Trying Blends

[dondford]

All those years I smoked store brought I played my cigars down in my cooler'dors for at least a year and I planned to do the same with my RYO,
's. My problem is, as a newbie I'd experminting with different blends to fine one or several right for. To test these blends I need to smoke them. I'm trying to give them 2-3 weeks but realize this isn't enough time for the cigar "marry" or even dry out in some cases. I'm smoking 2 1/2 wk cigar now that tunneling some I suspect because the binder is a little damp. It is problem because I need some tobacco and don't have the luxury of laying them down year or even a few months at this stage of testing. What to do??


s

 

[ArizonaDave]

Re: Trying Glenda

All those years I smoked store brought I played my cigars down in my cooler'dors for at least a year and I planned to do the same with my RYO,
's. My problem is, as a newbie I'd experminting with different blends to fine one or several right for. To test these blends I need to smoke them. I'm trying to give them 2-3 weeks but realize this isn't enough time for the cigar "marry" or even dry out in some cases. I'm smoking 2 1/2 wk cigar now that tunneling some I suspect because the binder is a little damp. It is problem because I need some tobacco and don't have the luxury of laying them down year or even a few months at this stage of testing. What to do??


s

Smoke away. Keep binder less damp. Save one or two from each bunch. All WLT Cigar tobacco has already been aged 4+ years. A couple of weeks in spanish cedar does wonders. Hope this helps?

 

[garryr]

Re: Trying Glenda

Well you could try here : http://wholeleaftobacco.com/ lot's of choice tobacco available.
Edited: I think me and Arizona Dave posted at the same time

 

[dondford]

Re: Trying Glenda

That should read Blends, I don't even know a Glenda!

 

[Gdaddy]

Re: Trying Glenda

That should read Blends, I don't even know a Glenda!

Sure.


Your filler should be VERY dry prior to rolling. It should be just above the level of cracking when it's rolled. It's important to learn this. You could experiment with one leaf and leave it out until it's too dry and cracks. Then you'll know what too dry is. Learn to feel it.

The Binder should be pliable but not wet and the wrapper can be pretty damp. The binder and wrapper will dry out in 4 or 5 days no problem.

Rolling cigars traps moisture inside the cigar and can cause mold to grow. Too wet also makes them taste like doody.

 

[webmost]

Re: Trying Glenda

http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewcigar.asp?prod=M-HYG11 <== here is a link to a front mount digital hygrometer. Twenty bucks.

http://www.coleman.com/product/24-c...lue/3000000433?contextCategory=8516#.VJ3_kDkA <== here is a link to a Coleman stackable 24 can cooler. It's a half-height sorta thing. Lid seals tight as a drum. Twenty bucks. Put these two together like so: Pop a hole in the lid with a hole saw, and stick the hygro in there:

So your whole package turns out like so:

Really, I wish I had two of these. I'd use one for the filler, and keep it a bit drier than this. Then another for the binder and wrapper.

But the idea is, now you have a completely stable and controllable environment for your leaf. My leaf storage is in another cooler, and overflow in a box full of sealed WLT sleeves. This is just for the working supply. One sleeve of binder, one of wrapper, a couple with various filler, all depending what I'm doing. Keeps the humidibity dead spot on. I'm rolling habano wrapper scraps for filler right now, so the RH is a bit high, cause the wrapper, such as that on top of the lid, goes in pretty wet. I'll leave the lid off for an hour or two this evening and that'll bring it back down around 72. If things seem dry, you can spritz inside a bit and pop the lid on. But I'm telling you it's amazing how you can inspect this hygro from the outside day after day and it never changes inside.

Course, you do want to do a salt calibration on the thing when you first get it. There's a dial to tune it in.