My current technique

So a few folk over on Reddit have posted their creations, so I thought I'd go over the process I use when rolling, and include a few pictures. If I get around to it, I'll actually get a video put together of this process, but for now, here we go.

I start with a lovely selection of leaves. Kind of hard to make cigars without leaf right? Wrapper, binder, and a few different leaves for the fill.

These leaves were delivered from one of my primary suppliers, Leaf Only. Hopefully I can edit this soon and give you all a promo code to save a bit if you do shop there, but for now, they're still a great supply with excellent service. *Update* I've got a promo code for ya. Enter my Reddit handle (EnvoAfloat) at checkout to save 5% 

I like to start my projects by preparing my binder and wrapper leaves. Trim the stems, flatten the leaves, and then gently dampen them with a spritz of distilled water (distilled to avoid bacteria growth) before storing them with a bit of cheesecloth in a ziplock bag. After a day or two in the ziplock, they're perfectly pliable for working with.

When it's time to roll, the first thing I do is get my wrapper ready. Here you see the wrapper nicely stretched and pressed flat on my working surface (I use two sheets of plexiglass because it's what I have on board the ship, but a cutting board, a piece of glass, anything flat works)

With your wrapper nicely pressed, you want to set your binder out (stretched the same if you have the space). Then, build your fill. Although there is no real rule here and experience and art viber into play, I've found that this works very very well for me. 

Start with your ligero leaf. This is a pick from the top of the plant where the most Sun gets to it. It's a strong leaf and the predominant flavors of your cigar start here. 

Bunch them up and cover them with a single seco leaf half.

The seco is down low on the plant, and has the least flavor but the best burn characteristics. Then fill out your bundle with your ligero leaves before covering the whole thing with enough seco to make the cigar to your chosen ring gauge. Don't expect your first few to be balanced, even or the same size. This is an experiment you'll get better at with time and practice. Keep in mind that the professionals at Davidoff roll for ten years before they start rolling the flagship cigars. 

When you've got your bundle made and torn to size, it's time to wrap your binder leaf around it. Keep the leaf tight and press the fill so that your cigar is tight and solid. If it's too loose, it'll burn rough and the ash will fall apart. Too tight and you'll implode trying to draw through it. Again, practice.

After the binder is done (use a little glue to hold it at the head. I'm not going to detail caps and flags here. That's a whole other post another day), then it's time to wrap it. Prepare your nicely pressed wrapper by trimming off the outer edge to a smooth clean edge and shape it like this.

You'll want to trim the inner edge basically in line with the outer to create almost a crescent moon shape. Then keeping the wrapper as tight as you can, wrap the cigar from the foot to the head. The veins should end up straight along the whole length of the cigar. A little glue at the head and a cap, trim the foot and you're done!

As you can see, my cap work is lacking at the moment but I'm working on it. 

Personally I like to rest the cigar outside my humidor for a day or two before putting them in for a few more days (weeks, months) to age. 

And there you have it. My cigars in a nutshell. Let me know if you tried it, if it works, or if you've got improvements. Thanks for reading!