Cigar Leaf Blends
- Thread starter thesmokindragon
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I opened my first tin of Billy Budd yesterday and tried a bowl. Loved its strength but it surely wasn't the sweetest tasting smoke. :D I also noticed it leaves a very strong room note. My taste is widely open to anything so I think I'll enjoy it a lot.
Agree Luigi, I was hoping for a little more sweet with the Blonde version - I will say that I do get subtle creamy sweetness with GLP's Key Largo
I have a tin of C&D's Seersucker on deck to try and others have made comments that it reminded them of Key Largo but with a little more sweet.
Also, while not having any cigar leaf in the blend GLP's JackKnife PLug does have that nice bold flavor that reminds me of a good cigar but does have that nice creamy sweetness to it
I have a tin of C&D's Seersucker on deck to try and others have made comments that it reminded them of Key Largo but with a little more sweet.
Also, while not having any cigar leaf in the blend GLP's JackKnife PLug does have that nice bold flavor that reminds me of a good cigar but does have that nice creamy sweetness to it
now as we talking about cigar leaf, could anybody tell me what is so-called Ligeros and Criollo tabacos , In the past recall smoking Cuban cigarettes called Ligeros and Popularne, both were magnificent.
In the cigar world you have three types of fillers that make up your blend;
Ligero - Ligero leaf is thicker and stronger than Seco , it is the power / strength of a cigar
Seco - Seco is what gives the cigar its aroma
Volado - is the thinner of the leaves and is used as the fuel/burn
Criollo means “native seed,” and may also be described as “Havana-seed.” In Cuba, the word means a Cuban leaf grown on Cuban soil.
Ligero - Ligero leaf is thicker and stronger than Seco , it is the power / strength of a cigar
Seco - Seco is what gives the cigar its aroma
Volado - is the thinner of the leaves and is used as the fuel/burn
Criollo means “native seed,” and may also be described as “Havana-seed.” In Cuba, the word means a Cuban leaf grown on Cuban soil.
I managed to grab a few big tins of McClelland Dominican Glory Maduro a few weeks ago prior to the Great McClelland Mad Scramble Hoardathon of 2018.
I plan to put these up for awhile and was curious to see if anybody had feedback on aging this blend.
I plan to put these up for awhile and was curious to see if anybody had feedback on aging this blend.
Virginia Spice is a favorite cigar blend of mine but it is not as detectable as it is in Billy Budd. I read somewhere that Virginia Spice was not supposed to be a cigar blend in the beginning, but Russ was unsatisfied with the volume of smoke produced by just the VaPer, so he tossed in some Maduro Leaf and that made all the difference. When I want to really taste the cigar leaf, I grab for Billy Budd.
Pipesticks, thanks for mentioning Hearth and Home's Virginia Spice. I love that VaPer, and if no one told me that there was cigar leaf in there, I would never know. It adds a very subtle touch of spice, and the mouth feel of the smoke is great, very heavy on the tongue, without adding a heaviness to the taste, like a light, fruity VaPer, but with a heavy feeling to it. It's one of Russ's greatest works, IMO.
I tried Billy Budd blonde today in a Morgan bones poker that had only been smoked once before. To me, it seemed both need some aging. The Virginias were just a tad sharp, otherwise its an enjoyable blend.
Read through all the postings so far, with great interest. Thanks for all the information.
My first choice for a "condimental" tobacco is cigar-leaf. I use it to punch up and add some complexity to many of the ho-hum blends that are offered. It works wonders, and I like the thicker, creamy, smoke feel that it adds to many blends, without altering the original flavors - when used in smaller amounts. It's like the cigar-leaf is there, but then, it's not there..... Almost unnoticed.
However, I having a hard time finding some different choices when it comes to the type of cigar-leaf that's offered as a "blending" tobacco. I have found Pennsylvania Maduro. For personal-blend mixing, I've used cigar "trimmings" -that I bought at a local shop that specializes in making hand-rolled cigars- but I have no idea what kind of cigar tobacco were used in those trimmings. I asked the hand-roller to sell me some "mild cigar-leaf", so who knows what I bought, but it does work well in my homemade cigar-leaf mixture.
So, where can I find different kinds of cigar-leaf that can be used for blending into pipe tobacco? Will I have to buy whole-leaf, and shred it myself?
Just asking.
Frank
NYC
My first choice for a "condimental" tobacco is cigar-leaf. I use it to punch up and add some complexity to many of the ho-hum blends that are offered. It works wonders, and I like the thicker, creamy, smoke feel that it adds to many blends, without altering the original flavors - when used in smaller amounts. It's like the cigar-leaf is there, but then, it's not there..... Almost unnoticed.
However, I having a hard time finding some different choices when it comes to the type of cigar-leaf that's offered as a "blending" tobacco. I have found Pennsylvania Maduro. For personal-blend mixing, I've used cigar "trimmings" -that I bought at a local shop that specializes in making hand-rolled cigars- but I have no idea what kind of cigar tobacco were used in those trimmings. I asked the hand-roller to sell me some "mild cigar-leaf", so who knows what I bought, but it does work well in my homemade cigar-leaf mixture.
So, where can I find different kinds of cigar-leaf that can be used for blending into pipe tobacco? Will I have to buy whole-leaf, and shred it myself?
Just asking.
Frank
NYC
buying the leaf is a good idea, and if you call them, they may even work up a sample pack of different types. McConnells Pure Caribe is one that I cannot smoke by itself, but is an excellent blending condiment also. There are some out there. I am curious about using ligero with dark fired Kentucky and Virginia.
Leaf Only.com
Whole Leaf.com
Both sell various types of blending leaf.
Now, I have too many choices! Either feast, or, famine.....
)
Frank
NYC
Whole Leaf.com
Both sell various types of blending leaf.
Now, I have too many choices! Either feast, or, famine.....
)Frank
NYC
I have a tin of Billy Bud Blonde, and I'm curious to see it's reception. One person mentioned they found the Virginias rough, and could benefit from aging. This is not unusual for C&D blends. I've noticed a tremendous difference in several blends after 6+ months.
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