Cigar.com sends everything you need to blend your own cigar.
For many cigar aficionados, the dream of having our own cigar blend is just that, a dream. But now, this dream has become a reality.
Cigar.com has teamed up with George Rico (Gran Habano cigars), to offer the G.A.R Deli Custom Blending Kit ($249.95). Each kit contains samples of wrapper, binder, and filler tobacco, along with an Ordering Guide. The concept is to smoke the various “puritos” (tiny hand rolled cigars of each tobacco type), and notate your preferences. Once all the samples have been tested, you jot down your selections for the wrapper, binder, and fillers. A Cigar.com representative is available to assist in any aspect of the process. Then, within 4-6 weeks, you receive a box of 25 of your custom blended cigars. If you love your creation, you can re-order subsequent boxes for $199.
I got my kit a week after ordering, and I was very impressed. Each purito came hand labeled in its own plastic bag. The score card and instructions were very clear and easy to follow. At first I was nervous about my abilities to blend a decent cigar. I know what I like, but creating a blend seemed way beyond my expertise. What if I screwed it up and made a blend that simply didn’t work? Throwing caution to the wind, my good friend Bernie and I sat down, rolled up our sleeves, and started taste-testing. Step one was to pick a wrapper.
The process.
The three wrapper selections were Connecticut (Ecuador), Habano (Ecuador), and Maduro (Pennsylvania). We started with the most mild one first, the Conn. This purito was as sweet and fragrant as a flower. Its taste was puro tobacco heaven. As expected the Habano had an earthy spiciness, while the Maduro was pungent and strong. At this point we needed to determine what type of cigar we wanted to blend. Although we like most types of cigars, from mild to powerhouse, Bernie and I wanted a cigar we could enjoy everyday. The aromatic quality of the Ecuadorian Conn. seemed perfect for what we wanted.
A purito is actually a tiny cigar, complete with a wrapper.
The binder choices were Corojo (Nicaragua, Jalapa), Habano (Nicaragua Esteli), and Habano (Nicaragua, Jalapa). We found the standout to be the Habano/Jalapa. It had great aroma, and its medium body seemed like a nice compliment to the mild Conn. wrapper.
The filler tobaccos were more difficult to pick. By the time we got around to smoking them, we were feeling a bit woozy from having sampled all the wrappers and binders. Much like wine tasting, at some point you need to take a break. That we did, with a light lunch to cleanse our palates.
Choosing the fillers was more challenging. With eleven puritos to smoke, we were very careful to make specific notes on each one. The choices were: Ligero (Costa Rica), Ligero (Esteli), Ligero (Jalapa), Seco (Condega), Seco Cubita (Columbia), Seco (Jalapa), Seco Jose (Costa Rica), Viso (Esteli), Viso (Jalapa), Viso Jose (Costa Rica), and Viso (Peru). As you can see, the choices ran the gamut of cigar flavors from some of the best tobacco growing regions. The combinations were almost endless, and in the end. Bernie and I chose four that suited our purpose. We wanted a medium strength cigar of high complexity and aroma, with a touch of spiciness. Our thinking was to pick three fillers that met our requirements, into which we would add 25% ligero. Although the Ligero from Esteli would seem like the obvious choice (its ulta-spicy quality was well know to us), we went for the Ligera Jalapa. It seemed to be the best match for our other tobacco choices.
At this point we faced a dilemma. Should we order two boxes, each with a different flavor profile? It would have been nice to blend a medium body cigar AND a killer powerhouse blend. But rather than make that investment upfront, we figured we’d wait to see how our first box tasted before committing to a second.
The Ordering Guide made tobacco selection easy.
Quite an education!
The experience of tasting all the various tobaccos in their purest form was a real education. Not only in the service of blending our own cigar, but as a way of expanding our appreciation for cigars in general. Now, when we smoke our favorite cigars, we can taste all the individual elements that have gone into their blends. This experience has enhanced our enjoyment of cigar smoking, and we now have a better understanding of why the cigars we love are so great.
In the end it became clear that any anxiety we had about creating a worthy blend was unfounded. All the tobacco samples included in this kit were well fermented, smooth, and with a ton of character. It seems like no matter what our choices were, the end result would be enjoyable. In 4-6 weeks we’ll be receiving our blend, and I’ll post a followup article with the results.
It is without any reservations that I recommend the G.A.R Deli Custom Blending Kit. It’s a cigar smoking experience like no other. And in the end you’ll have a box of cigars that is truly your own.
Happy smokes,
Joe
I would like to create my own , how do I get started
Try calling Cigar.com and see if they still offer this.
I would like to have 400 cigars made for my company with my own blend, is this possible?
Have you ever tried to blend your own cigars before? It takes a long time, through trial and error, to get it right. Even the best cigar makers can take up to a year to fine tune a blend. But if you want to go that route, I suggest you find a local cigar maker and see what they can offer.