Pics of your sticks!!

[drinkthekoolaid]

There is no barnyard in legit Cubans Most cubans sold worldwide are counterfeit, especially in the Americas. The genuine articles are sublime.

Legit? Are you speaking in regards to Behike/Cohiba?
Im not counting them as I am sure the ones I have had are knock offs. Full disclosure Im a cigarette smoker and my palette is poor. So it might be in my head. The below are Cubans I have had that are not knock offs. You can see some of them on my Instagram page - Link in bio.

Partagas No. 4 = barnyard/grass/hay lite on Nic
Bolivia No. 1 = barnnyard/grass/ stronger Nic
Forsenca = barnyard/hay lite Nic

 

[tullius]

If you're picking up barnyard in a cuban, it's counterfeit. If you acquired it or are smoking it in the Americas, it's most likely counterfeit. I would put the percentage of counterfeits in North america at higher than 95%. The ones in your insta page look 100% fake, but it also looks like you're using a filter. You can tell by the color of the wrapper.

 

[deluxestogie]

If you're picking up barnyard in a cuban, it's counterfeit.

! TILT !

Bob

 

[Charly]

Well... In France, we are lucky to have the "official cuban cigars". During last years, I smoked a few different cuban cigars, some were mild, some were strong, some were sweet, some smelled barnyard-ish, some horse barne-ish (good), some earthy, some woody, some cedarish, some coffeeish, some caramel-ish, some were complex, some were simple, some were "Special Edition" or "Regional Edition", some were classic, some were too "green" (young), some were old, some were cheap, some were not cheap... and (of course) some of them were impossible to burn because of a bad contruction (too tight, no air flow).
Some of them were amoung the very best cigars I have ever had (rare), a lot of them were just "ok".
I did not smoke every available cuban cigar, but I smoked a few different one (when I was still buying commercial cigars)
Something I can say is that most of them had a little something that was distinctly "cuban" (a similitude in the taste, hard to describe, I would say "creamyness") that I hardly find in other countries. It could have something to do with the cuban "terroir".
I have smoked more cuban cigars than any other county, the first reason for this is that they are/were easier to find (in France) compared to cigars from Nicaragua/Dominican Republic/Honduras...

 

[waikikigun]

Legit? Are you speaking in regards to Behike/Cohiba?
Im not counting them as I am sure the ones I have had are knock offs. Full disclosure Im a cigarette smoker and my palette is poor. So it might be in my head. The below are Cubans I have had that are not knock offs. You can see some of them on my Instagram page - Link in bio.

Partagas No. 4 = barnyard/grass/hay lite on Nic
Bolivia No. 1 = barnnyard/grass/ stronger Nic
Forsenca = barnyard/hay lite Nic

Yep, our taste buds are way different. The Serie D No 4 is one of my regular smokes--along with Monte Nos 2 and 4, Cohiba petit corona, and and H.Upmann Magnum 46--and I've never got any of those flavors. I get a unique spicy peppery sweet custard sort of deal.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I usually don't smoke Cubans, but i am in Canada and frequent a very reputable tobacconist. If we're talking barnyard in the sense of, like poorly cured homegrown, I would say absolute no, but if we're talking barnyard in the sense of naturally fermented wine, I would tend to agree. There seems to be different fermentation flavours that I could see using agrarian metaphors to describe. In the end, unless if it's a trained sommelier talking, this discussion is semantics. My Bolivar should taste the same as your Bolivar.

One of my favorite non-cubans is the CAO Pilón, and I might throw that term in there. But that's just me.

 

[drinkthekoolaid]

Joining this site has made me realise I didnt know jack about Tobbaco. But I am learning and I thank you ALL. Bob is like the rain man of the leaf. Once I had a few home rolls from memebers here really opened up my taster. It's a whole new world of flavor. I even enjoy a little tougne bite in my Cigar, strange I know. Again thank you guys.

 

[deluxestogie]

Definitely cigar. Definitely cigar. I honestly learn new stuff from members of this site on a regular basis. In 2011 I couldn't even spell "cigar". Now I are one.

Bob

 

[Yvan the terrible]

Well, one of my first not too sure where it does fit (laguito 24rg x 6) rolled from tobacco scraps. Based on Wikikigun video, must admit that it is very nice. Flavour reminds me of an Italian Toscano smoke. Many more to come.

 

[MarcL]

 

[deluxestogie]

Carefully Calibrated Cigar Blend

Am I nuts? Five pounds of newly arrived WLT Honduras Cuban Seed Wrapper cried out to me. I opened one bag, and searched for a few leaves that might be more tattered, to use as filler. No dice. They were all nearly perfect. So I selected one at random to serve as binder and wrapper, and three more as filler. Leaf prep was a mild misting of the wrapper and binder halves about two minutes prior to wrapping, while the filler was just frog-legged as is. Filler leaves were gathered as a bunch, torn into 3 equal length portions, and pressed together in my hand. Bind. Wrap. Clip. Light. No pausing and resting and pondering. From sealed bag--straight from WLT, to lit cigar was about 10 minutes. (I get like that sometimes.)

This Honduran puro is medium-to-full in body, but far smoother than most Nicaraguan leaf. Despite the absence of blending, the flavors and aroma are complex and satisfying. Burn is superb, forming a nearly white ash.

My first taste of a fine cigar was around 1970, with Honduran Hoyo de Monterrey. The same Habano seed from back then is likely still what is grown today, though the factory has now gone over to the Dark Side, and blends leaf from elsewhere into their cigars. This particular Honduran leaf from WLT is from 2012.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Carefully Calibrated Cigar Blend

Am I nuts?

No, you're just a rebel at heart. Or maybe an evil genius...

 

[waikikigun]

Carefully Calibrated Cigar Blend

Am I nuts? Five pounds of newly arrived WLT Honduras Cuban Seed Wrapper cried out to me. I opened one bag, and searched for a few leaves that might be more tattered, to use as filler. No dice. They were all nearly perfect. So I selected one at random to serve as binder and wrapper, and three more as filler. Leaf prep was a mild misting of the wrapper and binder halves about two minutes prior to wrapping, while the filler was just frog-legged as is. Filler leaves were gathered as a bunch, torn into 3 equal length portions, and pressed together in my hand. Bind. Wrap. Clip. Light. No pausing and resting and pondering. From sealed bag--straight from WLT, to lit cigar was about 10 minutes. (I get like that sometimes.)

This Honduran puro is medium-to-full in body, but far smoother than most Nicaraguan leaf. Despite the absence of blending, the flavors and aroma are complex and satisfying. Burn is superb, forming a nearly white ash.

My first taste of a fine cigar was around 1970, with Honduran Hoyo de Monterrey. The same Habano seed from back then is likely still what is grown today, though the factory has now gone over to the Dark Side, and blends leaf from elsewhere into their cigars. This particular Honduran leaf from WLT is from 2012.

Bob

Yes, you're nuts. How dare you do whatever tf you want to do with tobacco you own? For shame. You are hereby consigned to the loony farm we all live on.

 

[CobGuy]

Tonight's after dinner smoke ... WLT's Mata Fina 2010 crop and Corojo Ligero fillers inside a Big Bonner CT Broadleaf binder and Corojo 99 wrapper:

 

[GreenDragon]

Not cigars - yet...

Those magical elves at Don’s warehouse sent me a present today. A lovely assortment of secos, ligeros, and visos. And a few pipe tobaccos too. Can’t wait to play with some new blends. And you can’t beat the service of those elves; ordered Sunday night, shipped out Monday morning, and got it this morning.

 

[waikikigun]

In the five years I've been wrapping with WLT Corojo "oscuro" it has never gotten one iota darker than Colorado claro (I don't care, I like the color, it's quite lovely, just wonder why it's been steadfastly called "oscuro" for five years. The answer is probably "Because that's what the guy who sells it to WLT calls it.") These three are from the current batch.

 

[waikikigun]

Oops, correction: according to my spreadsheet I've only been using this wrapper since July 2015. So, four years, not five.

 

[deluxestogie]

My home-brew Corojo 99, which produces very large leaves of nearly equal size from bottom to top, has the curious attribute that the near-bottom leaf cures and ferments to just about the same color as the near top leaf. Up top, of course, gets stronger and thicker, but not much darker. The very tip leaf (corona) does give me a dark maduro, though not quite oscuro.

I would guess that your suspicion of the "oscuro" naming is correct. I'll bet there are more bales of that beautiful wrapper in some warehouse, that are labeled "oscuro".

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Here are some test blend sticks I threw together last night to try out some of the new leaf I got from WLT this week. No attempt at beauty was made (almost too embarrassed to post this) as is apparent - these are some fugley sticks! Base blend of the African Flojo Seco and my Little Dutch with various Ligero and Viso condiments. Wrapped in some of my shade grown Ct. Shade from last year as a test. These turned out to be very thin and stretchy, but somewhat uneven in color. I'm not surprised as these were harvested prematurely due damage from a bad thunderstorm. I'm using them anyway because they smell awesome.

 

[waikikigun]

Here are some test blend sticks I threw together last night to try out some of the new leaf I got from WLT this week. No attempt at beauty was made (almost too embarrassed to post this) as is apparent - these are some fugley sticks! Base blend of the African Flojo Seco and my Little Dutch with various Ligero and Viso condiments. Wrapped in some of my shade grown Ct. Shade from last year as a test. These turned out to be very thin and stretchy, but somewhat uneven in color. I'm not surprised as these were harvested prematurely due damage from a bad thunderstorm. I'm using them anyway because they smell awesome.

View attachment 27943

I think the lumps and bumps are beautiful and sexy. They remind me of my girlfriend.