat and repackage.

A guy.
 

Ben Brand

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I think it`s got alot to do with the variety as well. Iv`e got Pen Red wrappers that don`t have a shine, and Con b leaf that shines nicely, both sun grown, same fertilizers, fermented the same.
Must say the shiny wrappers does look better.
Ben
 
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