Lost Confused

[mski2]

Hi, I have gone through 15# 's of whole leaf, and am confused.
I hear talk about ageing tobacco bought from wlt.
I can't seem to get a blend I want to stay with, Light not harsh smoke.
Arsenal is Lemon, Bright Flue cured, First Prime .
Also have Burley , Ismar Oriental, Krumovgrad Bulgarian Oriental , Turkish/Oriental Prilep, and this American Virginia Flue cured that is like smoking newspaper.
Any suggestions on a mix.
Thanks
Mark

 

[CobGuy]

Have you tried toasting / casing the Burley prior to blending it with the Virginia?
I like to get the leaf in low case, spritz it with a light chocolate casing (about 1 teaspoon syrup per ounce of water) and then lightly toast it in the oven. (225 or so)
Pull it out and spritz again and then toast again ... 2 or 3 times.
On the last round, keep it in low-medium case and jar or bag for a few days to settle.
Now your Burley will be less "harsh" and blend in nicely.
As for a "blend" ... 50% Burley, 40% Virginia, 10% Oriental is a nice starting point and can be tweaked to your tastes.

Good luck!

~Darin

 

[fimbrew]

First of all if this is your first time trying raw whole leaf it may take a while to get used to. Then you'll never go back. I too had a hard time finding a blend I could enjoy having been an ultra lights smoker. I tried casings, pure bright leaf, 50/50 BL/Burley and all things in between. What I learned to do is make a blend and try it then let it sit and try again.
It's like following a recipe. It doesn't always come out to your taste so you add more salt or pepper or if the spice is too much add more base ingredient.
Second of all learn to enjoy all the variations you can create. Sometime I like throwing everything in a blend. Sometimes I enjoy just Bright and Burley. Then there are the variations with orientals , fire cured and air cured.
Maybe start with the least offensive and then get more adventurous.

 

[fimbrew]

For me 50% burley is way too harsh. If you case or toast your burley that might be a nice flavorful smoke to you but it's too much throat hit for me. I like 25% or less burley, depending on the virginia and burley variety. Don's red virginia is good all by itself but the lemon needs a lot of burley to balance and add flavor. Try a variety plain to see what it contributes then enjoy the creative process in searching for that great blend. My go to blend is 50% Virginia, 25% izmir, 25% burley. That is too light for some but my son and all his friends love it.

 

[fimbrew]

I also find I don't like dry tobacco. Living in a dry climate I have to fight to keep my tobacco moist enough (sometimes over doing it). Finding the right case (moisture level) is part of the learning curve.

 

[CobGuy]

This is what you'll always find ... one person's taste does not fit another person's.
I can smoke 100% Burley (5 Brothers, Solani ABF and Wessex Burley Slice, for example) and love it.
Furthermore, I like my tobacco almost "crispy" before I load the pipe ... who wants to smoke steam?
In the end, you'll have to determine how YOU like it and that can take some time.
Do smaller batches until you hit on something good and, as suggested by @fimbrew, let this blend "meld" in a jar for awhile before trying it again.

~Darin

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

If you are after a "light, not harsh" smoke (as you stated in the opening post , don't buy any types other then Virginia Flue Cured types (thin leaf, lemon, red, or double bright leaf). Any combination of those types will provide a light to medium nicotine smoke. If its not perfectly what you wanted you can "mist it" with a topping.

Virginia Flue Cured topping: buy a cheap misting bottle at Walmart, 8 oz or more ($1-$2). Buy a gallon of distilled water at Walmart ($1).......buy a container of natural honey (no additives, $4-6)............buy a few large lemons ($1-2)

Squeeze one large lemon, strain it thru a kitchen utensil to eliminate pulp and seeds.....Put the lemon juice in that 8 oz bottle, Put a Tablespoon of the honey in that 8 oz bottle too, and then fill it up the rest of the way with distilled water. GIVE THIS COMBO A SHAKE OR TWO. Its ready to use.

Hopefully this helps, its worked for me, for years. FOR CIGARETTES, I don't use pipes.

 

[Alpine]

Except for the lemon juice, it’s what I use for my cigs too.

Pier

 

[mski2]

Thanks Zigzag, I have some of those leafs, hate the red, but the others I like.
Also got a spray from WLT, for flue cured, just don't know how much to spray on.
Thanks
Mark

 

[burge]

Whole leaf is pure tobacco and it is a lot stronger than a packaged cigarette. To lighten in up its basically on the type of cigarette tube you are using. In Canada when tobacco started to get taxed to high heaven I talked to a export A rep and he said now they are using the same tobacco and the tubes are what dictate the strength. It used to be export a was a fine dark virginia Med was a mix of gold and dark and light was pure yellow.. Players has stayed the same.

 

[mski2]

Whole leaf is pure tobacco and it is a lot stronger than a packaged cigarette. To lighten in up its basically on the type of cigarette tube you are using. In Canada when tobacco started to get taxed to high heaven I talked to a export A rep and he said now they are using the same tobacco and the tubes are what dictate the strength. It used to be export a was a fine dark virginia Med was a mix of gold and dark and light was pure yellow.. Players has stayed the same.

Ive tried different tubes, I know Marlboro lights have holes in the filter, the light tubes I get don't, Its still better than packaged cigarettes.

 

[DGBAMA]

The curve to whole leaf is learning to appreciate the possibilities. Instead of being locked into a favorite brand.

That said its nice to establish a base "everyday" smoke.

Try to identify what is missing or what is overbearing.

Roll a few "puros"....single variety smokes of each variety to get an idea what each contribute to the mix.

For what you have, a good start should be 25% lemon 25% virginia 25%burley 25% oriental. Then give feedback on what you like and dont like.

If you want more flavor but still not harsh consider ordering some Maryland to mix in. To me it has a burley full flavor but without the harshness.

 

[burge]

Ive tried different tubes, I know Marlboro lights have holes in the filter, the light tubes I get don't, Its still better than packaged cigarettes.

On a cigarette forum Zen light gambler light or ultra light. I would look at the ultralight tube selection. LC tobacco is now grown for commercial cigarettes and has lower nicotine and tar. I know a lot of people when I give them a smoke they get a wow sensation and you will get used to it. Whole leaf is real tobacco not mixed with fillers and recon crap. It may take a little time to get used to but in reality its not light.

 

[deluxestogie]

LC tobacco is "low converter" tobacco, meaning that the nornicotine is lower in concentration, compared to nicotine. LC does not indicate lower nicotine or lower tar. The significance of LC tobaccos is that nornicotine has been implicated as a much more worrisome carcinogen than nicotine.

Bob

 

[burge]

Thanks I think Big is non LC Same with WLT

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

On a cigarette forum Zen light gambler light or ultra light. I would look at the ultralight tube selection. LC tobacco is now grown for commercial cigarettes and has lower nicotine and tar. I know a lot of people when I give them a smoke they get a wow sensation and you will get used to it. Whole leaf is real tobacco not mixed with fillers and recon crap. It may take a little time to get used to but in reality its not light.

I use Zen tubes only. Not only because they have 250 in a box compared to the 200 per box that most brands of tubes have. Also because they seem to be a bit bigger. When I put my cigarettes into an empty box of Marlboro or other commercial cigarettes I can only get 18 into the pack, not 20. They seem just a bit wider, and they fit on the injection machine more easily. I don't know how they affect the harshness of the blend. I control that by the proportions of tobacco I use.

Right now I am using my homegrown Virginia, different primings, WLT's Red Virginia, homegrown TN90, MD609, Yellow Twist Bud, and homegrown Prilep and Izmur. All in proportion. My blend is all homegrown tobacco except for the Red Virginia, which is a great base to build on. I like a medium strong blend, but the different Virginia flue cured types that I use add up to more than half of the blend. And I use a homemade casing of citric acid with a bit of vanilla. I much prefer my own blend, even over Marlboro.

 

[burge]

I have always used export A tubes. They fit a standard pack and are a little smaller which means more cigarettes at .9 grams a tube vs 1 gram. Every 9 cigarettes is like getting a free one and the tobacco last longer. Try the ultra light tube I do with export a light and it changes the flavour a bit and makes it less harsh. I think maybe try some without the casing.