Not every new blend is a winner; I'm still striking out on my Dark Strong blend. The addition of the Va BL and more extract didn't help, so I'm tossing the batch and starting over. I'm going to break down and pick up a tin of the real thing first however to try. That way I'll have a better feel for the target (or I might not even like it and it's really me that's the problem LOL!).
On a more positive note, I did manage a blend this week that I am pleased with. I wanted to try a Balkan blend, and I like HH Whiteknight, so that was my inspiration. The weights appear a little random as I was just selecting nice looking whole leaves, so the ratio's between each component is what those leaves added up to. And I was winging it.
The Squire
Stacked Basma 2.5 g (13%)
Turkish Katerini 3.1 g (16%)
Samsun 3.1 g (16%)
Va. BL 3.0 g (15%)
Dark Fired 1.8 g (9%)
Latakia (homemade w/ Basma) 6.5 g (33%)
Gin Topping to case 1 ml (2 oz gin, 2 cloves, one powdered bead Tears of Chios, 1 small crystal of menthol)
Whole leaves were misted with topping and stacked in alternating layers, then pressed for 2 days. The bar was then cut into slices and a sample rubbed out and set aside for an hour to dry for testing. I
really liked this blend. The Orientals shine and I especially picked up on the Katerini. The Katerini was a sample from Don, and it's great stuff. Definitely going to be part of my Black Friday order! Also, I think I will make another batch with WLT Latakia for fun to see how different it is.