Custom Rolls/Custom Blends from Cuba-Flavor Profile(s)?

[SaintMickey®]

I see MANY of FOH'r with custom rolls/custom blends from some of the more well know rollers/blenders from Hotels, factories etc.

Some questions that cross my mind and may or may not be "valid".

1. Who's the best in your opinion? Particular Blend/Flavor profile they are known for? They must be sourcing their leaf from "familiar" factories/farms that also provide every one from Cohiba to Vegureos.
2. Can  you taste well known brands it in their cigars rolls? Are some of them "known" for this? e.g.  "it's full of Hoyo creaminess but his custom roll packs an additional punch in strength"
3. Do they have a flavor profile that always is present due to their tobacco selection or is every cigar a "new adventure"(If so I wouldn't like this...I'm a boring guy that likes predictable)

Thanks for scratching this itch...just want to hear everyone's experiences. I read this great article by @matteo here so credit to that for making me ask. And ultimately when in Cuba I need to decide if Custom Rolls are "for me".

http://www.cigarinspector.com/cuban-cigars-info/havana-custom-rolled-cigars

• Alejandro Gonzalez Arias: Hotel Comodoro Cigar Shop at 3ra Ave. & Calle 84, Playa. Read more about Alejandro Gonzalez Arias in this article.
• Leopoldina Gutierrez aka 'La China': Partagas LCDH at Calle Industria #520, Centro Habana
• Yolanda Medina: Hotel Melia Habana LCDH at 3ra Ave. between Calle 76 & 80, Playa
• Maria: Quinta y 16 LCDH at 5ta Ave. and Calle 16, Miramar
• Jorge Lopez: Club Havana LCDH at 5ta Ave. between Calle 188-192, Playa
• Reynaldo Gonzalez & Jorge: Conde de Villanueva LCDH at Mercaderes #202 corner of Lamparilla, Habana Vieja
• Juanita Ramos Guerra: Hotel Melia Cohiba LCDH, at Paseo Ave. between Calle 1 & 3, Vedado
• Milagro Morales: Hotel Nacional LCDH at Calle 21 & O, Vedado
• Arnaldo Alfonso Ibanez: Hotel Palco LCDH at 146 Ave. between Calle 11 & 13, Playa
• Update Jose (Cueto) Castelar: Parque Morro-Cabana Cigar Shop, Havana.

 

NOTE: I did search and found some "custom roll" posts but I am really interested if these rollers flavors can be compared to a particular Marcas.

[mrretrohale]

@torsion pretty sure Mike has this in his head but just in case

[SaintMickey®]

I've found that, being limited by what tobacco is available at the time, there is zero blend consistency among these folks from one month to the next...sometimes even one week to the next. Even Monsdales, when they actually WERE Monsdales, varied over time. And Mons had supply connections at the highest level. The only aspect that is consistent seems to be quality of construction. 

Thanks. Makes me wonder then for a custom or production cigar no one would pick "high quality of construction" over a consistent blend/flavor. Unless it's more about the experience?



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[SaintMickey®]

1 hour ago, Hutch said:

I can only speak for myself, but I enjoy customs from several rollers, not because I know just what they are going to taste like, but rather for the opposite reason. I'm usually certain that they will be well made and NOT taste like regular production. My very favorite roller passed away a while back, but I enjoyed every single cigar of his that I smoked.

 

So even though it might have changed they always managed to have a quality smoke. I am sure that is the only way they stay successful and renowned. Only makes sense but what might keep me from buying.

Great photo.

[stogieluver]

I've had very few customs that were short of very good blend and construction.  When I go back, I'll load up on only custom rolls.  And that damned Hotel Nacional ashtray I should have made room for. 

[earthson]

Definitely a lot of variation based upon available tobacco - last couple years especially.

That said, construction is often top notch, and my favorite type of custom roll is loaded with barnyard/horseshit and I can't seem to reliably find that in any reg production marca.

[SaintMickey®]

1 hour ago, earthson said:

custom roll is loaded with barnyard/horseshit and I can't seem to reliably find that in any reg production marca.

Love to hear more about this!

[strikethebox7]

There is a lot of interesting stuff here guys thanks! So it seems that the only consistent thing about custom rolls/blends is the top notch roll, can anyone comment on flavors found in some of these rolls? Im curious if there is any consistency in flavor from one roller to the next compared to mass produced marca's IE hoyo cream or cohiba grassiness


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[SaintMickey®]

3 minutes ago, strikethebox7 said:

There is a lot of interesting stuff here guys thanks! So it seems that the only consistent thing about custom rolls/blends is the top notch roll, can anyone comment on flavors found in some of these rolls? Im curious if there is any consistency in flavor from one roller to the next compared to mass produced marca's IE hoyo cream or cohiba grassiness


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Agreed. That's what I'm trying to find out

[El Presidente]

Marquee rollers (some) will have their special way of doing things. 

Hamlet would like his Salomones to be consistent in taste. He would alter the leaf blend to achieve it. You will find a half leaf of ligero in the back third...sometimes a little less dependent on the tobacco received (qualities, strengths). 

All tobacco to rollers is provided by the state enterprise to the house. Some rollers in conjunction with their managers have supposed better relationships than others. Many people doubt this but it is Cuba and if there is coin to be made, a way will be found. 

Generally, from what I have seen over the years, all marquee rollers are provided with high quality leaf. 

 

 

[polarbear]

As many have commented, due to a lack of consistent materials week to week I imagine trying to identify a rollers traditional flavour profile would be hit and miss at best
My advice would be to ask the roller in person the general profile on the day you walk into the store and try one from each roller before buying a bundle or two

I've sampled a number of custom/house rolls over the years and am yet to be disappointed by them.
The main appeal of house (in my experience) is that they don't often compare to many of the regular production flavour profiles currently on the market
If you're hoping to get some house rolls that taste like a Ramon Allones or Por Larranaga, I don't know why you wouldn't just buy RA or PL from our host

That being said, I do have some Salamons that are meant to be RA and PL blends but I can comment on how accurate that description is as I'm yet to light one

[dvickery]

A few years ago ... a friend and I smoked a santo pyramid then one of Yolanda's pyramids ... then smoked a santo robusto and a Yolanda robusto .

at the time we both agreed they were very similar in taste just less of it in Yolanda's cigars .

i told that story so I could say this . I then believed that the tobacco given to the "house" rollers is from the same pile/truck/bale in the habanos warehouse ... just up to the roller to blend differently .

i have always remembered this tasting and thought about it every time I go to Havana ... I feel the same way to this day .

year by year the flavours of that tobacco changes a bit ... but not much .

and please don't ask me what the flavours are/were ... overall mostly I just get burning tobacco .

i hope this helped a bit( probably my longest post ever on this forum )

derrek

[avaldes]

Hutch, is that Rudolfo Taboada?

[Puros Y Vino]

I really enjoy custom rolls.  The majority of what I have are Hamlet's.(Salamones, Flying Pigs, Lanceros, 898's and various shaggy foot vitolas).  I've got stock from 2010 to 2013 from him either from trips to Havana or when he was up in Toronto during the summer of 2011 (IIRC).  The rolls he did here were from tobacco housed by the Canadian distributor Havana House, but selected by him.  He had it shipped ahead of his trip as he was doing a 3 month stint up in Canada.  Of the cigars he rolled here, the tobacco blend was and still is on the sweet side.  I smoked one last week and was delighted by the flavours. The sweetness is like a toned down sugar cane. It has a "freshness" about it.  His Salamones have a bit of that sweetness too but overall they are a more complex cigar.  The Flying Pigs are probably the most dynamic of them all. Whenever I smoke one it's like taking a tour of various marcas. I taste Cohiba grassiness, RA fruit cake, Montecristo, some RyJ and some VR coffee notes.

I also enjoy the following customs.

Santos. I have several Dalias, Lanceros and Coronas left,but my favourite cigar was his 109.  I bought a few from him back in 2012 and they were a chocolate delight. I regret not buying bundles as I had already stocked up on what I was going to bring back home by then.  By 2013 he was off the island and not at Commodoro. 

Reynaldo.  Several Lanceros a few robustos and a Monte A sized monster with 58RG.  Very savoury, rich, strong cigars.

Jorge Lopez.  I am HUGE fan of his Monsdales.  He's very consistent with his blend. His Robusto Largos are also good.  I'm fortunate enough to have a few Enrique rolled Monsdales too.

Yolanda. Had a few of her Piramides.  Great rolls, mild / medium blend to my taste. Very smooth, morning cigar IMO.

I also have rolls from less well known rollers who came up to Toronto's LCDH. Arnaldo Alfonso (great old guy, tasty cigars). Reinier Barroto. ({Partagas Factory roller IIRC?)

Recently I've had some of Alejandro's stuff through friends. Haven't met the man myself.  Great smokes!

The best part of any of these cigars is meeting the rollers, watching them to do their thing and relaxing with one of their smokes in their midst. I am by no means a familiar face to them so I couldn't/wouldn't have made special blend requests from them.  I enjoyed their wares as is and that was enough TBH.  Each one brings their own personality to their blends.  Each cigar serves as a memento and a treat to be indulged in when the time is right. 

[strikethebox7]

^ great post! Thanks bundwallah for taking the time to explain the flavors and comparison's amongst the rollers thats some great information to have for those of us that have to yet have a custom


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[earthson]

14 hours ago, SaintMickey® said:

Love to hear more about this!

Barnyard and sugar cane upon receipt and I know I'm in for a treat!

13 hours ago, strikethebox7 said:

There is a lot of interesting stuff here guys thanks! So it seems that the only consistent thing about custom rolls/blends is the top notch roll, can anyone comment on flavors found in some of these rolls? Im curious if there is any consistency in flavor from one roller to the next compared to mass produced marca's IE hoyo cream or cohiba grassiness


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I've gotten 3 different bundles of Carlos Fernandez rolls across 2 years (2013-2015). 2 were Sublimes (2013 and 2015) that supposedly had Medio Tiempo leaves blended in. Both bundles had my barnyard and sugar cane as well as a creamy, custardy element that suggested the presence of Medio Tiempo. The 3rd bundle are some super lanceros, measuring about 8.5 x 40 and they taste straightup like a never-ending CoLa.

[BrightonCorgi]

On 1/29/2017 at 1:04 PM, SaintMickey® said:

Thanks. Makes me wonder then for a custom or production cigar no one would pick "high quality of construction" over a consistent blend/flavor. Unless it's more about the experience?

I enjoy the perfect construction & style very much, it really makes me appreciate the art of cigar rolling.  Customs generally have (or should have) gorgeous wrappers...  Big honker cigars should be on the lighter flavor profile.   You want 2.5+ hour cigar, it can't be all ligero...

[BrightonCorgi]

4 hours ago, bundwallah said:

I also have rolls from less well known rollers who came up to Toronto's LCDH. Arnaldo Alfonso (great old guy, tasty cigars). Reinier Barroto. ({Partagas Factory roller IIRC?)

Do you think travelling rollers are better ramped up with good tobacco than a BAU day working in Havana?  I'd think have premium tobacco's is a prerequisite for a tour. 

[Puros Y Vino]

25 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Do you think travelling rollers are better ramped up with good tobacco than a BAU day working in Havana?  I'd think have premium tobacco's is a prerequisite for a tour. 

I couldn't tell you with any certainty.  From chatting with Hamlet, the tobacco for the tour rollers is just general stuff from a random factory.  He told us he was able to personally source the tobacco he wanted to take on tour and get it shipped.  In his mind, if his name was associated with that roll, he wanted to be able to pick the raw tobaccos. 

[Zedman05]

From the times I have had the pleasure of going to Havana and smoking their cigars, I know that their flavor profiles are definitely different.
Reynaldo's cigars start off with strength and pepper. They turn a bit chocolaty. Good cigars if a bigger kick is what you are searching for. After only a couple years they drop a lot of that pepper and smooth out a ton. I have found they taste more and more like Robaina farmies as time goes on. Very good with a couple years.

Alex Gonzalez's cigars are more along the lower end of medium strength and body. They are far creamier and buttery.
They age well. Smoothing out that unavoidable ammonia burn off and giving you more of the cream. Definitely my favorite custom rolls.

Yolanda's cigars are a close blend to Alex's. It wouldn't surprise me to know they are from the same bales of tobacco, but different blends.
If I am going to buy while in Havana, I am not going to stop at the Melia, I will just walk the 5 mins to the Commodoro.

These are the three that I feel I have smoked enough to really have an opinion.

[cybermadhatter]

A Reynaldo pc (almost a corona) and a Yolanda corona.  

The former is rustic and earthy with some old school partagas flavors.  The latter is creamier and woodsier with some leather.  

 

 

I am smoking the Reynaldo as I write this.  ( he claims he ages them 5 years)

 

Steven

[danny]

There are days that you are going to get some subpar wrappers and others fantastic wrappers.  Just depends on when you catch them.  If you're there for a short trip, you'll probably end up buying whatever they have available; they're not going to stop rolling completely because the tobacco isn't the best.  As someone said, theres money to be made.  But if you do have the time to stop by another day, the rollers will tell you to come back and to pass on current stock.  Different times of the year, events, and overall amount of traffic/buyers can make sourcing great tobacco a bit tough, let alone keeping any stock to begin with.  But regardless, I've found that the flavors from each "Roller's" cigars are quite consistent from batch-to-batch.  Of course you have consider the fact that you might be smoking various vitolas, of various ages, and other variables.  But even with that, I can reach for any one of the customs I have an know what to expect and have yet to be suprised.

I guess to each his own.  Anyways, here's what comes to mind as far as profile/flavors go:

Yolanda - Creamy, smooth, and balanced.  Think a lighter version of a Siglo VI, without to much grassiness   Maybe half the ligero of a cigar that already has half ligero.  Solid Medium to me.  Favorite vitola would be the Canonazo (Siglo VI) over the Piramide, personally.  The custom shagfoot bundle I was able to get was even better.

Alex - I found these to be gearing up more towards the Medium to Medium-Full range.  Deeper, more complex flavors.  Great construction (as I've found with most rollers in Havana anyways)  Favorite so far would be the Robusto or Robustos Supremos w/ shagfoot (also special ordered)

Jorge -  In the case of the Monsdales, is where I've noticed the wrapper quality issue the most.  My 1st bundle had green spots while the most recent bundle are a beautiful maduro color.  BUT, I found that the flavor profile was consistent, even though they were years apart (of course taking into consideration the age of the cigars).  There was a slight edge in preference for the better looking cigars, but that could be just in my mind.  Flavor-wise, I would say their medium-full with more of a kick than Alex's.  A very flavorful and unique blend, with a size I absolute love.  You need to smoke this one nice and slow or you'll find it getting too hot and altering the profile.  Age on these also does them wonders (unless you're able to smoke them within the month they were rolled for profile that cannot be replicated once past that point; love them fresh!) 

Reynaldo -  Had some of his famous, extra long lanceros of his of course.  This cigars is what comes to mind when I think "Cuban Custom Roll".  It has that "custom", rugged, hand-rolled, flavor profile.  Something that you could imagine a roller rolling for himself to smoke.  Medium-full (Full for a lancero), with a extra kick that makes up for the RG.  Another one you need to smoke slowly to be rewarded. Very unique profile younger.  Personally, I liked this cigar better with the edge slightly taken off.  Think Juan Lopez characteristics with 6 months vs. 18-24

My very long 2-cents.  Either way, I've always been a fan of customs.  And like another brother had mentioned, if they tasted or were meant to taste like another cigar, I'd rather buy the banded version instead.  

[Jimmy_jack]

So they do have some on hand that are not pre ordered? I have a friend going in may on a cruise. It was a surprise change in her cruise itinerary. I was going to ask her to hit some LCDH and get a few boxes...but on further thought it makes more sense to get some customs. Ive never had any and always wanted the opportunity. 

If they have stock on hand is it typically just singles or do they have bundles? What could I expect to spend for a bundle of 109s or churchills?

[bb360]

So hard to get a hold of custom rolled 

[madandana]

Not sure on the 109 but figure $6-8 for a Churchill.