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A Little Bit of Cuba Comes to Virginia

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deluxestogie

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I had to sign for a registered parcel from the postman today. It was from rainmax, in Slovenia.

Garden20170309_2469_PartagasCulebra1_500.jpg


Garden20170309_2470_PartagasCulebra2_500.jpg


Garden20170309_2471_PartagasCulebra3_500.jpg


Garden20170309_2473_PartagasCulebra4_500.jpg


Garden20170309_2474_PartagasCulebra5_500.jpg


Garden20170309_2475_PartagasCulebra6_500.jpg


But wait! There's more!

Enclosed in double bags was a generous sample of leaf. On the hunch that it might be Corojo leaf, I set up a visual comparison of 3 leaves from Cuba (light, medium and dark), alongside 3 similarly colored leaves from my 2016 grow of Corojo 99 (Robaina).

Garden20170309_2477_CubanLeafCompare_500.jpg


As you can see, the general appearance is quite similar. What puzzles me is the dramatic difference in size. The vein angle is similar, and the texture is similar. I usually expect the lightest colored leaf to be noticeably larger than the darkest leaf from the same plant. This is true of their width. These Cuban leaves likely were sorted by size, prior to being sold. I suppose they could be a different variety, even though the vendor stated that they were Corojo.

Garden20170309_2478_CubanLeafCompare_back_500.jpg


The underside reveals that the veins are much less prominent in the Cuban leaves. And the Cuban leaves, all of them, are thinner than my Corojo 99 leaf.

I can't really say what variety they are, although the bag aroma is similar to my Corojo 99. What to do?

Without a moment spent pondering, I hastily rolled a small cigar of all 3 leaves shown, using a half of the lightest colored leaf as a wrapper--no binder. No attention to detail either. It was not planned for a photo op. But then, of course, I had to snap a photo.

Garden20170309_2479_cigar_CubanLeaf_500.jpg


So, how does it smoke? First of all, it distinctly reminds me of some Cuban Flor de Farrach cigars that I smoked maybe 15 or more years ago. Very dry (that is to say, not at all sweet). The taste is initially smooth, but ramps up fairly quickly to a potent little stick. The aroma is clean and slightly woody. It burns perfectly, to a very light gray ash, free of tooth. The finish is intense, like most Cuban cigars.

It does not suggest any commercially available leaf from other Caribbean or Central American countries. I would bet that it is genuinely Cuban leaf. I can't say what variety it is.

As for the small leaf size, maybe the Cuban growers should join the forum. Actually, it may be sucker leaf, in which case, it's the best damn sucker leaf I've ever smoked.

Thank you Maks. The culebras now pose a dilemma as to how long I should keep them safely tucked away in my humidor for a "special" occasion.

Bob
 

Charly

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What a beautifull gift ! Very generous present from Max !
Thank you Bob for sharing these photos and observations :)
 

rainmax

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Thanks for nice rewiev.
I forget to mention that three diferent leaves are filer (frog eye), binder (1/4 vein removed) and bigest wrapper (whole vein).
Smaler leaf is common in Cuba cause they grow sun tobacco 1 foot apart.
 

deluxestogie

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...bigest wrapper (whole vein).
Smaller leaf is common in Cuba cause they grow sun tobacco 1 foot apart.
I forgot to mention (or photograph) the wrapper. I haven't used that yet. Knowing that they grow the plants so close together certainly explains the discrepancy in size and thickness of the lamina, as well as their finer veins. Mine were sun-grown at about 21" spacing in all directions.

I promise to roll a nice one (maybe two, using your beautiful mold) with the Cuban wrapper--and with less ligero. It will be a glamour shot.

Bob
 

webmost

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I signed for a bag of Slovenian Sotweed this morning too. Have to give it a quick try over the weekend. Max thanks Maks.
 

DIY Pete

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Don't save them smokes for a special occasion. Fire one of 'em up. Make smoking it the occasion. I always smoke the best stuff first, I would hate to get hit by a bus and lay there thinking I wish I had tried ______.

Pete
 

webmost

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SlovenianSotweedQuickie.jpg


My package contained a larger bag with leaf which looks like filler, and then a smaller bag with delicate leaf prepared as wrapper. This ^^^ is a quickie filled and bound in that filler, then wrapped in that delicate wrapper. Ready to spark this up tonight, soon as we get the hearth drawing.Smells great. The unlit draw tastes of coffee and nuts, while the wrapper has some leather, and a couple things I haven't identified yet. Lookin forward to it.
 

Charly

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Don't save them smokes for a special occasion. Fire one of 'em up. Make smoking it the occasion. I always smoke the best stuff first, I would hate to get hit by a bus and lay there thinking I wish I had tried ______.

Pete

I agree : good tobacco becomes the special occasion, my very best smokes has been for no special occasion.
I may add : the cigars/pipes I smoked to celebrate something else has seldom been as good as I wanted them to be !

Smoke it when you are in the right mood ;)
 

webmost

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Handsome stick.

Bob


Nah, just a quickie, Bob.
But I might get into more quick unmolded quickies, after doing that beginner vid.

This thing smoked creamy, dry, & nuts. A bit strong if you hit it hard. Needs a gentle touch, with lots of rest in the ashtray groove. I went two hours and still had plenty left. Prolly do better mixing this filler with something more bland, cause I have a timid palate. But I gotta say, the combo of dry and creamy with leather makes this one fine stick. That delicate wrapper leaf retained p[lenty of flavor to the end. A straight burning leaf with lots of strength considering how diaphanous it is.
 

deluxestogie

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Two slowbies, using Cuban Corojo filler, binder and actual wrapper. Glue, cigar mold, triple caps and all.

Garden20170312_2484_cigars_CubanCorojo_600.jpg


Considering my marginal skill at making truly pretty cigars, all the extra effort seems questionable. They are clearly more presentable than my quickie, shown previously. But then, I just don't "present" cigars all that often. I just immediately burn them. So these quasi-beauties will have to be sent to my two cigar-puffing brothers.

The genuinely fun part is that they are Cuban puros--a rare bird in these parts. (I've posed them with official apparati, to evoke an industrial aura.)

Thank you again, Maks.

Bob
 

rainmax

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You are welcome, Bob. This green spots on a cigars show that are truly cubans.
I see profesional cutter and obvious progress in rolling skills with such a devices.
Soon you will only roll with cigar mold.

Webmost congrats on movie. I will watch it...
 

deluxestogie

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I blame it on the mold. Once I make a cigar using glue, I end up having to give it away. Two of my three (genetic) brothers are cigar smokers. The two lucky ones each have a small package on its way in the mail, containing one of the glued cigars I rolled out of Havana tobacco (from rainmax), and 1/3 of the gorgeous culebra (also from rainmax).

Those two red ribbons holding the culebras together were just tightly tucked, rather than knotted. I included one little ribbon along with each of the gift culebras, since I got to keep the Partagas band, the stunning box, and the remaining little crooked cigar.

Bob
 
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