Candela Wrapper

[deluxestogie]

True. It will be a close call for a 9" cigar.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

I made a dozen last year on a whim after a thunderstorm snapped off one of my plants at the base midway through the season. I simply laid them flat across some cooling racks stacked in my gas grill. I lit the burner on the far side on the lowest setting, and placed the racks on the other side. After an hour they were completely dry but still bright green. I had to be super careful as mentioned below if you touch them they will crumble. I simply misted them with water and let them re-hydrate overnight. As they were immature leaves and very thin I double wrapped them over some stronger cigar blends, so didn't notice any grassy flavors. Beautiful green color though.

 

[MarcL]

@FmGrowit I notice that the Candela wrapper is not listed in wholeleaftobacco.com/cat/cigar-tobaccos/cigar-wrapper-binder page today somehow.

 

[FmGrowit]

@FmGrowit I notice that the Candela wrapper is not listed in wholeleaftobacco.com/cat/cigar-tobaccos/cigar-wrapper-binder page today somehow.

That is correct. I got a bale in a couple of weeks ago and it was shipped very dry, so it turned into scrap on it's way over from the DR.

 

[MarcL]

I'm sory to hear that. I hope it's not all lost.

 

[GreenDragon]

That must have been heart breaking when you opened the crate!

 

[FrostD]

With St. Patricks Day around the corner, does this leaf (Candela) typically become available out there?

 

[Chumco]

I am going to resurrect this thread. I am not really a cigar smoker, maybe a couple per year, but I do like the candelas I've tried. I like the lighter flavor of the smoke. My favourite were a couple Camacho candelas... I learned they had last made them in 2017, I think, so they were sitting in the shop humidor for about 5 years. I also liked the Espinosa Wasabi, though I found it to be too spicy for my tastes.

I don't know much about anything, but in addition to a vegetal flavor (it tastes more like the weeds you weedwhack on the side of your house than grass to me) I would get almost vanilla or honey notes. Maybe that was a casing, but my impression is that the difference between a candela wrapper and a regular cigar is the same kind of difference between green tea and black tea.

All of that to say that I think candela wrappers definitely have their place and there is some method to make them taste good, but I think the comparison to the "real" cigar experience hurts their rep. Like it was mentioned, back in the day they were super popular in the US.

TL;DR don't be mean to candelas and give them a chance because they deserve love, too.

 

[deluxestogie]

Buy a 6-pack of A&C Grenadiers in "natural" wrapper, and a 6-pack in candela. The Grenadiers are reasonably smokable, machine-made cigars. They are often sold at gas stations and in drug stores. You can directly compare the same blend with and without candela. Like most products that sell only in decreasing, low volume, the options for premium quality candela-wrapped cigars are shrinking.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

At the moment, a Dutch auction at JR Cigars is offering a box of 25 JR Ultimate corona, candela-wrapped cigars at only about $2.75 per stick. There are 20 boxes on offer, so just about any bid for a box is likely to win.

https://auctions.jrcigars.com/auction/jr-ultimate-corona/63ff974164ffb6798dc137b6

These are among the best candela cigars you are likely to find anywhere today.

Bob

 

[johnny108]

I wonder if the beerique process would make green leaf milder, and more suitable for candela?
Anyone got any flash dried green leaf, yeast, and brown sugar on their hands?