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Candela Wrappers

The SniperThe Sniper Posts: 3,910
Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

A) A sweet treat
B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
C) Something new to the industry, or
D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?

Comments

  • Russ55Russ55 Posts: 2,765 ✭✭
    I don't know much about them, but they've been around quite a while. I remember seeing Peter Falk smoke them in more than a few episodes of Columbo. My guess, and it's just a guess, is that they're nasty. He's said before that he always just bought the cheapest smoke he could find at the liquor store. That's what I base my guess off at least. That, and where I've seen them offered. Who knows though, maybe they taste great.
  • rossdavey2rossdavey2 Posts: 979
    Never heard of them. So can't be Scottish and so must be crap indeed.
  • Rob1110Rob1110 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭
    At one time, Candela wrapped cigars were the most popular selling cigars to the US. Times have changed and the candela wrapper has been pushed aside for darker wrappers. The candela is unfermented tobacco that is just dried, therefore you get a very "green" taste to it. It is slightly sweet and grassy. I've had a few and they're generally good morning or mid-day cigars if they fit your taste. I know I have tried one Iguana, which is a pretty easy to get brand for candela.

    Bottom line, I say try it for yourself and see what you think.
  • smbrinksmbrink Posts: 406
    The way it was explained to me was "Think of wrapper tobacco as a bannana peel. Green means that it's gonna on the bitter side, yellow-yellowish brown is the norm, and the darker it is the more fermented and therefore more sweet". Or something like that.
  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Generally, the candela is a lot milder smoke. A little on the sweet side. Don Tomas makes a fairly good one. I agree that it's a nice morning smoke and certainly anything but yucky.

    If your testosterone level isn't so high that you have to have mucho power, mucho flavor, I'd sure recommend that you try one. They're not bad.

    Marty

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    The Sniper:
    Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

    A) A sweet treat
    B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
    C) Something new to the industry, or
    D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?


    i dont find them sweet, they arent crap at all, and they were actually very popular WAY back in the day. they have fallen out of favor because most people like a fuller cigar.
    this means that its D, a hidden gem.

    i recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 candela and the Camacho Candela. Camacho managed to make a candela a medium bodied smoke. they are a bit grassy in taste. if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.


  • laker1963laker1963 Posts: 5,046
    kuzi16:
    The Sniper:
    Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

    A) A sweet treat
    B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
    C) Something new to the industry, or
    D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?


    i dont find them sweet, they arent crap at all, and they were actually very popular WAY back in the day. they have fallen out of favor because most people like a fuller cigar.
    this means that its D, a hidden gem.

    i recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 candela and the Camacho Candela. Camacho managed to make a candela a medium bodied smoke. they are a bit grassy in taste. if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.


    I have burned thru a few of the Camacho's and they are med. bodied, a little sweet and actually very tasty. As someone else here said... great morning smoke. Worth a try, for sure.
  • jship079jship079 Posts: 621
    Also none as double claro. Macanudo makes a few good ones. Like others have said it was huge in the industry years ago mostly before the boom. It is the mildest wrapper even before Connecticut.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    i think im the only one here that never gets sweetness out of them.

    oh well... i still like a candela now and then
  • Rob1110Rob1110 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.
    My thoughts exactly. That's more or less a perfect description. That's also where I think most people get the sweetness.
  • jpclotfelterjpclotfelter Posts: 294
    I've smoked a few of the Camacho Candelas and I love them. Like Kuzi, I don't get any sweetness out of them but more of a herbacious green tea sort of flavor. I have a few of the Don Tomas Candela Cetros in my humi now. Haven't smoked any of them yet.

    I actually wished that Cigar.com would carry the Camacho Candela. I would probably keep them on hand...(hint for Tim, Kelly, Alex, Andy, Jeff, whoever...)
  • laker1963laker1963 Posts: 5,046
    jpclotfelter:
    I've smoked a few of the Camacho Candelas and I love them. Like Kuzi, I don't get any sweetness out of them but more of a herbacious green tea sort of flavor. I have a few of the Don Tomas Candela Cetros in my humi now. Haven't smoked any of them yet.

    I actually wished that Cigar.com would carry the Camacho Candela. I would probably keep them on hand...(hint for Tim, Kelly, Alex, Andy, Jeff, whoever...)
    +1 As far as flavor goes, one mans sweet is another man's green. The difference between what people consider different "flavors" can vary so widely it is sometimes a little misleading when trying to select a new stick. That is the biggest reason I try to avoid saying a certain stick tasted like this or that. If it is right there, front and center that's one thing. Most cigars however deliver the flavors in little nuances that can be described in many different ways by different people, who describe them as this flavor or that. This leads to some people disagreeing on flavors found in the same stick. There is also just the difference between sticks of the same variety from the same box. Being that they are handmade agricultural products, and can NOT be made to be exact from one stick to the other and that's a good thing, IMO.
  • Geno5000Geno5000 Posts: 56
    I have about 6 camacho candelas in my humi, this thread has inspired me to give them a try.
  • MrMokeMrMoke Posts: 321 ✭✭
    I've tried some Flor De Jalapa Double Claro Presidentes and have a few left in the humi, I quite like the flavor when I'm in the mood for a mild smoke.

    I picked up a handful of Camacho Candela Monarcas last Thursday cos I wanted to give them a try, and I do like the smell of a freshly mowed lawn so i think am gonna like these.


  • PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
    kuzi16:
    The Sniper:
    Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

    A) A sweet treat
    B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
    C) Something new to the industry, or
    D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?


    i dont find them sweet, they arent crap at all, and they were actually very popular WAY back in the day. they have fallen out of favor because most people like a fuller cigar.
    this means that its D, a hidden gem.

    i recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 candela and the Camacho Candela. Camacho managed to make a candela a medium bodied smoke. they are a bit grassy in taste. if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.


    I'll second Kuzi on this one, the Fuente 8-5-8 Candela is a great smoke. I had it sitting for well over a year because it had come in a sampler and I was just putting off smoking it. I was very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it a lot.
  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521
    Dying to get my hands on a few of the new Illusione Holy Lance Candelas.
  • The SniperThe Sniper Posts: 3,910
    Sweet! Thanks for all the replies fellas! Seems like we might have tipped off a new idea for a few folks with this thread... cant wait to see the reviews on different candelas start coming in as people (me included) start trying this wrapper out. If its not too much trouble, please post some reviews or notes on this thread as well as on the Reviews board, so we can all compare notes in one place!

    Happy smoking everyone! :-D

  • Geno5000Geno5000 Posts: 56
    At the whim of this post (as mentioned earlier by me) my next stog to smoke was a Camacho Robusto with a Candela wrapper. The first thing I noticed was a huge difference in the way the wrapper felt in my mouth. It felt a little stronger, I guess would be the best way of saying it. Almost like it was more of a leaf than a wrapper, which makes sense. I had a little bit of trouble keeping it lit as it got past the midway point, though to say if that was the wrapper of the cigar itself I am not sure. It also left my hands smelling more of leaf or "green" which is also not surprising. In general, I really dug the way the cigar felt in my mouth. I felt like I could be a little more rough with the stick and that it would hold up a bit better than your other types of wrappers. I can't say i prefer the wrapper over a maduro or Connecticut, but it's a nice change. Kinda like a pepsi when you always drink coke.
  • The SniperThe Sniper Posts: 3,910
    Good review! Thanks for contributing Geno, hope others kick in some info & reviews on other brands with candela wrappers too.

  • HeavyHeavy Posts: 1,591 ✭✭✭
    As previously mentioned, candelas were by far the most popular and most common cigar wrapper in the U.S. probably up until the 1960s or 1970s. I always heard that JFK sent someone to Cuba to bring back a bunch of boxes of candelas for himself before he imposed the embargo - never found out if it was true or just a rumor though.

    I've never had one but I do have one Don Tomas candela in the humi. Never was really looking forward to trying it but I might be inspired to give it a shot sooner than later!
  • The SniperThe Sniper Posts: 3,910
    kuzi16:
    The Sniper:
    Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

    A) A sweet treat
    B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
    C) Something new to the industry, or
    D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?


    i dont find them sweet, they arent crap at all, and they were actually very popular WAY back in the day. they have fallen out of favor because most people like a fuller cigar.
    this means that its D, a hidden gem.

    i recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 candela and the Camacho Candela. Camacho managed to make a candela a medium bodied smoke. they are a bit grassy in taste. if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.


    Had my first candela this week, on the recommendation of a B&M owner in St Louis, a Fuente 8-5-8.

    Fellas, believe me - I dont use the word PHENOMINAL lightly, and this stick was PHE-NOM-IN-AL!!! :-)

    6" x 47 Flor Fina size. Lots of smoke, excellent grassy sort of taste. SUPER MILD, but for that had an EXCELLENT flavor. Not a super complex stick at all, but the flavor was so smooth and excellent that I couldnt have cared less. Couple of very slight burn issues which corrected themselves, so not a big deal at all. Nice construction, stick felt slightly heavier in the hand than sticks of comparable size.

    Got 1 hour & 45 minutes out of this stick, and was sad to see it end when it did! I cant wait to pick up a BOX of these baby's - I do believe Ive got a new #1 mild bodied smoke fellas.

    Cant speak for all candelas (YET!) but I can highly recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Candelas. I think Ive stumbled on a gem here that a lot of guys may be missing out on simply because these are never talked about!

  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521
    ^ Glad you liked it Snipe. I love the 8-5-8s in general, but the Candela is probably my favorite of the bunch. It is one of my favorite sizes, and I think Fuente's blending is top notch with the Candela. Good stuff. Actually posted a review of the 8-5-8 on my blog a while back, if you're interested in my full write up.
  • kuzi16:
    The Sniper:
    Has anyone tried a smoke with a candela wrapper? I didnt even know these things existed until recently, and myy curiosity is piqued - but so is my skepticism, since I have never heard of them in my years of smoking cigars. Are these....

    A) A sweet treat
    B) Not Scottish - which means THEY'RE CRAP! (shout out to rossdavey LOL)
    C) Something new to the industry, or
    D) A hidden gem that nobody talks about?


    i dont find them sweet, they arent crap at all, and they were actually very popular WAY back in the day. they have fallen out of favor because most people like a fuller cigar.
    this means that its D, a hidden gem.

    i recommend the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 candela and the Camacho Candela. Camacho managed to make a candela a medium bodied smoke. they are a bit grassy in taste. if you love the way it smells just after you mowed the lawn you should like the candela wrapper.


    the smell of freshly cut grass put me in heaven....gonna have to look into some of these a little more
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭
    Heavy:
    As previously mentioned, candelas were by far the most popular and most common cigar wrapper in the U.S. probably up until the 1960s or 1970s. I always heard that JFK sent someone to Cuba to bring back a bunch of boxes of candelas for himself before he imposed the embargo - never found out if it was true or just a rumor though.

    I've never had one but I do have one Don Tomas candela in the humi. Never was really looking forward to trying it but I might be inspired to give it a shot sooner than later!
    I had a link to that story. Again not sure how true it was but the aide that brought them to him thought as much. I could see it though.
  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521
    phobicsquirrel:
    Heavy:
    As previously mentioned, candelas were by far the most popular and most common cigar wrapper in the U.S. probably up until the 1960s or 1970s. I always heard that JFK sent someone to Cuba to bring back a bunch of boxes of candelas for himself before he imposed the embargo - never found out if it was true or just a rumor though.

    I've never had one but I do have one Don Tomas candela in the humi. Never was really looking forward to trying it but I might be inspired to give it a shot sooner than later!
    I had a link to that story. Again not sure how true it was but the aide that brought them to him thought as much. I could see it though.
    Yeah the JFK story had nothing to do with Candelas. It was Upmann Petite Coronas, and he was sent all over the DC area, to buy up every box on every shelf. Got something like 1,200 sticks in one night.
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