My infused experiment...

[MataFina]

Went something like this. I read about people infusing their sticks with wine, coffee and other things so I put some coffee grounds in a mason jar with a few Arganese Maduro inside.
I let them sit for a couple of weeks and sure enough, it picked up a lot of coffee smell and once lit, the flavors are really good.

I am "infusing a new batch of Bahia Blu, let's see how that one is going to turn out.

Is anyone infusing their sticks on a regular basis?

http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy37/tobima/IMG_1264_zpsjzkub6eb.jpg (http://s775.photobucket.com/user/tobima/media/IMG_1264_zpsjzkub6eb.jpg.html)

[Tobias Lutz]

I'm curious about this because I have some PC maduros that I would love to experiment with. I thought about grinding some beans and dumping them over the sticks in a Sterilite container for a couple weeks.

[MataFina]

Do it. All I did was dump about a inch of ground coffee at the bottom of the jar and put the sticks inside. Head touching the ground and foot up toward the lid, nothing special. Let it sit for a couple of weeks and that is all it took.

[Tobias Lutz]

Do it. All I did was dump about a inch of ground coffee at the bottom of the jar and put the sticks inside. Head touching the ground and foot up toward the lid, nothing special. Let it sit for a couple of weeks and that is all it took.

Good to know. I enjoy infused sticks in the early morning (my commute is from 5-6)- this might be a nice way to do it. As much as I enjoy some of the lines, they're too expensive for PCs, IMO.

[BryGuySC]

I was thinking about doing this before winter, so they could soak in the flavors for a couple months... but I forgot.

No time like the present, though!

I'll try to actually make it happen this time. Did you guys do anything for humidity, of not worry about it, since it was a sealed jar?

[sparky426]

Good to know. I enjoy infused sticks in the early morning (my commute is from 5-6)- this might be a nice way to do it. As much as I enjoy some of the lines, they're too expensive for PCs, IMO.


Totally agree with price point, grabbed a fiver of nub cafe and as good as they are I can't justify the price for the size

[Tobias Lutz]

I was thinking about doing this before winter, so they could soak in the flavors for a couple months... but I forgot.

No time like the present, though!

I'll try to actually make it happen this time. Did you guys do anything for humidity, of not worry about it, since it was a sealed jar?

I plan on throwing a 65% Boveda in there, just in case, but I don't think it's an issue. I don't store my sticks that high, but I imagine the flavors transfer better in higher humidity.

[Bowtech4ever]

MataFina, thanks for that! Have extra Arganese Maduros myself & plenty of extra Cuban coffee. Gonna do same this weekend. I'd like to know what to do about humidification too.

[bluenoser]

I've wondered about this, I seem to be really drawn to anything coffee flavored so I might have to give this a try too. Thanks.

Wonder if throwing in some cocoa would give a mocha flavor...

[Bowtech4ever]

I've wondered about this, I seem to be really drawn to anything coffee flavored so I might have to give this a try too. Thanks.

Wonder if throwing in some cocoa would give a mocha flavor...

Don't think it could hurt if you have some sticks you can afford to experiment with.

[Upstatemax]

In a few weeks, I plan to light up the fruits of my infusion labor.

I've been letting some sticks sit in an extra humidor that I seasoned with bourbon. About once a month I put a shot glass of bourbon in and let it sit for a few days. seems to be almost all of the humidification that it needs. If I need to bump the humidity up, I throw in a some distilled water every once and a while.

[Tobias Lutz]

I've wondered about this, I seem to be really drawn to anything coffee flavored so I might have to give this a try too. Thanks.

Wonder if throwing in some cocoa would give a mocha flavor...

I question about the cocoa because the powder won't have much in the way of oils to transmit the flavor. I imagine the reason coffee works well is because of the oils. If you wanted to try this I would think a shotglass with a chocolate liquor would be a better bet. Just theorizing though.

[bluenoser]

Wife has a bottle of chocolat rouge (red wine with chocolate liquor) Might have to steal a shot glass...

[Emperor Zurg]

Probably doesn't hurt the coffee either. I'd not be ashamed to dump it out and brew it up. Can't be any worse than Folgers.

[MataFina]

Scott, I have a small single 62 boveda in there just in case and is all I have at the moment.

I asked my wife to smell one of the cigar before I smoked it and she said that it was delicious and if I had bought more cigars...I'm really happy with the way they turn out and it is worth a try.
MataFina, thanks for that! Have extra Arganese Maduros myself & plenty of extra Cuban coffee. Gonna do same this weekend. I'd like to know what to do about humidification too.

Emperor Zurg , Cigar infused coffee. now that would be interesting.

[MataFina]

I'm sure if I had patience to wait a couple of months they would be even better. Now that I know that it actually works, I'll keep a few stocked up to "age" them a little more.
I was thinking about doing this before winter, so they could soak in the flavors for a couple months... but I forgot.

No time like the present, though!

I'll try to actually make it happen this time. Did you guys do anything for humidity, of not worry about it, since it was a sealed jar?
Upstatemax , please, post how they turn out once you get to them...I've been thinking about doing one batch with some sort of alcohol.

[Tobias Lutz]

I threw this together this afternoon:

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04301.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04302.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04304.jpg

I'll give it a few weeks and report back.

[Bowtech4ever]

I threw this together this afternoon:

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04301.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04302.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04304.jpg

I'll give it a few weeks and report back.

I will duplicate. I have same components available, but those bean of yours sure look good & oily. What type / profile did you use?

[Tobias Lutz]

I will duplicate. I have same components available, but those bean of yours sure look good & oily. What type / profile did you use?

Those are Guatemalan beans with a pretty floral profile- still robust though. I just grabbed the sticks I had in the bottom of the humi that had lost their bands at some point- I have no clue what they are :)

[Bowtech4ever]

Tobias Lutz, for once, I wasn't interested in the cigars lol, but as a serious coffee lover too, you really had me with those beautiful greeeezy beans. I agree with Emperor Zurg....ya better let us know how that cigar infused coffee turns out as well.

[MataFina]

Nice, I like how the are pretty much covered. My has about an inch of finely ground beans on the bottom but the sticks are upright. I added a pic of my set up on post #1...
I threw this together this afternoon:

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04301.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04302.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04304.jpg

I'll give it a few weeks and report back.

[Browns7213]

Good to know. I enjoy infused sticks in the early morning (my commute is from 5-6)- this might be a nice way to do it. As much as I enjoy some of the lines, they're too expensive for PCs, IMO.

Funny, I was just thinking about how expensive the infused sticks are getting for what they are. Last time I bought a 10-pack of Tabak Especial they were $3.90 a cigar, now I can't seem to find a 5er on the auction sites for less than $5.50 each and the price for Java's is just totally outta hand. Looks like I'm getting into the infused business.

[Tobias Lutz]

I threw this together this afternoon:

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04301.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04302.jpg

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr317/lutztb/DSC04304.jpg

I'll give it a few weeks and report back.

UPDATE:

After three weeks time I smoked the smallest vitola and discovered, sadly, that not much "infusion" had taken place. Yes, the wrapper took on a coffee note, but upon lighting, it almost completely dissipated. I highly suspect that a higher rh is required for this kind of flavor transfer to take place. Since extended periods at a high rh would result in mold, I imagine this is why spray topping of the leaf is the way to go. I plan on leaving these in the container until I get around to smoking them all, but I don't expect much. This also makes me wonder about how susceptible your non-infused sticks really are to picking up "infused cooties" from flavored sticks in the same humidor. If these cigars can be buried in beans for 3 weeks, and yield VERY little nuance, I wonder how much a Java, or even an Acid Kuba Kuba, on the bottom of your humidor, at 60rh, can really do to the Opus X on the top shelf. I know, heresy, but I call them as I experience them :)

[Lynn]

for years cigar guys have told me not to keep flavored cigars in with my regular cigars, because they would affect my other cigars. Ive never found that to be the case in 20ct or a 50ct. I believe this is some old wives tale to sell more humi's, never had a cigar taste like cherry or anything else by keeping them together in cello....but I do listen politely as they tell me the story...to infuse cigars you need a liquid base, I have found myself that air contact just does not do the job...I mostly use the cold smoke method..which is to keep liquid soaked cigars at 120 degrees for a two to three month period in zip lock bags, with the air removed(vacuum packing works well) I use a water bed heater mat around the inside of a picnic cooler. the thermostat controller will maintain the correct heat, and a small drilled hole in the bottom gets the cord in, and a thermometer will tell you if it needs to be adjusted. I use this same system for cooking the wine I make, after that I air dry on oven racks in the gas oven with only the pilot light for heat, till I can feel no moister. then I put them on the racks outside for the air to wick them dry, putting them back into the gas oven at night for two to three days.....just an old low tech. way but it works....heavy brandy or rum works best...if you are interested there is a article called pressure cooking cigars on the net, basically just what Ive been doing for years...use cheap cigars to start and then move to more expensive if you want, I use $1.00 cigars in case something happens and then Im only out $15.00 on a bundle. Maybe this will help...loved watching your experiment....

[Desertlifter]

What Lynn said. I keep my Acid review sticks in the same tupperdore as the rest, albeit in ziplock bags. I don't get any crossover from the infused into my regular sticks, but I do notice that the infused sticks lose a lot of their essence. That makes little sense, but they do.

[Bruck]

FWIW, what Graycliff does to make their Espresso line is rest them in a humidor cabinet for about 6 months along with a few bowls of coffee beans. I don't know if they do anything else to impart the coffee hints.

[MataFina]

Funny to see your update...I logged in to post my own...so today, after almost one month (cigars went in the jar on the 17th of last month) I pulled the first Bahia Blue to try it...the last two Arganese I had there smoked wonderfully.

After cleaning the coffee grounds form the stick, I was disappointed that no coffee smell was detectable, once lit, the feeling was the same....nothing, NADA, sad, sad, sad...I under if the sticks need to have a hint of a coffee note to begin with.
I'm not ready to give up just yet...just need to figure out what made one cigar work and not the other...experimenting is the name of the game.

UPDATE:

After three weeks time I smoked the smallest vitola and discovered, sadly, that not much "infusion" had taken place. Yes, the wrapper took on a coffee note, but upon lighting, it almost completely dissipated. I highly suspect that a higher rh is required for this kind of flavor transfer to take place. Since extended periods at a high rh would result in mold, I imagine this is why spray topping of the leaf is the way to go. I plan on leaving these in the container until I get around to smoking them all, but I don't expect much. This also makes me wonder about how susceptible your non-infused sticks really are to picking up "infused cooties" from flavored sticks in the same humidor. If these cigars can be buried in beans for 3 weeks, and yield VERY little nuance, I wonder how much a Java, or even an Acid Kuba Kuba, on the bottom of your humidor, at 60rh, can really do to the Opus X on the top shelf. I know, heresy, but I call them as I experience them :)