Looking for El Puro Holy Grail

[The-CaptainBlack]

I love pipes and I love cigars.
Not different from many of you fellow smokers, I am sure.
It is a different kind of love and they have different requirements.
I have been smoking and researching tobaccos that have cigar leaves and some of them are better than others.

I know this is not a new thread… It’s been talked about and there are plenty of tin options out there for the cigar lovers.
And Yes… Nothing will be exactly like smoking a cigar and I am at peace with that.

But I still enjoy the profile of the tobacco with that pinch of cigar leaves.
Some of my favorites are “Until the End” and “Cloud Hopper” (C&D - Warped) but I did try a few others .

I had some success mixing pipe tobaccos with the real thing, a good quality tobacco.
The last time I did it this is what I used:

-Le Petit Robin (Pure Semois)
-Stonehaven (just a little, got to be careful with that ingredient…)
-A whole Padron 1964 Anniversary (What a sacrilege! Some will say…)
-Port wine (just to let them flavors marry)

Damn, it was good… Creamy, spicy and I could definitely taste and smell the cigar in it.

I wish though, there was a tobacco ready to buy with that same punch.
Why can’t I find it?
Maybe they don’t add the cigar wrapper leaves that give some of the flavor?
Or perhaps the leaves used are just the cheaper material?
Who knows..
The last tobacco I tried in that category was Robert Lewis - 123 Mixture.
It was ok.
A good tobacco overall but I could hardly notice any cigar in it.
So the search continues.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I love pipes and I love cigars.
Not different from many of you fellow smokers, I am sure.
It is a different kind of love and they have different requirements.
I have been smoking and researching tobaccos that have cigar leaves and some of them are better than others.

I know this is not a new thread… It’s been talked about and there are plenty of tin options out there for the cigar lovers.
And Yes… Nothing will be exactly like smoking a cigar and I am at peace with that.

But I still enjoy the profile of the tobacco with that pinch of cigar leaves.
Some of my favorites are “Until the End” and “Cloud Hopper” (C&D - Warped) but I did try a few others .

I had some success mixing pipe tobaccos with the real thing, a good quality tobacco.
The last time I did it this is what I used:

-Le Petit Robin (Pure Semois)
-Stonehaven (just a little, got to be careful with that ingredient…)
-A whole Padron 1964 Anniversary (What a sacrilege! Some will say…)
-Port wine (just to let them flavors marry)

Damn, it was good… Creamy, spicy and I could definitely taste and smell the cigar in it.

I wish though, there was a tobacco ready to buy with that same punch.
Why can’t I find it?
Maybe they don’t add the cigar wrapper leaves that give some of the flavor?
Or perhaps the leaves used are just the cheaper material?
Who knows..
The last tobacco I tried in that category was Robert Lewis - 123 Mixture.
It was ok.
A good tobacco overall but I could hardly notice any cigar in it.
So the search continues.

Warped has a few offerings (Edit: I see you mentioned a couple of them, but not the only ones), you can probably find info about them on here in reviews or posts and Wilke Churchill features cigar leaf. I'm not much help - two pleasures I don't have luck mixing.

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

I tried all the Warped ones and the 2 I mentioned are my favorites.
I still have to try Wilke Churchill though.
Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Yeah there are definitely alot of blends with various amounts of cigar leaf... personally I feel like the construction of a cigar vs a pipe though will always change the experience. I believe C&D offers straight chopped cigar leaf as a blending component but honestly I'd say the cheapest and best way to control such an experience would be purchasing raw tobacco leaf (there are sites I've visited previously recommended here) where premium grade cigar wrap leaves can be had for less per lb than even some of the cheapest already prepared pipe blends...

The biggest difference I think is that pipe tobacco is generally cured while cigar is fermented...

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

Yeah there are definitely alot of blends with various amounts of cigar leaf... personally I feel like the construction of a cigar vs a pipe though will always change the experience. I believe C&D offers straight chopped cigar leaf as a blending component but honestly I'd say the cheapest and best way to control such an experience would be purchasing raw tobacco leaf (there are sites I've visited previously recommended here) where premium grade cigar wrap leaves can be had for less per lb than even some of the cheapest already prepared pipe blends...

The biggest difference I think is that pipe tobacco is generally cured while cigar is fermented...

I like that idea. A lot.
I will try to get some cigar wrap leaves for my next experiment.
Would you happen to know in what thread those recommendations were?

 

[NookersTheCat]

I wanna say wholeleaftobacco .com is the one I saw reviewed the best...
Never used personally but they seem to have a great selection and reviews with reaseonable pricing
They have a couple dozen varieties of wrapper leaves alone... at anywhere from $25 to $60lb that's still less than most tinned blends.. heck, even many bulk ones.

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

Oh yeah!
Checking it right now.
Thank you.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Oh yeah!
Checking it right now.
Thank you.

No problem!
Yeah I've been eyeing up their Besuki for awhile.. also curious about chopping and blending with Sumatra and Candela, both of which I enjoy when I smoke a stick... I haven't ordered from them yet personally but I'm sure it's only a matter of time lol
Update and let us know how it turns out for ya!

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

That Equador Corona Wrapper looks delicious.
Very, very promising.
There will be an update!

 

[makhorkasmoker]

As I understand it, there’s no point in paying for wrapper grade leaf if you’re just gonna stick it in a pipe. The binder and probably lower grades too Will do just as well as the only difference is the binder will have some holes or tears. Not an issue with pipe blends. I’ve bought from whole leaf tobacco several times and only have good things to say. Looks like I may be ordering from leaf only this time as whole leaf is out of the leaves I want recently

 

[Sig]

In my opinion cigar leaf tastes best in a pipe blend when combined with Latakia. Maybe this is why GLP has both Robusto and Key Largo, which both contain Latakia.
Im not saying Greg has the overriding opinion, just that he knows what sells. Both are good, but I like Robusto better. If I remember correctly Key Largo has a light topping, while Robusto does not.
Its been a few years since ive had them.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

In my opinion cigar leaf tastes best in a pipe blend when combined with Latakia. Maybe this is why GLP has both Robusto and Key Largo, which both contain Latakia.
Im not saying Greg has the overriding opinion, just that he knows what sells. Both are good, but I like Robusto better. If I remember correctly Key Largo has a light topping, while Robusto does not.
Its been a few years since ive had them.

Billy budd is another Latakia/cigar leaf blend, with a burley base. Hits a nice chord for me

 

[Sig]

Billy budd is another Latakia/cigar leaf blend, with a burley base. Hits a nice chord for me

I believe the cigar leaf plays great with a small amount of Latakia.

 

[dottlejockey]

Until The End and Cloud Hopper are both excellent. I've had good experiences blending with Robert McConnell's Pure Cuba. Also using packing leaf from certain cigar products (Nicaraguan leaf from buying Man O War Puro Authenticos or the rough leaf used as humidifiers in the bags sold at boutique shops in Ybor City, Tampa). Also saving cigar cap clippings can come in handy for home blending. Used to do this with Cuban cigars back in the day.

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

As I understand it, there’s no point in paying for wrapper grade leaf if you’re just gonna stick it in a pipe. The binder and probably lower grades too Will do just as well as the only difference is the binder will have some holes or tears. Not an issue with pipe blends. I’ve bought from whole leaf tobacco several times and only have good things to say. Looks like I may be ordering from leaf only this time as whole leaf is out of the leaves I want recently

Is its safe to say they (wrapper and binder) have the same flavor profile but the wrapper is just better aesthetically and more expensive for that reason?

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

Until The End and Cloud Hopper are both excellent. I've had good experiences blending with Robert McConnell's Pure Cuba. Also using packing leaf from certain cigar products (Nicaraguan leaf from buying Man O War Puro Authenticos or the rough leaf used as humidifiers in the bags sold at boutique shops in Ybor City, Tampa). Also saving cigar cap clippings can come in handy for home blending. Used to do this with Cuban cigars back in the day.

That's interesting, I never saw rough leaves being used as humidifiers anywhere!
I am saving my cigar clips from this day on.
Why haven't I thought about this before?

 

[khiddy]

John Patton made several blends with cigar leaf (Storm Front and Dark & Stormy immediately come to mind), though they are not cigar-forward, just flavorful and very smoky (as in, produce huge plumes of smoke). You can get them exclusively from 4Noggins.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

Is its safe to say they (wrapper and binder) have the same flavor profile but the wrapper is just better aesthetically and more expensive for that reason?

That’s my understanding. The wrapper needs to be pretty and costs more. Maybe some cigar expert here will correct me

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

John Patton made several blends with cigar leaf (Storm Front and Dark & Stormy immediately come to mind), though they are not cigar-forward, just flavorful and very smoky (as in, produce huge plumes of smoke). You can get them exclusively from 4Noggins.

I was just looking at those 2 tobaccos last week.
I'll place an order and check them out.

 

[The-CaptainBlack]

That’s my understanding. The wrapper needs to be pretty and costs more. Maybe some cigar expert here will correct me

I don't know if I agree with you...
But as of now, I will not disagree either.