Homegrown smokes catalogue - @Radagast

[Radagast]

After my first tobacco growing season, I've been eager to smoke my results. After posting a couple of mixtures and experiments here and there throughout the forum I thought it might be easiest for me to start a new thread to document my experiences with what I grew, that way I can go back and revisit former experiments. This will be purely homegrown mixtures of the various tobaccos I have at hand.
I have (or will have, when kilning is finished):

Prilep 66-9/7 (6 variations)
- sun, air, flue cured, kilned air cured, and cavendish made of both sun and flue cured.
Delhi 34 (3)
- flue, air cured and flue cured cavendish
Harrow Velvet (2)
- air cured and cavendish
Yellow Twist Bud (2)
- air cured and cavendish
Goose Creek Red (3)
- air cured, flue cured and cavendish

So from 5 tobaccos, I have 16 variations to mess around with so far. I'll be adding perique to this when I can get around to making some.

 

[Radagast]

Today's smoke
Half and half, Burley (Harrow Velvet) and Virginia flake (pressed Delhi 34). Simple, deep earthy smoke. Nothing overly special, seems to be missing something of a 'tang'. Smoked well, pleasant room note. A decent warm fall afternoon smoke. And a ladybug on my shirt.

 

[Smileysmile66]

Today's smoke
Half and half, Burley (Harrow Velvet) and Virginia flake (pressed Delhi 34). Simple, deep earthy smoke. Nothing overly special, seems to be missing something of a 'tang'. Smoked well, pleasant room note. A decent warm fall afternoon smoke. And a ladybug on my shirt.
View attachment 34104View attachment 34103View attachment 34102View attachment 34101
View attachment 34105

Good idea !
Interesting to follow !

 

[deluxestogie]

pleasant room note

That often depends on the reaction of someone else who walks into the room.

Bob

 

[Radagast]

That often depends on the reaction of someone else who walks into the room.

Bob

I was alone so the vote was unanimous! Also being outside probably isn't a real proper 'room' note either. Let's call it "what it smelled like".

 

[Radagast]

Good idea !
Interesting to follow !

Thanks!

 

[Amberbeth84]

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[Radagast]

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks! I'm open to suggestions..

 

[GreenDragon]

Add some Prilep to get the "tang". Sounds like it's on its way to being a great blend

 

[Radagast]

Add some Prilep to get the "tang". Sounds like it's on its way to being a great blend

Excellent

 

[Radagast]

Add some Prilep to get the "tang". Sounds like it's on its way to being a great blend

Here it is in equalish parts Burley, Virginia flake and Prilep (mix of flue cured, sun cured and cavendish). Taking it for a test drive now.

 

[Radagast]

Here it is in equalish parts Burley, Virginia flake and Prilep (mix of flue cured, sun cured and cavendish). Taking it for a test drive now.
View attachment 34106

Prilep rounded it out nicely with a little bit of that tang I was looking for, maybe a bit more of a spiciness. I was thinking between the malty/bready Burley and the bittersweet molasses of the Virginia plug, with the spicy zip of the Prilep in there, I have something that in a smoky way reminds me of gingerbread. It's quite good, I think I'll keep it in mind for the holidays.
Edit: towards the bottom of the bowl there's like an 'old books' and leather taste.

 

[Radagast]

Today's smoke:
Delhi 34 blackish Cavendish
I've made cavendish 3 times now. The first 2 batches were done for 3.5 hrs in a pressure cooker with the 15 psi weight on it (there's no way for me to know what the actual pressure and therefore temperature is inside there). This batch (Flue cured Delhi 34, flue cured Goose Creek Red and air cured Delhi 34) I had to use my instant pot, having temporarily misplaced the PC weight (sigh). Each batch turns out better than the last as I refine my method, particularly the hydration of the leaf prior to cooking and always comes out of the process with a food smell somewhat reminiscent of spinach and cheese tomato sauce, and/or baby-food peas, which gives way to a more tobacco like smell as it dries out/cools down/oxidizes. From my readings of others' (@ChinaVoodoo)'s much more careful experiments with this, 3.5 hrs at roughly 15psi doesn't quite produce "black" cavendish, finishing in the decidedly "brown" colour range with some more of the original flavour intact. This appealed to me more for the first few runs and I've been happy with the results. For this run, since the instant pot runs at less pressure, I roughly followed @GreenDragon's method of 2, 4 hour runs, only I pulled the jar of FC Delhi 34 after the first 4hr run. So it is ready for a test bowl.

The other 2 jars are back in the instant pot, going for a real blackening. Smoke report to follow.

 

[Radagast]

Today's smoke:
Delhi 34 blackish Cavendish
I've made cavendish 3 times now. The first 2 batches were done for 3.5 hrs in a pressure cooker with the 15 psi weight on it (there's no way for me to know what the actual pressure and therefore temperature is inside there). This batch (Flue cured Delhi 34, flue cured Goose Creek Red and air cured Delhi 34) I had to use my instant pot, having temporarily misplaced the PC weight (sigh). Each batch turns out better than the last as I refine my method, particularly the hydration of the leaf prior to cooking and always comes out of the process with a food smell somewhat reminiscent of spinach and cheese tomato sauce, and/or baby-food peas, which gives way to a more tobacco like smell as it dries out/cools down/oxidizes. From my readings of others' (@ChinaVoodoo)'s much more careful experiments with this, 3.5 hrs at roughly 15psi doesn't quite produce "black" cavendish, finishing in the decidedly "brown" colour range with some more of the original flavour intact. This appealed to me more for the first few runs and I've been happy with the results. For this run, since the instant pot runs at less pressure, I roughly followed @GreenDragon's method of 2, 4 hour runs, only I pulled the jar of FC Delhi 34 after the first 4hr run. So it is ready for a test bowl.
View attachment 34184View attachment 34185View attachment 34186View attachment 34187
The other 2 jars are back in the instant pot, going for a real blackening. Smoke report to follow.

Smoke report:
That was an absolute nicotine beat-down. I feel abused. I must have had some very strong leaf tips in there, ouch. Other than that and it's refusal to stay lit which could be a drying issue or a cutting issue or, I suspect, both, it was a good hardy full virginia smoke with its flavour intact and harshness removed. There is still a trace of that tomato/spinach foodiness to it, though not in a bad way. Not sure what to do about the nicotine level, I don't think I could smoke this all day every day. I could imagine requesting this if I stood blind folded awaiting the firing squad. Sort of a last meal of smokes.

 

[Radagast]

Smoke of the day is flue cured (Delhi 34) and dark air cured (Goose Creek Red) in rough proportions rolled up and cut into coins.
The initial light up was the best part, because of the way the cut put most of the air cure into tiny pieces at the top of the bowl.
Next time more air cure, or a better dispersement of it and I might use half and half flue cured and flue cured cavendish, my flue cured bright leaf seems to be harsh.
Good smoke anyway, if a bit of bite at the front of my tongue.

 

[Radagast]

Smoke of the day/month:
Harrow Velvet Cavendish and Prilep 66-9/7.
I've been playing with these for three weeks now. At first just smoking HV Cav to see where its at. It's great, smooth and satisfyingly burleyish but still hits the back of my throat a bit more than I'd prefer. So I added the Turkish, a bit too much at first, so a bit more Cavendish etc.. Still narrowing it down and when I get it right I'll put up some numbers. I think that a base of Cavendish is a good starting point for me, kind of like starting with a roux.
I'm also playing with the HV Cav on its own, pressed with rum and honey. I'm thinking a bit of sugar should ease up the throat hit and be, I don't know, just nice. Anyway so far so good. I didn't bother with a picture, take my word, it's brown. More on this later..

 

[Radagast]

I started with @deluxestogie 's Pulsar (50/50 Burley cav & oriental, which is perfect and needs no alterations)..
but I got curious about my newly flue cured Reams 158 and from there I went a bit wild. So this is roughly 40% Harrow Velvet cavendish, 20% Reams 158, 20% sun cured Prilep 66-9/7, 5% little dutch cavendish and 5% flue cured Prilep 66-9/7. It's awesome. Smoked in my hobbity MM "cobbit shire".

 

[deluxestogie]

What do you call your new blend?

Bob

 

[Radagast]

Let's call it "lighthouse". First because it started off as pulsar, which I imagine look kind of like a lighthouse to a radio telescope. Also I really like to associate nautical/maritime themes with pipe smoking. So it works both ways!

 

[deluxestogie]

This is the Killarney lighthouse.

Download 3½" hi-res Lighthouse label as pdf.

Bob