Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

[Plöjarn]

Ok. Thanks!
I will keep refining my list as i keep on exploring the exciting world of tobacco blending!

Is it ok to post blends here that contains (whole) leafs from other suppliers than WLT? If I don't name the supplier.

 

[deluxestogie]

Is it ok to post blends here that contains (whole) leafs from other suppliers than WLT? If I don't name the supplier.

Yes.

 

[burge]

WLT and Big Bonner are allowed to be mentioned for leaf suppliers. Big has all the Burleys that Don does not have

 

[Plöjarn]

IRISH MIXTURE
A long time ago I smoked a bowl of Petersons "Irish Flake". I remember it as a rich, full, strong smoke that I really liked. With this blend I was aiming at that feeling, hence the name. I have no idea if it even resembles the Peterson tobacco, but I am happy with the blend and smoke it a lot. It is a satisfying, full, sweet, dark tobacco that I prefer in the evening in a small pipe with a cup of strong, sweet Earl Grey tea.

40% Virginia Bright Black Cavendish
30% Burley
30% Kentucky Dark Fired

The Process:
This blend requires pressing to reach its full potential. The sugars from the cavendish will penetrate the other leaves and meld it together and with some time the tobacco will develop a smell of dried fruits. If it is not pressed, the cavendish will have a tendency to fall to the bottom of the jar. I usually press it for a couple of weeks and cut it into flakes that I carefully rub out to a "broken flake" type of texture. Be careful not to rub it too much or when it is too dry or the cavendish may separate.

The ingredients:
I use regular whole-leaf tobacco from a european dealer. I guess it is the same stuff used in cigarettes and other tobacco products. It's probably not the same quality leaf that you get from WLT or homegrown, but it is dirt cheap and readily available. And I believe it still tastes better than most commercial blends.

Burley
Medium strength burley that I have kilned for 3-4 weeks.

Kentucky Dark Fired
I am not sure what kind of tobacco this is. It is thick, very dark and fire cured with a lot of smoke. I believe it might be the kind of tobacco they use in some italian cigars (Toscanello?). I don't know if it is the same stuff that you have availible in the USA, but from what I have read in different threads here it seems like your version is stronger (more nicotine).

Virginia Bright Black Cavendish
I shred the Flue Cured Virginia leafs and take them into high case in a plastic box over night. I put the shred in a stainless pot with a lid and put it in the oven at 80-100 degrees celsius until it turns black. I occasionally open it and check that it is still moist and shove it around a bit. As I remember it, it takes about a day. I then put it on a tray, break it apart and dry it out completely before storage.

If you try this blend, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for improvements or variations on this theme.

Anders

 

[deluxestogie]

Anders, that certainly looks tasty. In the US, dark fire-cured tobaccos are produced from only a handful of "dark" varieties, primarily grown in western Kentucky. I may still have a small amount stashed away somewhere. If I can locate it, I'll give that a try.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

I found the Kentucky fire-cured. I have two entire leaves. I believe I purchased it in 2010. So the leaves have a bit of age. Their aroma has really softened. I'll see if I can conjure up a batch of Plöjarn's Irish Mixture. I'll press it into a crumble-cake.

Bob

 

[Plöjarn]

I am happy to hear that Bob. It will be interesting to read your impressions of the blend. From your pictures it looks like you have some cavendish to play around with.

A crumble-cake? Is that when you shred the tobacco prior to pressing? I have tried that, but I haven't found a good way of rubbing it out for smoking. Do you rub it out completely or just tear it into small lumps?

 

[deluxestogie]

A crumble-cake can be used for a blend that does not consist of equal shreds, or with very crumbly tobacco. The fully shredded blend is firmly pressed into a block or plank. The result looks like fiber-board insulation. This is commonly used for very high Latakia blends, like Cornell & Diehl's Pirate Kake, which is 75% Latakia. https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/cornell-diehl/Pirate-Kake-16oz/product_id/66085

In practice, you break off a chunk, then crumble that into your pipe bowl.

As it turns out, all three of my components for your Irish Mixture shred quite nicely, blend easily, and do not crumble or separate.

• VA Bright Cavendish 40%
• kilned Burley Red Tips 30%
• well-aged Kentucky Fire-cured 30%

So I'm going to forego the pressing for now, and sample it over the next few days. I cheated last night, and smoked a bowl immediately after blending it. No tongue bite. The taste is warm, smooth, full, somewhat woody, with a medium smokiness and moderate to full nicotine. My rendition of Irish Mixture has no sweetness, likely the result of not pressing it.

Most surprising to me is how mellow the commercial, Kentucky fire-cured leaf has become. I recall the leaf originally being too intense and smoky smelling to use very much at one time. The two home-grown leaf varieties that I've fire-cured seemed to require 3 to 5 years of age, after curing, in order to become well behaved.

Thank you for the blend.
Bob

 

[Plöjarn]

I'm glad you tried it! The sweetness in my version could also have its origin in the Cavendish. I used a very bright "lemon" class of virginia (which i think is the one with the most sugars) and steamed it for a really long time, until it is completely black and changed its texture to become sticky and mushy.

I agree that the fire-cured needs some age to mellow out. But I have discovered that it seems to age faster in the blend than on its own. It might be the sugars from the cavendish or the enzymes from the Burley (that has not been destroyed by fire or flue-curing) that helps with the aging process? I did a big batch of this from fresh leaves this summer and are letting it age in case in glass jars. I seems to age well so far.

 

[deluxestogie]

I couldn't help myself. Here is a different label for Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse blend:

This version has an error (wrong Latakia %). Correction in a later post. (should be 12.5%) The pdf is correct.

Download 3.5" label as pdf: Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse blend label

If you're just about anywhere in North America, and have a clear-ish sky, you may catch it:

• partial lunar eclipse begins 9:36pm EST Sunday evening JAN 20
• full lunar eclipse begins 11:41pm EST Sunday evening
• Maximum lunar eclipse at 12:12am EST Monday morning
• full lunar eclipse ends 12:43am EST Monday morning
• partial lunar eclipse ends 1:50am EST Monday morning

Bob

ABOUT THOSE TIMES: it's not related to when the moon rises in your time zone. The eclipse is a matter between the sun and the moon and the center of earth. So if you're on the west coast, the partial lunar eclipse begins at 6:36pm PST. WHERE you can see it (if it's night-time, and if the sky is somewhat clear):

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Is there a reason the numbers don't add up?

 

[deluxestogie]

Somebody always has to spoil the fun. OF COURSE, the Latakia is supposed to be 12.5%. I was switching back and forth between the new label in Photoshop (as I was entering the blend numbers) and the old label:

I goofed.

I'll have to fix it, and post it again, and create a pdf again. Sigh.

Thanks for pointing it out.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

What happened to the photo with the wolf?

 

[deluxestogie]

That was the original label (the one that appears in the printed book, and the book pdf). Here is the updated version 2.0 label (officially 2.0a):

All better now. The previous link to the single-label pdf now downloads the updated version.

Bob

EDIT: It looks like I darned a sock.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I like how you off-centered the moon.

 

[GreenDragon]

These two just came out of the box press after 5 days. Now are headed for one of my humidors to dry out and hopefully pick up a faint hint of cedar. I hope to resist trying them until at least this weekend LOL

Top - Blend #1 is an aromatic flavored with Tamdhu and Menorval: Penn. Red, Va Bright Leaf, Samsun Turkish, Cavendish (HG), Burley, and a tiny bit of Perique.
Middle - Blend #2 has no flavorings but used rum as a casing instead of water: Va Bright Leaf, Glessner (HG), Samsun Turkish, Perique, Cavendish, Cigar Scraps (HG), and a Bezuki Wrapper.
Bottom - My favorite tobacco tool. A large 4" razor blade cutter. Awesome for trimming the the ends of a cigar when rolling and also makes perfect ribbons for pipe tobacco.

Expecting my order of WLT Perique and Latakia in the mail tomorrow. Can't wait to play with them!!

 

[burge]

You could probably mist it with some brandy and would be wow

 

[GreenDragon]

You could probably mist it with some brandy and would be wow

I like the way you think Burge!

 

[deluxestogie]

Are you planning to slice those into coins?

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Are you planning to slice those into coins?

Bob

I had to check.