Pics of your sticks!! 2025

[The Haroo ln]

Here is my 2nd ever homemade stogie from home grown tobacco. This is a piloto puro. 2 leaves seco, 1 leaf viso, 1 smallish leaf of ligero, 1 viso binder and 1 seco wrapper. Rolled 2 days ago, rested in the humidor for those 2 days and smoked today before work. Not sure on the sizes as im still learning how to roll properly, but my guess and experience would say its approx 5 inch by approx 46-48 ring gauge. Lovely sweetish smoke. Started off quite mellow and mild before turning up to a medium body around half way through the smoke and staying at a medium plus the rest of the way. The tobacco could definitely do with some extra rest/slow fermentation for a few months outside of the fermentation fridge!

 

[deluxestogie]

Bob

 

[adamziegler]

 

[deluxestogie]

Just before going to bed last night, I hastily rolled this plump cigar. No beauty contest here. The aroma of this wonderful wrapper does not shout the unmistakable "CT Shade" smell. The leaf is now 19 years old, and has mellowed into one of the nicest wrapper aromas I can recall. On the downside, the leaves in this batch are smaller than is typical for CT Shade, and some of them are a bit battered from my handling.

If I were a more patient torcedor, I would have waited for the wrapper to hydrate just a bit more, in order to stretch it perfectly smooth (without tearing it).

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Three Little Dutch leaves from 2021. A traditional "stogie" (circa the year 1800) was a long, thin, hastily rolled smoke.

Bob

 

[The Haroo ln]

Another one of my homemade sticks. I believe this is corojo 99 and criollo 98. Can't exactly remember proportions and blend. Been in the humidor for around 1 week. Decided to smoke this today morning right after i finished work. My tobacco grown here in the UK tastes quite sweet for some reason. Not that im complaining but for havana strains its not very cubanesque. Might have something to do with the fact that i grew on very dark soil. I might try lighter soil next year with sand mixed in. It might give me a more traditional old skool cuban taste. Or i might need to age it for a year or so more

 

[MadFarmer]

Another one of my homemade sticks. I believe this is corojo 99 and criollo 98. Can't exactly remember proportions and blend. Been in the humidor for around 1 week. Decided to smoke this today morning right after i finished work. My tobacco grown here in the UK tastes quite sweet for some reason. Not that im complaining but for havana strains its not very cubanesque. Might have something to do with the fact that i grew on very dark soil. I might try lighter soil next year with sand mixed in. It might give me a more traditional old skool cuban taste. Or i might need to age it for a year or so more

My later grows are much less sweet and mild than my first two years. I think it's because I'm more patient in letting the leaves ripen rather than following the calendar.

 

[MadFarmer]

2024 Little Dutch packs more wollop than 2020 Little Dutch.

 

[The Haroo ln]

Here are a few more tries at different ring gauges from my homegrown tobacco. They're currently resting in the humidor for a few weeks before i smoke them. If i had to guess the ring gauges i woul say between 50-58/60. Rolled 1 cigarillo too.

 

[green_bean]

Sunday was the day to roll a trio and a runt. Had gotten a kit from WLT and these are my first foray with it. It was certainly a challenge and a lot of fun. Now the wait.

 

[FrostD]

2025 has been an interesting year on my end. Some good, some bad… but no matter what, been rolling with the punches. That’s all we can do, right? Been trying to pop on here and there as I can, but have been staying pretty busy with things. Blending, prepping, rolling, tweaking things, and just immersing myself in the process of everything has always brought me into a much better mindset. Something about working with your hands, getting dirty & trying new things is therapy in and of itself!

Had to check what I last posted up here, but have knocked out some more blends and sticks since then. Some pics of the work: