1 + 1 = 3??
Alex Svenson
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One of the most difficult parts of blending is find the perfect tobaccos and making the wrapper, binder and fillers balance. usually, blends are unique. Once you find a great winning combination, you simply cant use the same filler and binder with different wrappers and expect success. That would be way too easy. There are a few exceptions that I can think of, one being La Herencia Cubana. The Original La herencia Cubana is made with an oily Sumatra Ecuador viso wrapper. The idea for the La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte came about quite by accident. The factory messed up and put a PA broadleaf wrapper on an LHC original and it turned out to be great. The wrapper changed the dynamic of the cigar completely. If you smoked the two side by side, you would never guess they are just one leaf different. So that said, the filler and binder of both the orginal LHC and Oscuro Fuerte are the same, only the wrappers are different and this is an unusual occurence (just recapping).
Now change gears to barber pole cigars. They are always pretty to look at but my big beef with them is I have yet to find one I really like the blend of. The two wrappers never seem to balance with the fillers and it just does not deliver. The market clearly agrees as I frequently see feedback from customers calling them gimicks etc as customers are often unimpressed by the flavor. That got me thinking that La Herencia Cubana could very well be the exception here because both LHC Original and LHC OF have so much in common. I had a few made up and I have to say, this is a pretty damn good cigar. As I smoke it I get elements of both the LHC original and the OF. I must say, I pick up more on the OF notes than the original but still, quite a cigar. I may have to bring some of these in so people can try them out.
Now change gears to barber pole cigars. They are always pretty to look at but my big beef with them is I have yet to find one I really like the blend of. The two wrappers never seem to balance with the fillers and it just does not deliver. The market clearly agrees as I frequently see feedback from customers calling them gimicks etc as customers are often unimpressed by the flavor. That got me thinking that La Herencia Cubana could very well be the exception here because both LHC Original and LHC OF have so much in common. I had a few made up and I have to say, this is a pretty damn good cigar. As I smoke it I get elements of both the LHC original and the OF. I must say, I pick up more on the OF notes than the original but still, quite a cigar. I may have to bring some of these in so people can try them out.
Comments
Alex, I'd knock over my grandma to get to a LHC barber pole!
Watch out grandma!
That being said, this is the first blended wrapper cigar I'm actually interrested in trying. Looks tasty and I'm a fan of both blends.
I definitely think you should take advantage of the large Beta testing population you have here. We have everything from flavor conniseurs (Looking at you, Kuzi) to your average beginner who knows what they like but maybe not as good with the nuances.
Plus, we all love new cigars and supporting CCOM
Plus, Thanks for the MATH TIP!
barber pole cigars are often a dark marduo paired with a very light shade grown leaf. im sure this is doen for the contrasting effect. maybe a new take on barber poles needs to be brought up. why not try a dark heavily fermented (but not maduro) nicaraguan grown habano leaf instead of a maduro; and maybe an Ecuadorian Sumatra (like the one on La Herencia Cubana original, since you got that stuck in my head) instead of a conn. shade?
wouldnt this have two flavors that compliment each other a bit more instead of fight/overpower?
a binder could be a Nicaraguan or Honduran and fillers could easily be nicaraguan and dominican.
it may not have the contrast of a "classic barber pole cigar" but there will be a clear difference and the flavors could meld a bit better.
i keep coming back to the point of conflicting flavors in the wrappers.
here is another thought:
think of the two wrappers and the binder as you would a filler. blend those as one unit.
then work on a blend for the filler that will wold work with the outer three leaves.
i think the way to do this would to make a few cigars just out of the wrapper and binder leaves in equal amounts. 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. burn wouldnt matter as much because it is for flavor only. get that flavor profile to work by switching out different elements. once that works in itself you use that combo to wrap all the different filler candidates. that way you know the wrapper will work on its own and you are blending the filler to match wrapper and binder as a unit.
make sense?
would that work?
i mean, ive never actually blended a cigar in reality so im only thinking theoretically.
Kuzi thinks about Cigar Leafs like Most guys think about PORN....... I Like the Ideas .... and If we could somehow Implement The Barber Pole Porn with the Cigars i think we will have a Sniffable, Likeable SMoking Hot Cigar! ROTFLMAO!
I just woke my wife up laughing at this.....