Backwood dissection

[jabba]

Someone gave me a few Backwoods yesterday and even though I don't smoke these I was taught to never turn away a gift; just accept and say thank you.

Anyway, I smoked about one inch of one and it wasn't my cup of tea so I tossed it. It was really dry and I didn't like the rum flavour.

I had no interest in smoking the second one so I decided to dissect it; rather than completely waste it. Basically these little things are just short filler wrapped with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper(if you can call it a wrapper). There is no binder leaf and they look really rough.

My question is...

Do you require both a binder and a wrapper to make a good quality/tasting cigar?

sidenote: I like the story on the back of the package that says in the old days when a man wanted a good cigar he would roll it himself. This would be cool to try today if you could get quality aged tobacco in bulk.

 

[Ginseng]

I do not know for sure since I haven't researched the history on cheroots. However, it stands to reason that when one is using thick and strong tobacco like Connecticut Broadleaf as the enveloping leaf, a binder is not strictly necessary. Binders are necessary, however, when the wrapper is delicate and not strong enough to function as the sole "shell" of the smoke. This is speaking strictly on the basis of mechanics and not based on any knowledge of the history or evolution of this type of cigar or the cigars we are now familiar with.

In "the old days" carrying some wrapper leaf and some chopped filler was probably doable. Carrying delicate wrapper, tough binder and the chopped filler was probably too much trouble.

Wilkey

 

[dead_man]

I used to smoke these when I wanted a quick smoke. The regular ones didn't used to be bad, but now the seem to be very dry. They never used to be that way.

 

[puros_bran]

Actually started smokin real cigars because I smoked backwoods....would smoke a pack every few months..one day when smokin on my "cigar" I happened on a Thompson cigar catalog.. here I am a month or so later surfin cigar pass smokin a real nice camacho slr I received in a bomb <thanks again> wonderin how to convince the wife that 34 bucks for an OPUS X really isnt that expensive .. anyhoot I think I owe backwoods some more praise for leading me to real smokes

 

[Mrepp]

Actually started smokin real cigars because I smoked backwoods....would smoke a pack every few months..one day when smokin on my "cigar" I happened on a Thompson cigar catalog.. here I am a month or so later surfin cigar pass smokin a real nice camacho slr I received in a bomb <thanks again> wonderin how to convince the wife that 34 bucks for an OPUS X really isnt that expensive .. anyhoot I think I owe backwoods some more praise for leading me to real smokes

[snapback]290928[/snapback]​

Thats how I got into it too. I was smokeing the Rum backwoods for awhile then decided to pull the trigger on a box of real cigars.

 

[IgwanaRob]

wonderin how to convince the wife that 34 bucks for an OPUS X really isnt that expensive

You'd have a hard time convincing anyone that an OpusX is worth that kind of money :0

 

[TOFan]

My buddies and I would buy a couple packs of Backwoods back in the high school days whenever we went camping. We called them Eastwoods because we thought we’d look like Clint when we smoked 'em. Oh those fun fun high school times.

 

[smokelaw1]

Camping is when I got introduced to Backwoods, myself. They worked better than anything else to keep some balckflies and mosquitos away during New England bug season. I was maybe 13 or 14 years old. never really thought of them as cigars...just puffable insect repellant.