The Half Ashed Cigar Forum

I'm thinking that 2015 will be a year of many new combinations and test blends. 33 of the 50 sticks I've rolled thus far in 2015 are new (not 33 new blends, but total sticks over 10 or so combinations) and I now need to keep a record of these trials. I have questions for those of you who have witnessed blend testing in the factories.

Are any binders placed on the tests?
Are single, then double, or triple leaves smoked without any real rolling?
How moist are the leaves that are used in the tests (ie, so dry that they readily stay lit)?
Any other items of note?

Thanks!

The test blend log sheet I'm using...

Alright, you shamed me back into rolling something different. I have taken a couple Cubans and wrapped them in something NC just to try.
Psd4's and La Escogida Lonsdale.
Wrapping: CT Havana and Broadleaf.

I didn't care about the caps, so i just left them as pigtails because they will be cut soon anyways.



Cigar F^iend

Intriguing! I'm excited to hear how those smoke, Zed


Kid Corona

IWinchester wrote:Intriguing! I'm excited to hear how those smoke, Zed.
Kid Corona

Ditto!

I think I've shared this story before but if not, it relates.

I had a friend bring me back a bundle of Behike 56s right prior to release (this is a somewhat common thing if you know people at factories). About 6 or 8 of them were damaged on the trip. Knowing I was going to the Dominican to tour factories shortly thereafter, I removed the damaged wrappers and packed them in my travel humi. We managed to have Quesada, general, Davidoff and one other all apply different wrappers to the Behikes. After a year resting with their new wrapper leaves, three of us got back together to conduct the taste test. Surprisingly, the NC leaf did not pair well with the blend. The only truly enjoyable specimen was a Connecticut wrapper from a macanudo.


You've been Tapatalk'd

Craig. We recently had a tasting seminar up here in Rhode Island with three small cigars of all one leaf rolled up. Three different of course. It was let by Mike Herkolotz of Nat Sherman. One very interesting thing he pointed out was how the two tobaccos on the edge of the spectrum, viso and ligero needed a Bridge in between and when you smoked those two together it was very harsh but add the seco to the two and boom. Was very nice. This exercise was actually the three tobacco leaves that make up the 1930 filler blend. So my point is with your behikes the wrapper was probably very similar to the ct shade wrapper. And therefore the blend was only good there.


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Yup. More testing these days than public school kids...

Well, I have been shamed into rolling a couple more cigars here again. I can't believe I haven't for a while now, but it just takes so much time that I don't have during the day to prep, clean, and plan. Michael would laugh at me if I ever told him how long it takes me to go from clean the area, to finished rolling.
Blended some new ones today.
Leaves used:
Wrapper- Ecuadorian Shade
Binder- Conneticut Broadleaf & Camaroon
Filler- Hond Seco + Dom Seco + Nic Ligero + Nic Seco

Can you tell which one I hand rolled without the mold ? Haha
I don't have a fancy cigar cutter, nor do I have the same ability to roll as others, so yes the cigars are different lengths, but it was all just cutting where the cigar started to get too soft. They look bad, but hey, I am still learning and to be honest, they are only for my smoking pleasure so I don't care.
That Ec Shade leaf is one of the nicest and most pliable leaves around though. Great to work with.
It is so hard figuring out at what humidity/dampness you can roll cigars with. I find I am a bit too over-humidified on some, and possibly not enough with other leaves. Damn this super dry climate, and no real good info ......



Cigar F^iend