This week I smoked a freshly rolled cuban. I'm not sure if we're allowed to mention names on this site but there was a fella here from Cuba at my local LCDH rolling fresh cigars. Very talanted. He was rolling robustos and torpedos. No presses. Completely rolled by hand. The construction was unreal. The robusto burned for about 1 hour and a bit, and I smoke cigars pretty fast. Didn't have to relight it ever or correct it. It just burned perfect. The draw was perfect. The taste was definetely different. This was my first fresh cigar ever. It tasted fresh and smooth. The tabaco was RyJ and about three years old. It was a diferent experience. He left the foot of the cigar uncut which gives it a cool look. Also you gain about another 10-15 minutes of smoking. Kind of looks like a flower at the end. I bought a bunch more to throw in my humidor to age and see how they taste in a year or so. If anyone has ever had one I would like to know what they thought.

Surprised it smoked at all, as usually these fresh rolled cigars are pretty wet and have to rest in a humidor for a few months before they are any good.

I bought 20 of the cornoa and piramides from Thomas Hinds last year and had to let them rest for a long time. Not a bad smoke, but not amazing either.

The tobacco they bring with them has had time to dry out. When you get fresh cigars at the factory, they're made with tobacco that's been pretty watered down, actually, so that the tobacco is pliable and workable for being handled by so many people along the way. The drier it is, the more difficult it is to roll and get the right shape - it cracks, breaks, and falls apart when dry. That's why, when you get the cigars from the on-site roller at the factory store, they tell you to let them sit for a few days. Their advice is, usually, to put them in front of an air conditioner and that will dry them out.

On tour, they don't have that problem...they're not that wet and, as you note, you did not have to light it during the hour you smoked it. The ones they roll on tour are designed to be smoked right away. Are they good to age? Not sure. I think that they lose whatever "edge" that I find appealing about fresh cigars when you age them. If they're smoking good, though, then go for it. Don't wait...there's no guarantee they'll improve.

VERY DOUBTFUL that the tobacco is 3 years old...if it's the person I think it is who rolled it, he's got lots of stories just like all the other rollers they post about on this site. And...if it's whom I think it is, yeah...he's one of the top 3 rollers in the world which is astonishing given his young age. His mentors include a guy named Cabo de Villa and another named Faustino who are characters in themselves and who are absolutely master rollers, just like EVERYBODY's mentor, this other guy named Aquai. Imagine having mentors like that!

Anyway, his stuff is impeccable, and it's amazing to watch him roll. He rolls with such ease and incredible dexterity. If you get a chance to meet him, stick around to watch him roll. The tobacco seems like it melts in his hands and out pops this wonderful cigar.

I do like fresh cigars. However, since they really haven't been allowed to sit so that the blend is noticeable, one will taste just like about any other fresh cigar...a distinctive tobacco flavor. The character I like is the 'edge' that they have.

This post also hearkens back to the people who bow down to Taboada, and who cannot say enough about how amazing his cigars are. Well - they're made with basically the same tobacco!! Roberto was spot on, as is Cohen's observation - not amazing. I think that, when you're shelling out $50 or more per stick, you'll maintain to the death that they're the best cigars you ever had, no matter WHAT they taste like! Señor Master Roller Taboada...come on.

About the guy in Canada - ask HIM about Taboada. He'll use the following word: DESCARADO.

Finally - if this is the guy I'm thinking about, here's a funny story. I met him many years ago and we became friends. My Spanish is fairly fluent, and we'd always speak in Spanish, and sometimes, depending on the complexity of the conversation, I'd struggle with some words. But we got by. One day, I introduced a friend to him, and they went off in a whole conversation in perfect English! All this time, he's letting me suffer through my attempt to speak Spanish, and he never let on that he spoke English. I still give him a hard time about that. But the joke was on me.

Smoke them while they're good.

I'm generally not impressed by the tobacco that they are allowed to bring. IMO there has definitely been something lacking in the blend. I prefer to buy from the top rollers when I'm in Havana. But not when they come to the local LCDH, I take a pass.

Ohhhhh, but what about Master Roller Señor Taboada who rolls the best of the best of the best!?!? Cecil would have a heart attack to hear this. Never mind the fact that it's true. Nice promo, though!

That's great that we can enjoy freshly rolled cigars without having to go to Cuba. Some of the best cigars I've smoked are customs.

Not sure it this counts in this forum or not, but I have smoked a freshly rolled NC and the construction was amazing. Not gonna review the cigar, but the experience was unique, because it was rolled fresh, right in front of me. I have another that I will be aging.

every Dec of every year in LCDH in my city they have rolling cigar event. i allways ask the rollers to make me an a mount of cigars and they are very good. but they need to set in the humidor for a while to be smokeable.

I am sorry if I don't know the "code" or "codes" here but there was a roller at the LCDH Toronto this summer whom I had seen in 2008 at LCDH Club Habana. I had purchased two of his works in Havana in 2008 and got two more in Toronto. I have had one of the 2008s and it was good (not great but good) but the delight was to recognize him from Havana and to talk, in very broken spanish, for a moment. If these LCDH rollers' cigars are what people refer to as Custom Smokes, I must say that they are a decent cigar but always seem overpriced to me. I'm happy to buy two but that is really a tip for the sevice, conversation and show.

quote:

Originally posted by TheHawk:
I am sorry if I don't know the "code" or "codes" here but there was a roller at the LCDH Toronto this summer whom I had seen in 2008 at LCDH Club Habana. I had purchased two of his works in Havana in 2008 and got two more in Toronto. I have had one of the 2008s and it was good (not great but good) but the delight was to recognize him from Havana and to talk, in very broken spanish, for a moment. If these LCDH rollers' cigars are what people refer to as Custom Smokes, I must say that they are a decent cigar but always seem overpriced to me. I'm happy to buy two but that is really a tip for the sevice, conversation and show.

Yes, I agree. But also I agree that every head have a different taste...out there there is a lot of guys that really love this "custom cigars"
Regards

My good friend Hamlet is rolling thru Toronto at the end of this month. His smokes are awesome fresh off the table imho.

Just got some this month from tijuna...impressed...will be more ...in fact ..getting customizer sizes is very nice i ordered robusto lengh with a 54 gauge..nice and fat,the way i like them...

That's who rolled mine. He is now in Vancouver. He definetely does exceptional work. He's a really nice guy and I had a good time with him.

quote:

Originally posted by DJTJ:
My good friend Hamlet is rolling thru Toronto at the end of this month. His smokes are awesome fresh off the table imho.

Hamlet has no problem rolling thinner gauge cigars. His Cervantes from last year are excellent.

just got my bundles from the source,not nameing the obvious source,going to put them aside for a while,love my custom shapes...robusto's and petite rob's with a 52 and 54 gauge...i'm not sure if they are actually better smokes then regular ones...will report the results in time.still love the novelty of one of a kind creations