Pics of your sticks!!

[Patriotguy]

I was just very curious so I put a green leaf into the oven and then rolled this and smoked it a day later, tasted like bacon and grass gave me a very light headed feeling but it was really smooth smoking.

 

[deluxestogie]

That cigar looks like a braid--a culebra.

Bob

 

[ciennepi]

I will let you know in a few week after humidor rest.

 

[GreenDragon]

I took one of my ugly test sticks for a test drive tonight and was pleasantly surprised. A very creamy, smooth smoke. I had expected a stronger flavor due to the darker and thicker batch of flojo that I received in this last order compared to previous orders, but it stayed true to form with a very pleasant creamy profile. I’ll up the proportion of condiments in the next batch. Overall, a slightly (unexpected) sweet flavor with notes of jasmine and spice with an aftertaste of subtle cocoa. Happy with this blend.

Filler: Little Dutch (home grown), piloto cubano ligero, Paraguay flojo seco
Binder: vuelta abajo
Wrapper: Connecticut shade (home grown)

Accompanied by a local Texas red wine. Messina Hoff Sangiovese 2017. It’s a small winery near Texas A&M where I went to grad school. Took many a visitor on a tour there and consumed a lot of their wine. First and only time I ever got my Mother-in-law completely smashed LOL!

(For reference TAMU is 3 hours from anywhere so there isn’t much to do for entertainment unless you enjoy looking at cows and corn fields!)

 

[deluxestogie]

Iztepeque 589 is a Costa Rican primitive cigar type. GRIN's original seed accession was in 1936. (Pi 114370, Ti 589) Heaven knows its derivation. I grew it in 2013. Initially, I found it too harsh and potent to smoke. I stashed it away. Now, six years later, the Iztepeque filler is much smoother, flavorful, and spicy. By spicy, I mean a sensation (though not taste or aroma) of ginger. Just a bit of tongue tingle, but not like capsicum. The nicotine is medium. That's quite a bit of nicotine for lugs.

The plants seemed susceptible to brown spot, and otherwise wasn't all that productive, in terms of weight of leaf per plant. The lugs I used in this cigar were only about 11" long or less. Kind of shrimpy for a cigar variety.

As the sole filler component, it holds up pretty well. Burn is excellent, forming a gray-white ash. It would be a candidate for one of the newer, niche blend cigars--if they could wait 6 years to use it. It's certainly much nicer tobacco than the black, Costa Rica wrappers found on some production cigars.

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

Iztepeque 589 is a Costa Rican primitive cigar type. GRIN's original seed accession was in 1936. (Pi 114370, Ti 589) Heaven knows its derivation. I grew it in 2013. Initially, I found it too harsh and potent to smoke. I stashed it away. Now, six years later, the Iztepeque filler is much smoother, flavorful, and spicy. By spicy, I mean a sensation (though not taste or aroma) of ginger. Just a bit of tongue tingle, but not like capsicum. The nicotine is medium. That's quite a bit of nicotine for lugs.

The plants seemed susceptible to brown spot, and otherwise wasn't all that productive, in terms of weight of leaf per plant. The lugs I used in this cigar were only about 11" long or less. Kind of shrimpy for a cigar variety.

As the sole filler component, it holds up pretty well. Burn is excellent, forming a gray-white ash. It would be a candidate for one of the newer, niche blend cigars--if they could wait 6 years to use it. It's certainly much nicer tobacco than the black, Costa Rica wrappers found on some production cigars.

Bob

Where does the Iztepeque seem to fall on the Caribbean vs. North American flavor spectrum?

 

[tullius]

[...]

Accompanied by a local Texas red wine. Messina Hoff Sangiovese 2017. It’s a small winery near Texas A&M where I went to grad school. Took many a visitor on a tour there and consumed a lot of their wine. First and only time I ever got my Mother-in-law completely smashed LOL!

(For reference TAMU is 3 hours from anywhere so there isn’t much to do for entertainment unless you enjoy looking at cows and corn fields!)

View attachment 27955

Local...texas...sangiovese. The Etruscan Romans would be howling with laughter. Or, celebrating yet another posthumous expansion of their empire, and martini-loving mothers-in-law.

Nice stick, and I apologize for a diversion in the thread. Look to be rolling soon for the first time, and you all feel free to make fun of my pictures if deserved, or not deserved..

 

[deluxestogie]

Where does the Iztepeque seem to fall on the Caribbean vs. North American flavor spectrum?

Exactly at 42.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Seriously, I would place Iztepeque somewhere between the characters of Tabasqueño Prieto and Chichicaste.

Bob

 

[waikikigun]

Seriously, I would place Iztepeque somewhere between the characters of Tabasqueño Prieto and Chichicaste.

Bob

When I've had my first laugh of the day before I've even turned on the espresso machine, that's already a good day.

 

[MarcL]

 

[deluxestogie]

WAKE UP!

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

@deluxestogie - Nice color on that wrapper.

 

[Yvan the terrible]

I can never tell if my smokes are aging well, been smoking them before they get a chance. Hope a few of these make it a month or two.

 

[GreenDragon]

I've been working hard, diligently trying to fill up my humidor with home rolls. Well, to be more accurate, I've been trying to roll for the last four days. Every time I sit down to roll, something comes up: unexpected company, important phone calls, broken appliances, etc. So far, I've rolled a total of.... 2 sticks! Behold the glory of the two free hand sticks I managed to produce last night before bed. Wrapper is last year's Fl. Sumatra.

 

[waikikigun]

I've been working hard, diligently trying to fill up my humidor with home rolls. Well, to be more accurate, I've been trying to roll for the last four days. Every time I sit down to roll, something comes up: unexpected company, important phone calls, broken appliances, etc. So far, I've rolled a total of.... 2 sticks! Behold the glory of the two free hand sticks I managed to produce last night before bed. Wrapper is last year's Fl. Sumatra.

View attachment 27972

Dude, broken appliances?

 

[GreenDragon]

Dude, broken appliances?

Yup! Main bearing assembly went out on the washing machine this weekend (sounded like the space shuttle launching in the laundry room), then the refrigerator quit cooling yesterday. Had to take everything out, put the food in coolers, and open it up to defrost the coils and move a temp sensor to extend the defrost cycle times. It's always something!

 

[deluxestogie]

Nice free-hand sticks. For me, at least, "filling" a humidor is not much motivation.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Finally had some more time last night to play with my tobacco hoard. Is it me, or is 90% of the time spent rolling cigars used for leaf prep? Destemming, prepping binders/wrappers, etc.

Saruman the White
Filler: HG Florida Sumatra Ligero, HG Little Dutch, Nicaraguan Habano Ligero, Paraguay Flojo Seco, Nicaraguan Seco Jalapa
Binder: Pennsylvania
Wrapper: HG Florida Sumatra

Saruman the Many Colored
Filler: HG Florida Sumatra, HG Havana 263, Nicaraguan Habana Ligero, Piloto Cubana Ligero
Binder: Vuelta Abajo
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres

 

[Moth]

OK, Cigarillo #2.
Made with colour cured, unkilned PA Red. Fancied a smoke. Leaf smelt good.


Pigtail, no glue, fugly




Was nice. Smelt and tasted like a cigar. A little bit (I guess) young, although, nice. Have smoked worse.
Heh