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Cigars/Cigar Recipe

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Expert: - 5/5/2011


Question
James,
I was wondering if you had ever come across a recipe for mixing when rolling your own cigar. I would like to make something in lonsdale style and resembling my favorite cigar the partagas 898 (cuban) If you have any suggestions that would really help! Also I have 56 plants growiong from 6 different strains!
Thanks

Answer
Hi Vince,

Cuban cigar recipes are so closely guarded that even I don't know the exact tobacco tiempos that Partagas uses.  However, if you want to try making a cigar similar to the Partagas 898 (which is also my all-time favourite cigar), try a combination of a young seco and a dark ligero sun-grown tobacco for the filler and binder.  For the wrapper leaf, try the segundo centro fino or primer centro fino of a shade-grown tobacco plant.

According to Habanos standards, the shade-grown wrapper leaves should be air-cured for at least 25 days, fermented for 30 days and then aged for AT LEAST 6 months.  The sun-grown ligero should be air-cured for 50 days, fermented for 30 days, stripped and fermented for an additional 90 days.  The tobacco should then be aged for at least 2 years.  Sun-grown seco should be air-cured for 50 days, fermented for 25 days, 45 days for second fermentation and then aged for 1 to 1 1/2 years.  If you're interested in using volado, its 50 days for air-curing, 25 days first fermentation, 45 days second fermentation and then 9 months aging.

If you have a strain similar to Tabaco Negro Cubano, be sure to use it!

I hope this helps!  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

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James Yee

Expertise

My main area of expertise is Cuban cigars but I can also assist you with cigar etiquette, humidor maintenance and troubleshooting. Unsure of a certain cigar brand? Wondering what a certain cigar tastes like? Have any questions about Cuban cigars? Just let me know! I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. (NOTE: My main focus is on premium, hand-rolled cigars and not cheap, machine made, convenience store cigars.) IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE CIGAR OR CIGAR-RELATED APPRAISALS. If you have a vintage cigar item and you want to know if it's worth something, please contact an antique dealer that specializes in "TOBACCIANA".

Experience

I currently have 19 dedicated years of cigar smoking and counting. I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. For 5 years, I studied with Cuban torcedores (rollers), catadores (taste testers) and revisadores (inspectors) on every aspect involving the production of the Cuban cigar and I am currently writing a book that will help beginners understand everything they need to know about cigars and cigar smoking.

Publications
Maple Leaf Gardens: Memories & Dreams 1931-1999 (1999; ISBN: 0920445616)
50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do (2006; ISBN: 0452286654)
The [London] Times (October 8, 2009)


Education/Credentials
B.A. University of Toronto

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