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fundamental understanding of leaf designations

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ras_oscar

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Is there a source I can access to gain a better understanding of all the designations of cigar tobacco? I have a large number of terms floating around in my head ( Seco, volado, ligero, habano, crillo 98, corojo 99, Paraguay flojo, cremoso, profunda, etc) but its all jibberish to me at the moment.
 

Smokin Harley

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gavroche has the main one ...BUT it also depends on the variety of leaf youre talking about....if memory serves ...the criollo (or was is a corojo) plant has another leaf set or two involved....volado is the first prime above the mud lugs or sand leaves(junk?) then seco (think of it as "SECOnd")viso sits just above the seco, but below the ligero...and then theres corona which is the "crown" or top of the plant. clear as mud ,right? Primings consist of usually 3-4 leaves at a time. I used to try to grow 9 plants in any given varietal row so my primings would make a "hand" of 36 leaves of the same priming. Makes for decent handling from field to curing barn when strung on a wire. Habano , criollo and corojo, etc are the varieties. Natural , Maduro and Oscuro (among others)refer to color . cremoso and profundo are names of WLT blends. Keep a notebook for yourself to keep these things straight. In no time you'll be spouting cigar gibberish at the drop of a cut head prior to toasting the foot...amaze your friends. I used to call it my sudden moments of random otherwise useless information.
 

ras_oscar

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Ok, so let's pretend I'm really stupid. Lets pretend I'm also careless and leave my leaf lying around in the basement unwrapped. A gust of wind comes up and blows all the leaves into a big pile. Is it safe to say IN GENERAL that the darker leaves will be richer in flavor, harder to burn (due to their priming location near the top of the plant) and therefore should be placed in the center of the stick, and that the lighter colored leaves will be the thinnest (from their position at the bottom of the plant with less availability to sunlight) more combustible and should be used as binder or wrapper?
 

ras_oscar

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Another question: I'm shortly going to receive about 4 pounds of leaf tobacco. All the videos I have seen show the roller removing the stem as the tubes are bunched. Assuming at least come of my leaves are not frogs and have a central stem, is there any practical reason to not remove the stem on all the leaves immediately upon receipt?
 

MarcL

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Ok, so let's pretend I'm really stupid. Lets pretend I'm also careless and leave my leaf lying around in the basement unwrapped. A gust of wind comes up and blows all the leaves into a big pile. Is it safe to say IN GENERAL that the darker leaves will be richer in flavor, harder to burn (due to their priming location near the top of the plant) and therefore should be placed in the center of the stick, and that the lighter colored leaves will be the thinnest (from their position at the bottom of the plant with less availability to sunlight) more combustible and should be used as binder or wrapper?
Color will correlate to a degree. but, it is the body of the leaf that should get sorting classification.

Another question: I'm shortly going to receive about 4 pounds of leaf tobacco. All the videos I have seen show the roller removing the stem as the tubes are bunched. Assuming at least come of my leaves are not frogs and have a central stem, is there any practical reason to not remove the stem on all the leaves immediately upon receipt?

I don't think so. I don't do them all at once but, I will do it in advance to a degree.
 

Smokin Harley

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Ok, good question about the hypothetical leaf blowing into a mixed pile...how do you determine what to do with the unknown...ok heres my best $0.02 on that ... I go by leaf texture or how about I get that way down to laymans terms, thinness or thickness of the leaf. Generally ,I have found that the thicker the leaf is( like a leathery texture), the less it will burn , finer leaf (such as a Ct Shade or those frogged leaves) burns the best. Somewhere in the middle you get a forgivingly stretchy leaf that does burn well ,we like to call "wrapper ".This isn't always so ,but you get my drift.
If you still get a pile of leaf you have a hard time determining how to separate it back to usable or predictable entubados, set it aside and when you have a small pile (read as a baggie full), turn them into "Cuban sandwich ",which is a mixture of otherwise unrollable "scrap" that you put inside a few nicer and handleable outer leaves . Save your vapor proof bags , use like a lieberman and then wrap . These are usually a very unpredictable yet very tasty blend you can never duplicate if you had to. Have fun.
 

deluxestogie

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Here's my suggestion. Just sit back and relax. Roll a few cigars of whatever leaf strikes your fancy. Every variety (and every growing season) has different flavor and burn characteristics.

I often stalk-harvest a number of cigar varieties. Once it is color-cured, I strip the leaves from the stalks, and tie them into hands (one or two plants' worth per hand), all stalk levels mixed together. (That's not a problem, because I'm not selling graded leaf to a tobacco market.) After kilning the mixed leaf, I bag it as is. When time comes for rolling a cigar, I just pick around in the bag, and pull something out.

When I "blend" for a cigar, I select some intact leaf for a wrapper and/or binder. The filler is usually comprised of something thin, something large, something dark and full. I find no benefit in obsessing over specific recipes, or in trying to do it like factories do it. I don't care if two consecutive cigars have the same blend, same shape, same size, or same color wrapper. They're for me to smoke, not for selling to a jaded public. AND...I love my cigars.

Bob
 

ras_oscar

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I appreciate all of your contributions to my better understanding. My leaf came in the mail today. Also my Chaveta. It needs an edge which I will attend to this weekend. I would like to be able to (somewhat) predict what's going to come out of my efforts. I suspect my first attempts will likely be less than stellar. All your input will assist me in ensuring that I am better positioned to diagnose my problems and improve over (a relatively short?) time. I have also noticed since I have started research on rolling that I pay more attention to the commercial sticks I consume. Let the descent into madness begin :)
 

ras_oscar

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Is there a material I can use as a tobacco leaf analog to test the sharpness of my chaveta and hone my cutting skills/touch before putting real leaf in harm's way? I've seen videos of practice rolling using paper towels. Would a dry multi ply paper towel give me the same feel?
 

Gavroche

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You ask yourselves too many questions if you miss, a pair of scissors will take(bring) out you of the problem.


Vous vous posez trop de questions... si vous ratez, une paire de ciseaux vous sortira du problème.
 

deluxestogie

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Probably the thinnest vinyl you can find would be similar to some tobacco leaf. I would suggest just learning on the real thing.

Bob
 

ras_oscar

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like saran wrap?I'm still working on the chaveta edge. Tried it out on newspaper last night. Rocking motion refused to cut regardless of pressure. Sliding and heavy pressure produced a nice clean cut.
 

deluxestogie

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Wait for the leaf to arrive. Plan B would be to put a sharper edge on the chaveta, but that's not usually necessary. Sliding the blade on a thin wrapper leaf will likely tear it. A rocking motion, with only moderate pressure is ideal. Aged tobacco leaf cuts more easily than paper.

Once you play with it some, it will become a simple, intuitive process.

By the way, most of the everyday cigars that I roll don't even require the use of a chaveta. While learning to wrap a cigar, a wider wrapper leaf is much more forgiving (though with a less tidy final appearance) than a narrower strip of wrapper. When you have the basics down, then you can trim the wrapper strip to maybe 2" wide, and get a prettier result.

Pondering how to roll a cigar, having never tried, is like watching a video of how to ride a bicycle. The prospect is far more intimidating that the reality. You'll do fine. Your first cigars will likely be ugly, but that's the nature of learning. (You still have to post a photo of your ugly first cigar!) Your initial goal should be just making something that looks sort of like a cigar, and doesn't fall apart. Next, get a feel for rolling a cigar-like thing that draws reasonably well. Beauty is way, way down the list.

Bob
 

ras_oscar

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Finally got a reasonable edge on the blade. Moistened a pile of leaf a moment ago and sealed in a plastic bag. Will make my first attempt tomorrow.
 
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