How to Roll a Cigar: 14 Steps

Rolling your own cigar can be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby for tobacco enthusiasts. With practice and patience, you can create a perfectly rolled cigar that rivals those found in high-end stores. Follow these 14 steps to learn how to roll a cigar.
1. Gather materials: You’ll need fresh tobacco leaves, a cutting board, a sharp knife, distilled water or vegetable glycerin, and a clean cloth or towel.
2. Prepare the wrapper leaf: Choose a large, unblemished tobacco leaf for the wrapper. Carefully moisten it with water or glycerin to make it pliable.
3. Remove the central vein: Using your knife, trim away the central vein from the tobacco leaf by cutting along both sides of the vein towards the tip of the leaf.
4. Cut filler tobacco: Select tobacco leaves for filler and cut them into long thin strips using your knife.
5. Combine filler tobaccos: Mix different types of filler tobaccos together to achieve the desired flavor profile for your cigar.
6. Prepare binder leaf: Choose another tobacco leaf to serve as your binder. Moisten it similarly to the wrapper leaf, making it pliable enough to roll easily.
7. Create the bunch: Place some filler tobacco onto one side of the binder leaf. Roll these tightly within the binder to create a bunch, ensuring an even distribution of filler throughout its length.
8. Roll up the bunch: Turn over any excess binder leaf at both ends of the bunch inward, sealing in the filler tobacco inside.
9. Wrap the binder-covered bunch with another layer of binder leaves if necessary, making sure there are no gaps between leaves for optimal aesthetics and burn consistency.
10. Trim excess binder leaves until there is just enough left to cover the whole foot (the end that will be lit) evenly with no overlap or folds visible when viewed from above.
11. Wet the edge of the wrapper leaf slightly to improve adherence when applied to the binder-covered bunch.
12. Apply wrapper leaf: Hold one end of the moistened wrapper leaf against the cigar, and begin to wrap it tightly around the binder-covered bunch, working your way from foot to head with a spiraling motion. Keep slight tension on the wrapper as you proceed.
13. Cut excess wrapper and cap the cigar: Trim off any excess tobacco from the head of the cigar. Moisten the end of a strip of tobacco leaf and apply it to form a neat cap around the head, sealing in all layers securely.
14. Age your cigar: Store your freshly rolled cigars in a humidor at 70% humidity for about two weeks before smoking. This allows flavors to meld together and results in an enhanced smoking experience.
With these 14 steps, you can now roll your own cigars like a pro and enjoy this debonair hobby! Practice makes perfect, so keep rolling and experimenting with different tobacco blends to find your favorite combination.