PIX of your STIX

[T.E.Fox]

Rolled another batch of Brohibas this weekend. Behold Batch 27:



Sizes range from 3.5" to 7". RG =~48 for most of them; some are 52.

Wrappers are all Cameroon. It's a great wrapper to work with, but a little delicate, and the leaves are a bit small, so it's hard to wrap the bigger sticks with one piece.

Binders are all "one sucker" (dark air) from a grower in KY. One sucker has good flavor and is very strong, but not real smooth, so it wouldn't make a good wrapper, at least not aesthetically.

Fillers are a lot of experiments. I got some samples of various things from the KY grower incl. "Havana," "Silver River," and "Dark Air," which I blended in various quantites along with my usual blends. Silver River makes a good pipe tobacco, so its use in cigars is, well, experimental.

Those little shorties look tasty! Good looking batch, that one!

[Bruck]

Those little shorties look tasty! Good looking batch, that one!

Tnx. They're acclimating in the Brohibador right now. I have a separate humi for the Brohibas as the RH gets messed up when I put a new batch in.

There were a lot of experiments in this batch, so I'm anticipating a few klinkers

[Bruck]

Rolled a few more over the weekend - Brohiba batch 28



These are mainly my "conventional" blends, but incorporating some Kentucky Dark Air in place of Nicaraguan ligero.

Wrappers are Cameroon (the smooth ones), and the others are mainly wrapped in some "Aged Connecticut Broadleaf" from a grower in KY. They're pretty rough, as CT is hard to work with generally, and the aged CT was particularly wrinkly, even when highly moisturized. Binders are One Sucker and Dark Air, both from KY. Fillers are a combination of Piloto Cubano seco (Dominican), Nicaraguan seco, and Brazilian viso, and most of them have a leaf or so of KY Dark Air.

[Marc L]

Rough for sure. It looks like those didn't take well to a good pressing. or the bunch was to wet when wrapped? I forget if you use a mold or not.
That sounds like a nice smokey blend.

[Bruck]

I use molds after binding but not after wrapping. The cameroons came out nice and smooth as usual, but the "aged CT broadleaf" was pretty rough, defying my entire bag of tricks for smooth wrapping. No matter, they have a nice aroma and I'm not planning on entering them in a beauty contest

[GDaddy]

Rolled a few more over the weekend - Brohiba batch 28



These are mainly my "conventional" blends, but incorporating some Kentucky Dark Air in place of Nicaraguan ligero.

Wrappers are Cameroon (the smooth ones), and the others are mainly wrapped in some "Aged Connecticut Broadleaf" from a grower in KY. They're pretty rough, as CT is hard to work with generally, and the aged CT was particularly wrinkly, even when highly moisturized. Binders are One Sucker and Dark Air, both from KY. Fillers are a combination of Piloto Cubano seco (Dominican), Nicaraguan seco, and Brazilian viso, and most of them have a leaf or so of KY Dark Air.

Hey Bruce!

What does the dark air do for the cigar vs the Nic ligero flavor wise? Dark air isn't fire cured is it? Smokey flavor? You getting this from big bonner?

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Merry Christmas!

[Bruck]

Hey Bruce!

What does the dark air do for the cigar vs the Nic ligero flavor wise? Dark air isn't fire cured is it? Smokey flavor? You getting this from big bonner?

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Merry Christmas!

& a fine Merry Xmas to you and yours!

The KY Dark Air is just normally cured and fermented, but not fermented as much as the south of the border leaves. It has less spice and less cigar-like flavor than the nic ligero, but OTOH it seems to have a "deeper" smoky flavor. PM me your add (I promise I'll record it this time) and I'll send you a couple of the decent ones.

The KY Dark Air is also _way_ stronger in vitamin N, even than the ligero. Of course I have no idea what priming the KY leaves are - I don't think the grower is that organized . And as it's fresher, it's a little less predictable to bunch - I keep having difficulty with tight draws and plugged sticks. Live and learn.

[Marc L]

[Bruck]

Wow, nice work @Marc L ! Culebras in honor of St. Patrick driving the culebras out of Ireland?

[Bruck]

Haven't been rolling much lately, but a former co-worker called me out of the blue & wanted to buy some for his promotion party (USAF officer). I said I don't sell them, but I'll send some for a congratulations gift. Unforch I have depleted my stash of Brohibas, so I rolled some new ones. They won't be fully matured by the time of his party, some time in July, but they'll be better than Tiparillos anyway



Wrappers are mostly CT Broadleaf grown in KY, and there are a couple with PA, also grown in KY. Binders are Dark Air, also from KY. Fillers are Nicaraguan Viso, Criollo Ligero (also Nicaraguan), and Dominican Seco. CT Broadleaf is a very rough, veiny leaf, hence the rustic look. But its flavor makes up for aesthetics.

They're mostly robustos, a couple of toros, and one that might qualify as a churchill. There are a couple shorties in there - I had a churchill that had a very tight draw, so I cut it in two to mitigate it somewhat. Better a short cigar that smokes than a nice long one that doesn't!

I'll probably send half of these to my AF buddy, the good ones - I smoke the ugly or otherwise defective ones myself.