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Cigars/Ligidor Recipe

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Expert: - 5/7/2011


Question
James,
SO I miss calculated I have 72 plants! So I was wondering if you had other suggestions for mixing puros from other parts of the plant... right now the partagas recipe is going to be fantastic but I will have a lot of tobacco from other parts of the plant that I need to blend into something and wanted to see if you had more suggestions! TRhanks again for all your help you are THE CIGAR MASTER!
Vince

Answer
Hi Vince,

For your shade-grown wrapper leaf tobacco, the mid-section (Segundo Centro Ligero, Primer Centro Ligero) to the base of the plant (Uno y Medio, Libre de Pie, Mananita) will have a lighter coloured leaf which is perfect for creating a milder and sweeter-tasting wrapper leaf.  These leaves should be paired with the lower Seco and Volado sections of your sun-grown filler tobacco which creates a mild-to-medium bodied cigars similar to Cuban Fonseca, El Rey du Mundo and Saint Luis Rey cigars.  (The mananita section of your plants will be too small for cigars so you could use them to roll cigarillos/cigaritas.)

Whatever recipe you use, the most important thing to remember is to let the tobacco air-cure and then ferment for the proper length of time.  This will allow the tobacco to fully sweat out all the impurities and have a smoother flavour.  Two stages of fermentation is enough but the tobacco in Cuban Cohiba cigars for example, are fermented 3 times so if you want your cigars to be extremely smooth but very flavourful, try fermenting your tobacco an additional 45-60 days.

I hope this helps!  As always, 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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