Pics of your Sticks II

[deluxestogie]

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

I brought a leaf of flue-cured VA Bright Leaf into high case, planning to use it to tie a hand. Well, the bone-dry stem just would not rehydrate. So I bagged the remainder of the leaf. But this left me with a floppy-damp yellow leaf, with nowhere to go.

Never being one to blindly follow convention, I used it as a wrapper for a bright yellow cigar. The filler is a heavy blend of dark, home-grown leaf. Double binder is Besuki.

As you can see at the foot, I was a bit too timid in clipping it. Another 1/4" would have removed the small void. The double binder allows me to roll a drawable cigar that is hard as a rock.

It lit easily and fully. The robust filler kept the smoke rich and alkaline, while the flue-cured wrapper added a slightly acidic twang to the taste, but zero flavor. Since flue-cured leaf is very hygroscopic, the head became a bit soggy, before I could smoke this delicious eye-catcher down to a nub.

Bob

EDIT: I should add that the wrapper edges were not trimmed in any way. It's so pliable and stretchy that it creates a seamless wrap.

 

[Gdaddy]

Nice Bob and great description. I've never seen anything quite like that.

 

[webmost]

Make six or eight of 'em, set 'em on end, and you can direct traffic round a pothole.

 

[charlie G.]

Bob you could name it Old Yeller. I to like the colorful descriptions and details you guys post. If you don't realize it it helps us newbies.
I'm going to forgo the cigar mold carving and concentrate on improving my rolling skills this weekend.
The 2 I have rolled and smoked to date have had good drawls and burnt even. I see that as a plus. Only thing was 1 of them needed a relight 2/3rds thru it.
Also I like the flavor profile of them, not to strong or to mild. I would like to find a recipe that adds a little more coffee hints to it.

Do any of you guys roll small test sticks of a single leaf variaty to test the taste of them ? I might do that with what leaves I have in this kit.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Do any of you guys roll small test sticks of a single leaf variaty to test the taste of them ? I might do that with what leaves I have in this kit.

Yes........and often. The surprise though often comes with the paring of two leaves.

Bob, I like your Yellow Bumble Bee!

 

[DGBAMA]

Nice Bob, I have a couple rolled with wlt lemon flue cure wrappers that I have not tried yet.

 

[deluxestogie]

I just rolled a small barber pole, using a dark, FL Sumatra tip leaf as the primary wrapper, and the remaining strip of VA Bright as the underlay highlight. It looks crappy, so I didn't bother with a photo. But with the FL Sumatra joining-in on the taste, it smokes more like a traditional cigar. I just barely notice the VA Bright in the mix.

Bob

Well...I snagged this photo of it, mid-posting. Why not bare all?

The colors are a little more dramatic than what is revealed in the flash photo. I found it difficult to apply an equal stretch to both of the wrappers, since they are applied simultaneously, so the FL Sumatra is not stretched enough. Despite the double binder and doubled wrapper, the outer FL Sumatra burns nicely. The VA Bright stripe tends to char first, but does burn completely.

I have no idea how the professional rollers of such novelty cigars align the two layers, since the underlay is on top while rolling, and completely obscures the edge of the outer wrapper.

 

[FmGrowit]

I have no idea how the professional rollers of such novelty cigars align the two layers, since the underlay is on top while rolling, and completely obscures the edge of the outer wrapper.

You stack the wrapper leaves before you cut them to size. Then a slight shift of one leaf up to reveal the contrasting leaf. Then you roll both wrappers at the same time.

 

[DGBAMA]

You stack the wrapper leaves before you cut them to size. Then a slight shift of one leaf up to reveal the contrasting leaf. Then you roll both wrappers at the same time.

Challenge time sir.... Show Us........ You clearly have the knowledge and we know you have the best baccy. You should have pics in this thread too.

 

[MarcL]

fairtradetobacco.com/threads Rolling-a-Barber-Pole-torpedo

 

[FmGrowit]

It's simple. Take two contrasting leaves. Prep them for wrapping. Put one on top of the other. Cut both at the same time to the desired shape for the cigar you're rolling. shift the top leaf up. If you move it up 1/8", you'll have a nice pin-stripe on the finished cigar. Move the top leaf up 1" and you'll get a barber pole.


You could have had it done already

 

[deluxestogie]

That is, in fact, how I made my barber pole. I stacked the two wrappers, trimmed them both with the same cut, then shifted the upper (the underlay) wrapper. The challenge is to apply the same stretch to both wrappers, without altering their positions with respect to one another. The thick, minimally stretchy FL Sumatra tip leaf is a totally different animal compared to the tissue-thin, ultra-stretchy VA Bright flue-cured leaf. Maybe the secret is to match the stretch qualities of the two wrapper leaves.

With only the benefit of being able to create a curiosity, I can't seem to muster the effort to get it right. I should probably just stick to my standard bazookas.

Bob

 

[DGBAMA]

Another "simple" solution......ofset the case of the wrapper leaves to equalize the amount of "stretch" each one has. That way they both roll the same.

"Simple" because the logic works but I damn sure could not do it.

 

[MarcL]

....... I should probably just stick to my standard bazookas.

Bob

 

[FmGrowit]

EL Monstruo
(single)

This massive 140+ Ring Gauge by 8.5 inch Bazuka is so enormous that we make it by special order ONLY in very limited quantities. This is an extremely rare size and there is nothing like it of this quality anywhere in the world. The gargantuan Monstruo is a great smoking cigar with an easy draw that produces a medium bodied smoke with an incredibly rich, warm and earthy flavor.
Price: $20.00

 

[rustycase]

ok, i gotta ask...

have you smoked one of those, Don?
rc

 

[FmGrowit]

Never even heard of them until Marc posted the pic. "140+ ring gauge"....nothing more than a gimmick.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Never even heard of them until Marc posted the pic. "140+ ring gauge"....nothing more than a gimmick.

Yes, and it's probably in a special humidified showcase?

I'm also looking forward to trying the Barber pole.......I have made Trumpeto shaped cigars that go 0 to 70 rg. before, tons of smoke. With that said, someone attempting smoking a 140 gauge would probably have the fire dept. showing up at their house, or a police citation for having a bonfire!

 

[deluxestogie]

Looking at those cigar bands, I finally see a use for legal-size sheets of paper.

A long time ago (1997), when returning by car from Grand Canyon to Virginia, I stopped by my brother's house in St. Louis. He offered me a Cuba Aliados "General" to smoke on the remainder of my drive (600 miles). It lasted for most of that trip, though avoiding bumping the interior rear view mirror was problematic. By the final third of the cigar, the wrapper was beginning to fall into tatters, but I persevered. I saved the single-cigar box.

Bob

 

[MarcL]

It seems you can still get those. Rolando Reyes made in addition to the Cuba Aliados General, the Puros Indios The Chief and, a Cienfuegos version. All 18 in. X 66. It's really the go to biggest long ash contest stick still.