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Last post 11 years ago by jpotts. 44 replies replies.
Making your own infused cigars
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kjkeller84 Offline
#1 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 12:32 PM EST
Joined: 08-02-2011
Posts: 32
Long story short, I've got a couple of sticks sitting around that I just can't bring myself to smoke. I'm thinking about infusing them with some bourbon, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me figure out the best way to do this. I've searched around, but there's a lot of conflicting info about whether to dip them, roll, them, just age them separartely, etc. Has anyone tried this with some cheap sticks? I'm not normally an infused cigar smoker, but my dad likes 'em, so I thought I'd give this a shot.
Audra87 Offline
#2 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 12:41 PM EST
Joined: 07-01-2010
Posts: 825
I did this once with a small 20 count humidor. I used Jack in the humidifier & kept them in there for about a month.
I've also used whole coffee beans in a humidor to flavor a few.
dalek Offline
#3 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 12:44 PM EST
Joined: 12-16-2010
Posts: 745
A friend of mine has had luck with this method:

get a large ziploc bag, put 1/2oz of your liquid in a shot glass in the bag along with the stick(s) you want to infuse (unwrapped) plus a bunch of spanish cedar shavings. before he started working with it, he used to use the thin cedar sheets from cigar boxes.

That said, if you have sticks sitting around that you can't bear to smoke, send them to the Troops.
yardobeef Offline
#4 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:03 PM EST
Joined: 10-25-2011
Posts: 849
dalek wrote:

That said, if you have sticks sitting around that you can't bear to smoke, send them to the Troops.


That will infuse the cigars....with FREEDOM!!!

(and infuse you with some good karma!)
DrafterX Offline
#5 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:34 PM EST
Joined: 10-18-2005
Posts: 98,583
use one of these...
http://www.cigarsinterna...?item=M-CJ02&cat=10

just pour your flavor in the bottom and elevate the cigars with a stick or somethin.. Mellow
delarob Offline
#6 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:41 PM EST
Joined: 06-28-2001
Posts: 5,318
I use the white platic container I get w/ my Hong Kong Fooey Chicken. I put a bed of Dunkin Donuts coffee beans in and a Drymistat. Just crack the lid every so often or you'll make Luis Pastuer look like a hack.

BTW, all you'll get is a flavored stick you can't stand. Use ones you like but are a little mild for your taste. You can put a silk hat on a pig, it's still a pig.
rah0785 Offline
#7 Posted: Wed, Nov 30 2011, 1:48 PM EST
Joined: 01-26-2011
Posts: 946

...if this the same as the famous "LOADED CIGAR" thread currently topping the charts? Always a good idea to upgrade a smoke you bought that is lacking. No need to keep doing it though if you buy from Cigar Bid. Plenty of "already fine tasting" smokes on sale here for $3, $2, or even less.
91boz Offline
#8 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 2:32 PM EST
Joined: 09-12-2010
Posts: 85
After reading this post I decided to experiment with a couple of La Differencia Cubanas sealed in a container with a half oz brandy, vanilla extract and a couple of cracked coffee beans.
We'll see what happens in about month. Herfing
dubleuhb Offline
#9 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 2:35 PM EST
Joined: 03-20-2011
Posts: 11,350
Good luck with that.
IUROX Offline
#10 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 2:56 PM EST
Joined: 08-11-2006
Posts: 10,357
A crappy smoke is still going to be a crappy smoke. Just a crappy smoke that tastes like whiskey or vanilla.
APBTMarcel Offline
#11 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 2:56 PM EST
Joined: 02-22-2007
Posts: 3,016
dalek wrote:

That said, if you have sticks sitting around that you can't bear to smoke, send them to the Troops.


While I love giving smokes to the troops I think pawning all your dog rockets off on them isn't the best idea. I'm sure there are some real cigar smokers that think it will taste like crap still. Unless I missed the point.
riverdog Offline
#12 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 2:59 PM EST
Joined: 03-28-2008
Posts: 2,600
IUROX wrote:
A crappy smoke is still going to be a crappy smoke. Just a crappy smoke that tastes like whiskey or vanilla.


Giddy up. Life's too short to drink bad wine or smoke bad cigars.
05busa Offline
#13 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 3:28 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
I did it to try......aged it in humi for 6 months,checking bourbon bowl once a month or so. Dont dip it unless u want to have a stained weird smoke. Maybe pour a drizzle down the center on smoke but not much. Place lil bowl in humi with booze of your choice and place smokes in humi and let ferment.

I did it with Tequila and it wasnt to bad after 6 months
longerash Offline
#14 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 4:41 PM EST
Joined: 06-06-2009
Posts: 702
back a few years ago I rubbed some cognac on a few sticks and put them in tubos for a couple weeks like busa says i got stained weird looking cigars that I liked somewhat.
since my palet has changed I was gifted a cognac infused properly cigar opened it up and it smelled just like the ones I made. I could not bring myself to smoke it so I did
what I always do and give it to the father-in-law he smokes anything.
Audra87 Offline
#15 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 5:07 PM EST
Joined: 07-01-2010
Posts: 825
91boz wrote:
After reading this post I decided to experiment with a couple of La Differencia Cubanas sealed in a container with a half oz brandy, vanilla extract and a couple of cracked coffee beans.
We'll see what happens in about month. Herfing



Sounds like a yummy combo. You'll have to let us know how you make out with them.
91boz Offline
#16 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 7:21 PM EST
Joined: 09-12-2010
Posts: 85
Audra87 wrote:
Sounds like a yummy combo. You'll have to let us know how you make out with them.


I'll let know how this infusion experiment works out in about a month or two.
It's only been two days and the sticks are already taking in the scent of the vanilla and coffee. Drool
cigar breath Offline
#17 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 7:59 PM EST
Joined: 04-28-2006
Posts: 960
i once won a 5 pack of DE opulence(sp?) paid $21. smoked one threw the rest. i have no idea how you folks can smoke an incense stick. to each there own and for me....one word....forgetaboutit.
stogiemonger Offline
#18 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 11:17 PM EST
Joined: 06-25-2009
Posts: 4,185
APBTMarcel wrote:
While I love giving smokes to the troops I think pawning all your dog rockets off on them isn't the best idea. I'm sure there are some real cigar smokers that think it will taste like crap still. Unless I missed the point.

While I agree to a point. My suggestion would be to add as many sticks that you would consider as good or great to the donation as the ones you are discarding. Win! Win!
05busa Offline
#19 Posted: Fri, Dec 2 2011, 11:44 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
what
lou2row Offline
#20 Posted: Sat, Dec 3 2011, 12:32 PM EST
Joined: 12-22-2006
Posts: 9,995
APBTMarcel wrote:
While I love giving smokes to the troops I think pawning all your dog rockets off on them isn't the best idea. I'm sure there are some real cigar smokers that think it will taste like crap still. Unless I missed the point.


Look at it this way:

You have a couple regular cigar smokers in a troop. Their buddies would like to join them, but can't afford cigars. The regulars can't afford to keep their buddies in good sticks either. This makes for a group to be able to join together and burn a few, and no one is left out. If the cigars sent aren't good enough for someone, they have the right to buy their own. I send what I smoke generally, and I enjoy several low end sticks.
I asked my brother who was over during Desert Storm, what he thought of sending lower end sticks. He said some of these guys are so hard up they are about rolling camel crap in newspaper for something to smoke. He always shared with his troop what he stuff got because some never got anything from home sent, and anyone that was picky could go fend for themselves.
jarhead72485 Offline
#21 Posted: Sat, Dec 3 2011, 12:55 PM EST
Joined: 09-01-2011
Posts: 190
Like Lou said, some of us out here are new smokers, some are dumb smokers, some are "mooch" smokers, never bringing anything to the party but a habit. every group has one or two, the low end smokes are perfect in this situation. Beggers/mooches can't be choosers
yardobeef Offline
#22 Posted: Sat, Dec 3 2011, 4:57 PM EST
Joined: 10-25-2011
Posts: 849
Not only that, but think of some of your most reviled sticks, there are plenty of people out there who not only find them acceptable, but probably really enjoy them. There's a reason gas stations carry the low-end stuff--somebody's buying!
Byron00 Offline
#23 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 1:54 PM EST
Joined: 08-10-2012
Posts: 1
An injection procedure for producing infused cigars in a week or less. If you have a principled objection to infusing, now's the time to quit reading. If you're stuck with a pack of boring cigars, proceed:

(1) Start with a cigar that is not naturally strongly flavored, with ring gauge of 50 or so, and with a fairly sturdy wrapper.

(2) You want the cigar to be thirsty. Punch it, and let it dry-box for a day, or more depending on your local humidity level.

(3) Meanwhile, select your infusing agent (rum, triple-sec, scotch, brandy, amaretto, whatever), and find a syringe. Mine has a 2" needle, came from a kit to refill cartridges for a computer printer.

(4) For a 50-gauge cigar, draw about 1.75 - 2.0 ml of liquid into the syringe and insert it into one end of the cigar. Now slowly, smoothly, evenly inject the liquid as you withdraw the needle from the cigar. For an even application you want to run out of liquid just as the needle exits the cigar. The idea is to leave a nice even trail of liquid behind. Practice first with only air in the syringe.

(5) Refill the syringe and do the same thing from the other end of the cigar.

(6) Draw a few times by mouth from each end of the cigar to further distribute the liquid that's now inside.

(7) Let the cigar sit dry for a day to absorb the liquid, then put it back in a humidor and wait at least three days before you dry-box it and smoke it. The humidor time is to let the binder and wrapper absorb moisture, so they're less likely to swell and split when the cigar is smoked. The idea is to have cigar with a uniformly humidified cross section; achieving that will vary with humidity levels where you live.

This produces a nicely flavor-infused cigar, unlike methods that have you waiting months for something you can't even taste. If the infusion is too strong, it's easiest to follow the same procedure but with the rum, etc., diluted with water.
05busa Offline
#24 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 2:02 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
Yikes
Bentakemoto Offline
#25 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 2:11 PM EST
Joined: 12-23-2012
Posts: 1,617
Byron00 wrote:
An injection procedure for producing infused cigars in a week or less. If you have a principled objection to mayonnaise infusing, now's the time to quit reading. If you're stuck with a pack of boring cigars, proceed:

(1) Start with a cigar that is not naturally strongly flavored, with ring gauge of 50 or so, and with a fairly sturdy wrapper.

(2) You want the cigar to be thirsty. Punch it, and let it dry-box for a day, or more depending on your local humidity level.

(3) Meanwhile, select your infusing agent (mayonnaise, mayonnaise, mayonnaise, mayonnaise, mayonnaise, whatever), and find a syringe. Mine has a 2" needle, came from a kit to refill mayonnaise cartridges for a mayonnaise printer.

(4) For a 50-gauge cigar, draw about 1.75 - 2.0 ml of mayonnaise into the syringe and insert it into one end of the cigar. Now slowly, smoothly, evenly inject the mayonnaise as you withdraw the needle from the cigar. For an even application you want to run out of mayonnaise just as the needle exits the cigar. The idea is to leave a nice even trail of mayonnaise behind. Practice first with only mayonnaise in the syringe.

(5) Refill the syringe and do the same thing from the other end of the cigar.

(6) Draw a few times by mouth from each end of the cigar to further distribute the mayonnaise that's now inside.

(7) Let the cigar sit dry for a day to absorb the mayonnaise, then put it back in a humidor and wait at least three days before you dry-box it and eat it. The humidor time is to let the binder and wrapper absorb mayonnaise, so they're less likely to swell and split when the cigar is eaten. The idea is to have cigar with a uniformly mayonnaised cross section; achieving that will vary with humidity levels where you live.

This produces a nicely mayonnaise-infused cigar, unlike methods that have you waiting months for something you can't even taste. If the mayonnaise is too strong, it's easiest to follow the same procedure but with the Worcestershire sauce , etc., diluted with extra mayonnaise.



Mmmmmm.....

Frying pan
Abrignac Offline
#26 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 2:26 PM EST
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,358
Ignorance is bliss
05busa Offline
#27 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 3:33 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
Nothin like giving info a few yrs late
gae9jang2j Offline
#28 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 3:35 PM EST
Joined: 12-13-2012
Posts: 5,612
^ lmao

i wish I woulda known this before I sent Justin (confuzed) my homemade Java Mints.
Bur Offline
#29 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 4:08 PM EST
Joined: 07-31-2012
Posts: 5,638
gae9jang2j wrote:
^ lmao

i wish I woulda known this before I sent Justin (confuzed) my homemade Java Mints.


Applause Applause Applause

this thread has been both informative and entertaining. And btw, GAE, you have some Golden Siesta's headed your way that will be perfect for infusing. Need more? OK, I'll say it: BOMB GAE9JANG2J!

PM anyone for his addy.....Da General will probably send you an extra pre-printed label.
gae9jang2j Offline
#30 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 4:14 PM EST
Joined: 12-13-2012
Posts: 5,612
aren't you in Japan or something?

chit stirring from across the Pacific. dayam...
05busa Offline
#31 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 5:12 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
Japan has some great snacks......yum yum
Bentakemoto Offline
#32 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 5:28 PM EST
Joined: 12-23-2012
Posts: 1,617
05busa wrote:
Japan has some great snacks......yum yum


+1
i.e. squid jerky. if you ever have the opportunity, just say yes.
05busa Offline
#33 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 5:32 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
That sounds great.....ill hav to try it
dbush012002 Offline
#34 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 11:08 PM EST
Joined: 01-19-2013
Posts: 110
I gotta try making Bacon infused cigars.

















Sarcasm Sarcasm
05busa Offline
#35 Posted: Mon, Mar 11 2013, 11:16 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
That burns well
Bentakemoto Offline
#36 Posted: Tue, Mar 12 2013, 1:01 AM EST
Joined: 12-23-2012
Posts: 1,617
Why not cigar-infused bacon? Cure the bacon using cigars, then infuse cigars with that bacon.

Just create the bacon wormhole.
05busa Offline
#37 Posted: Tue, Mar 12 2013, 1:43 AM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
If they make vodka they can make anything
TimFusco Offline
#38 Posted: Tue, Mar 12 2013, 11:13 AM EST
Joined: 08-10-2012
Posts: 928
My wife accidentally infused some cigars I sent to the troops. I gave her a couple ziplocks with sticks and humi-packs. She packed them on top of a bag of peppermint hard candies. When the got there, apparently all the sticks smelled of peppermint....50 infused cigars...I coulda cried. I told him just to put them in a separate tupper-dore to see if they lose the smell.
meatcake Offline
#39 Posted: Tue, Mar 12 2013, 1:45 PM EST
Joined: 04-07-2012
Posts: 38
I know I'm new here but not new to cigars and I have a method I used about half a year back that worked great.

Bakery emulsions!! They are water based additives/extracts that if heated will infuse quite nicely with cigars.
In order for the cigar to pull in the flavor you need to dry box the cigar first, so that it is starved for moisture. Then you heat up the bakery emulsion, keep it in a shot glass next to the cigars in the box and check on it every few weeks, refilling the shot glass. Since the cigar is starved for moisture, it will draw from the water based emulsion and bring the flavors with it. You can find them here:

https://www.lorannoils.com/c-10-bakery-emulsions.aspx

They come in flavors like Almond, Coffee, Orange and even Rum. Since these Emulsions are concentrated versions of the flavors you might want to try, it should net you better results. Also, you could mix and match (say rum and almond) and make more customizable flavors.

The biggest thing to worry about, doing the shot glass method is mold. You want the cigars to take in the moisture and infuse in the process but you also don't want them too wet all the time because mold will form. When I did the cigar box method, I even went through the trouble of seasoning the cigar box so that it wasn't stealing moisture away from the cigars. I guess in theory you could use a tupperware to do this as well, but to me the cigar box was handy and had a pretty decent seal on it (it helped also that I when I closed it up, I put gaffer tape around it to seal it better, its easy to remove, you can also use electrical or any other tape that easily removes). It kept at 65 with kitty litter in it before I started my experiment. While I was infusing them, I kept an old manual hygrometer I had in there and it kept pretty steady at an RH of 68. A lot wetter than I store my cigars at, but for the infusing process I think its necessary.

Once you are DONE infusing, its good to again, dry box the cigar before smoking it, to get it at a decent RH and to lock in whatever flavor you infused it with.

The main thing to remember doing ANY of this is, you have to have patience. The longer you keep them infusing those flavors, the better the outcome. It does suck when you put in all the time and get little to no results, but it is all about the experimentation. That is more than half the fun. The other part of it is, smoking the rewards.
05busa Offline
#40 Posted: Tue, Mar 12 2013, 2:32 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
They got apple crumb?
meatcake Offline
#41 Posted: Wed, Mar 13 2013, 6:24 AM EST
Joined: 04-07-2012
Posts: 38
No but you can make one that taste like a cross between Cinnabon and Shame.
05busa Offline
#42 Posted: Wed, Mar 13 2013, 6:48 AM EST
Joined: 01-02-2007
Posts: 97,187
I dont like shame
engletl Offline
#43 Posted: Wed, Mar 13 2013, 6:32 PM EST
Joined: 12-26-2000
Posts: 26,493
05busa wrote:
Japan has some great snacks......yum yum

and some great Yamazaki as well
jpotts Offline
#44 Posted: Fri, Mar 15 2013, 10:39 AM EST
Joined: 06-14-2006
Posts: 28,811
kjkeller84 wrote:
Long story short, I've got a couple of sticks sitting around that I just can't bring myself to smoke. I'm thinking about infusing them with some bourbon, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me figure out the best way to do this. I've searched around, but there's a lot of conflicting info about whether to dip them, roll, them, just age them separartely, etc. Has anyone tried this with some cheap sticks? I'm not normally an infused cigar smoker, but my dad likes 'em, so I thought I'd give this a shot.



I did this several years back, made a air-tight infusing chamber out of tupperware (or the like), and used brandy as the infusing agent. No dipping, just letting the cigars take in the flavor via evaporation and exposure.

They come out wet. Very, very wet. You'll need to keep them seperated, and then dryboxed for several days before trying one. I used brandy.

From my experiment, I discovered that some wrappers infuse better than others. Claro Claro (Candela) infuses the best, and will give you the strongest infused flavor. Your run-of-the-mill Connecticut Shade is the next best, alons with Sumatra.

Darker wrappers like maduro, habano, rosado and so on do not infuse as well. There is too much flavor in the wrapper itself, and it generally drowns out the infused flavor.

I used "They Who Shall Not Be Named" offering of Mr. B's bundles as I can get them in Claro Claro and Conneticut. They are a decent cheap stick for a real good price, and the claro claros are probably some of the better green sticks out there.

Comacho has Candela cigars, but they are VERY oaky, woodsy. I prefer more of an herbal flavor.
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