alPol05
Well-Known Member
Bob,
quick question: I don't have WLT Dark Air. If I understand correctly the Dark Air refers to Burley. Am I correct? If not, can I substitute Dark Air with Burley or White Burley?
Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
Bob,
quick question: I don't have WLT Dark Air. If I understand correctly the Dark Air refers to Burley. Am I correct? If not, can I substitute Dark Air with Burley or White Burley?
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Thanks, KiwiGrown.
Dark-air cured tobacco is not burley, but is an entire class of varieties that air-cure to a dark, intense leaf that is often used for making snus. But blending is about fun. Replace the dark air with your burley, and see how it comes out--and let us know.
If you look on skychaser's seed site, you can see how the varieties are classed: http://northwoodseeds.com/Seed List2.htm
Bob
If you look on skychaser's seed site, you can see how the varieties are classed: http://northwoodseeds.com/Seed List2.htm
Bob
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Bob. This is helpful. I will need to study the skychaser's seed site in detail, but now I begin to see a different way to look at tobaccos. Since the Dark Air is also often used in cigars I will also try some cigar tobacco that I have. Ultimately, it looks like I need to buy WLT Dark Air.
I mixed your recipe and for now, substituted Dark Air with AAA Burley that I have. I am not exactly sure what that is, but it is dark in appearance and I got it from P & C. In any case, here are my first observations. I cut Lemon Virginia with the biggest knife I have in the kitchen. I did the same with Basma. Red Virginia is from Lane line of tobaccos. The Latakia is fromStokkebye and I am not very happy with it. It is cut very fine, almost a shag for cigarettes. I will have to use it since I already have it. So, the mixture is a mishmash a bit, but I will have to live with it for a while.
I loaded a bowl and fired it up... A few first puffs were a bit harsh but next 4-6 were clear enough to taste different constituents. I put the pipe away and had to do some other things. I just now tried to relight the pipe and the taste was much different - much more melded taste and quite pleasant. I think the heat of previous puffs accelerated melding a bit. I need to put this jar to the side at least for a few days to give the tobacco a chance to meld some, but I can see that this will be a good blend. I was actually looking for a blend that will be a bit lighter on Latakia since I smoke way too many bowls per day.
In any case, thank you to everyone who responded to my questions. And Don deserves special tasks for sending extra samples.
I mixed your recipe and for now, substituted Dark Air with AAA Burley that I have. I am not exactly sure what that is, but it is dark in appearance and I got it from P & C. In any case, here are my first observations. I cut Lemon Virginia with the biggest knife I have in the kitchen. I did the same with Basma. Red Virginia is from Lane line of tobaccos. The Latakia is fromStokkebye and I am not very happy with it. It is cut very fine, almost a shag for cigarettes. I will have to use it since I already have it. So, the mixture is a mishmash a bit, but I will have to live with it for a while.
I loaded a bowl and fired it up... A few first puffs were a bit harsh but next 4-6 were clear enough to taste different constituents. I put the pipe away and had to do some other things. I just now tried to relight the pipe and the taste was much different - much more melded taste and quite pleasant. I think the heat of previous puffs accelerated melding a bit. I need to put this jar to the side at least for a few days to give the tobacco a chance to meld some, but I can see that this will be a good blend. I was actually looking for a blend that will be a bit lighter on Latakia since I smoke way too many bowls per day.
In any case, thank you to everyone who responded to my questions. And Don deserves special tasks for sending extra samples.
alPol05
Well-Known Member
I could not stay away from this blend. I fired another bowl - testes very nice!
Here is a picture of the tobacco - my Rosy Cheeks.
I replaced Dark Air with AA Burley. Tomorrow I will use Cigar Tobacco instead and will play with Perique quantity. I want to try and increase it a bit, maybe to 10g.
Here is a picture of the tobacco - my Rosy Cheeks.
I replaced Dark Air with AA Burley. Tomorrow I will use Cigar Tobacco instead and will play with Perique quantity. I want to try and increase it a bit, maybe to 10g.
That looks really good.
alPol05, your Rosy Cheeks look rosier than mine. Very inviting.
Bob
Bob
Semibreve
No Latakia here. This one's for wildcrow.
This is a variant of "Half-n-Half". The Cavendish that I made from Harrow Velvet burley, when smoked straight, is quite full, but much smoother than uncooked burley. The burn is also slower. Although the burley Cavendish doesn't ablate the tongue bite like Perique, it still goes a long way toward that end. I suppose this is due to the higher pH of burley, when compared to flue-cured leaf. The blend reminds me of some of the Scottish blends, like Highland Targe. Burley Cavendish does not stay in the background like most commercial Cavendish. It adds to the strength and fullness of flavor.
Semibreve
No Latakia here. This one's for wildcrow.
This is a variant of "Half-n-Half". The Cavendish that I made from Harrow Velvet burley, when smoked straight, is quite full, but much smoother than uncooked burley. The burn is also slower. Although the burley Cavendish doesn't ablate the tongue bite like Perique, it still goes a long way toward that end. I suppose this is due to the higher pH of burley, when compared to flue-cured leaf. The blend reminds me of some of the Scottish blends, like Highland Targe. Burley Cavendish does not stay in the background like most commercial Cavendish. It adds to the strength and fullness of flavor.
Semibreve
- WLT Lemon Virginia: 50%
- Harrow Velvet burley Cavendish: 50%
- flue-cured leaf: 50%
- burley Cavendish: 50%
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Bob,
you are a devil!
I need to have time to try the last blend and here is another one...
you are a devil!
I need to have time to try the last blend and here is another one...
greenmonster714
Well-Known Member
Cigar tobacco will up the chances of an all out assault on your tongue. I've had a few blends with that added and though I don't mind a little bite. Many folks do not. Perique may soften the blow a little as would some Cavendish. Happy blending!
greenmonster714
Well-Known Member
Bob,
you are a devil!
Bob will keep ya busy and keep ya thinking....lol.
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Yah... It looks like he likes that. This is fine! I like to be busy, although this pipe smoking deal is taking a lot of my time. And this is not the only thing that I am busy with. As to thinking - well, this is the activity that will keep us alive. It is healthy!
I am a long life learner. The tobaccos and what they are is an exciting subject that I would like to explore. When I think about my 50 years of cigarette smoking, I am ashamed. First, it was a social event - everybody was doing it. Later it turned into habit and addiction. I was mindlessly feeding my addiction to nicotine. I vividly remember my final weeks of cigarettes smoking - a pack a day, sometimes more, with no satisfaction on any level.
After switching to a pipe, I rather quickly learned that tobaccos taste differently from one another and they have a "personality". Next was a realization that I am not satisfied with flavored tobaccos and it is time to look for more. This is how I landed here. As I write this, I smoke my newest blend - the WK Rosy Cheeks. What a delight! No external flavoring, no additives (or at least minimal), and the taste and aroma are exceptional. So satisfying!
I am a long life learner. The tobaccos and what they are is an exciting subject that I would like to explore. When I think about my 50 years of cigarette smoking, I am ashamed. First, it was a social event - everybody was doing it. Later it turned into habit and addiction. I was mindlessly feeding my addiction to nicotine. I vividly remember my final weeks of cigarettes smoking - a pack a day, sometimes more, with no satisfaction on any level.
After switching to a pipe, I rather quickly learned that tobaccos taste differently from one another and they have a "personality". Next was a realization that I am not satisfied with flavored tobaccos and it is time to look for more. This is how I landed here. As I write this, I smoke my newest blend - the WK Rosy Cheeks. What a delight! No external flavoring, no additives (or at least minimal), and the taste and aroma are exceptional. So satisfying!
We used to know that about raising and growing food, cheese making, creating jellies and pickles, cooking, making clothing, building homes, and rolling cigars. The advance of modernity is accompanied by a cultural amnesia regarding how much control we can exercise over so many aspects of our lives.
My personal impetus for starting this thread was to encourage experimentation with "Pure Tobacco." Yes, aside from the stunning convenience of purchasing pre-blended pipe tobacco, I occasionally enjoy the flavored ones. But making pure tobacco pipe blends is liberating and empowering. And best of all is the discovery that you don't have to "settle" for homemade, but instead may strongly prefer it to the factory output.
Bob
Levi Gross
Well-Known Member
Gentlemen, in reading these last two post, #174 & #175 you have spoke my sentiments exactly. I said good day!!!
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Rosy Cheeks...
Yaaammm...
Yaaammm...
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Rosy Cheeks blend – observation and questions
The recipe posted here a few days ago by deluxestogie – Bob is one of the more exciting events for me lately. The day it was posted I received a package of “pure tobaccos” from WLT. I incorporated two of these tobaccos, Lemon Virginia and Basma, into the recipe. I also modified a recipe by using Burley instead of Dark Air-Cured and a pinch more of the Perique. Other ingredients were “off the shelf” commercially available tobaccos.
Despite my initial idea of putting this mixture aside for a bit of melding time, I could not resist and smoked it for last two days. Here are my observations and a few questions. (The terms I use and not the terms I have seen on some tobacco review websites. I simply don’t know what they mean. Instead, I use commonly understood terms, like taste, aroma, aftertaste.)
I would appreciate comments about my observations. My interest is in understanding what ingredients influence the taste, aroma and the strength of this mixture as I outlined above.
Thanks much,
The recipe posted here a few days ago by deluxestogie – Bob is one of the more exciting events for me lately. The day it was posted I received a package of “pure tobaccos” from WLT. I incorporated two of these tobaccos, Lemon Virginia and Basma, into the recipe. I also modified a recipe by using Burley instead of Dark Air-Cured and a pinch more of the Perique. Other ingredients were “off the shelf” commercially available tobaccos.
Despite my initial idea of putting this mixture aside for a bit of melding time, I could not resist and smoked it for last two days. Here are my observations and a few questions. (The terms I use and not the terms I have seen on some tobacco review websites. I simply don’t know what they mean. Instead, I use commonly understood terms, like taste, aroma, aftertaste.)
- The mixture is dry. It packs easily into the bowl and burns well to the end.
- The taste is very new to me. There is a clear sourness and sweetness as I smoke this mixture. It reminds me a well-made lemonade – some lemon and sugar mixed and very tasty. It is a very mellow and pleasant taste. It lingers in my mouth during the whole smoking session. Sometimes it is stronger, sometimes weaker, but it is there. The inside of my mouth is moist, and I have a pleasant swallowing reflex after every few puffs.
- The aroma is most unusual and surprising to me. I am not capable of describing it accurately. It reminds me dry hay and large field of wildflowers on the late summers afternoon. Maybe a slow burning mixture of hay and wildflowers is a closer impression. On and off there is the typical and delicate aroma of burning Latakia. I can’t smell any harsh aroma of tobacco. All in all – very pleasant!
- The strength of the mixture. It is not strong tobacco. However, I do inhale the smoke once in a while – the old habit of a cigarette smoker. If that happens, I can feel the nicotine rushing into my blood and brain. It is not unpleasant, but after several bowls, in the short span of time, it is very noticeable. I am thinking of making several variations of this mixture and manipulate Latakia to have different strengths of tobacco.
I would appreciate comments about my observations. My interest is in understanding what ingredients influence the taste, aroma and the strength of this mixture as I outlined above.
Thanks much,
Vivid review.
Here are my thoughts on the components:
Bob
Here are my thoughts on the components:
- Flue-cured Virginia provides the sour taste. Typically lemon Virginia tastes more sour than the red. Red is softer and "fuller". Both offer a sweetness.
- Latakia adds a smokiness, and an exotic spice, like a Middle-East incense. (?frankincense and myrrh?) It's actually dominated by the scent of Pistacia lentiscus, as in pure mastic gum, "Tears of Chios". But there's also a terpene aroma of red cedar or juniper.
- Basma and some other Orientals do have a soft, floral quality to their aroma.
- Both Dark-Air and burley supply bottom notes and nicotine, and zero sweetness.
- Perique varies from one source to the next, but usually offers a background "barnyard" scent, overlaid by a deep, prune-like floral quality. Some Perique may add sweetness. Perique raises the pH, and as it does so, increases the absorbability of the nicotine by membranes of the mouth, nose and throat.
Bob
alPol05
Well-Known Member
Bob, thank you for your comments. They are very helpful to a novice like me to understand the components and their interactions. In the next few days, I will make some modifications and test the effects. I will report my findings. I am planning to purchase more tobaccos from WLT to taste this mixture with pure tobaccos only.
One more observation that I left out in my previous post: Yesterday I was smoking Rosy Cheeks all day. At no time my perception deviated from the description I posted above. At the end of the day, I decided to have a bowl of different tobacco - Stokkebey English Oriental Supreme. I bought it a few weeks ago and thought that it is a nice tobacco and I can smoke it as one of the Oriental blends. Yesterday, after a few puff I had my mouth very alarmingly dry and had to drink some water right away to stop this dryness. I was thinking about that a bit and I remembered that previous week I smoked this tobacco quite often and always had this alarming dryness in my mouth.
Is there a particular reason for that?
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