Mountain Ford 2024 CASED Pipe Blend Challenge

[deluxestogie]

Painting: Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848). The Mountain Ford, 1846.

Mountain Ford 2024 CASED Pipe Blend Challenge

This challenge is open to any forum member. The premises of the Mountain Ford challenge are:

• use any tobacco varieties that are available from WLT, or varieties for which seed is available and is home-grown
• add any flavorants or casing you wish
• may be pressed (if you wish), and prepared as a press-cake, crumble-cake, sliced flake, rubbed flake, or simply shredded
• ingredients can be finished in any manner (air-cured, flue-cured, fire-cured, Cavendish cooked, pressure-cured perique, etc.)

Each participant will be able to download a printable pdf certificate with the participant's name and user ID, and on which his or her individual blend will appear on the full-color label.

To Participate:

• Create your blend. (Only one blend per participant)
• Post a clear photo of the blend, and its recipe (with percentage of each ingredient and processes used), along with your tasting notes—in this thread.
• The Challenge will close on 15 October 2024.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Just in CASE you prefer not to CASE your pipe blends, go here:

Lazy River Pipe Blend Challenge (Sep 2024)

Lazy River 2024 Pipe Blend Challenge This challenge is open to any forum member. The premises of the Lazy River challenge are: use any tobacco varieties that are available from WLT, or varieties for which seed is available and is home-grown no added flavorants may be pressed (if you wish)...

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

 

[Juxtaposer-]

Hibiscus Honey

Bright leaf Virginia from 2012 that was de-stemmed folded and stuffed into a jar to age anaerobically. Recently unfolded and sprayed with a very strong hibiscus flower tea that was sweetened to taste with honey. Pressed only to cut immediately then stuffed back into the jar. After four months of sitting now, it has lost the purple color the flowers gave it.
The casing has taken the edge off with its citric acid content and the flower fragrance adds interest to an otherwise typical straight VA flavor profile.

 

[deluxestogie]

 

[adamziegler]

Autumn Morning Hike
(20 parts) (37.74%) Flue Cured Virginia Ripe/Red Leaf (tonka bean)
(10 parts) (18.87%) Flue Cured Lemon Virginia (elderberry)
(6 parts) (11.32%) Turkish Samsun
(11 parts) (20.75%) Virginia Cavendish (elderberry)
(3 parts) (5.66%) Latakia
(3 parts) (5.66%) Kentuky Burley (tonka bean)

Pouch Note: sweet BBQ sauce , dried fruit, leather
Room Note: incense, roasted almonds, slightly floral
Taste: mild smoke, nutty with a slight sweet aftertaste

The casings were mixed 1:4 syrup to distilled water and applied to the dry leaf prior to pressing. Tonka was an invert syrup made over a month ago that has had a tonka bean sitting it in adding flavor. The elderberry syrup is what I put on my Sunday pancakes and was made a few years ago with elderberries and honey.

Still on a quest for getting something close to "Bob's Chocolate Flake" ... this still is not it, but the proportions of leaf were an experiment with BCF in mind. I certainly smell tonka bean on BCF, but its very subtle in this flake... I think the latakia masks it a bit. That said, this was smokeable for me right out of the press a day after blending, and was very enjoyable. The flake aroma makes me hungry for smoked pork and was delicious with the morning coffee this morning. I wrapped half the plug in aluminum foil and placed it in the oven for a few hours at 200F and did not notice any significant change in flavor or texture. I am very happy with the flake right of of the press.

 

[deluxestogie]

 

[deluxestogie]

Only two weeks left to take the challenge.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Thank you to those participating and following the Mountain Ford 2024 Pipe Blend Challenge.

Bob