Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

[Traveling Piper]

@GreenDragon @deluxestogie @ChinaVoodoo
In keeping with the offensive outwardly appearance of the Chuck-Wills-Widow and the surprisingly pleasant song she sings—I might find it appropriate to include a rough and large chop of one blend component—this being representative of the big obnoxious mouth. Perhaps it’s a percentage of the cigar leaf thats bizarrely chopped and seemingly out of place... developing unique flavor pockets that come as a surprise? @GreenDragon, perhaps a blend that’s a nice uniform ribbon cut with the addition of cube cut cigar leaf ( like you did the Burley above)? A blend that surely makes one say “Damn, that’s an odd looking blend”—only later to exclaim how unique and pleasant it actually is.

 

[Alpine]

@GreenDragon: I suspect you followed my advice and bought that “7 days set of seconds “ from MM... was it worth the money?

Pier

 

[GreenDragon]

@GreenDragon: I suspect you followed my advice and bought that “7 days set of seconds “ from MM... was it worth the money?

Pier

Yes it sure was - thanks again!

 

[deluxestogie]

The problem I encounter with blending components that are mismatched in size and shape is that they often won't blend well, and subsequently tend to separate quite easily (Brazil nut effect). I've found this with the so-called "granular Perique", which is just lazy shredding (without teasing the leaves apart and opening them), and also with identical width shreds that differ dramatically in length.

Also, I'm not sure how far the spiritualistic symbolism will get us in a real world blend.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Cube cut burley works and stays relatively evenly distributed in blends that have sticky, cased tobacco in them.

 

[deluxestogie]

Yes. Glue will glue things. High Latakia (which crumbles) is usually solved commercially by selling it as a press cake. You crumbled it; you separated it.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

What Else Can I Say?

Download the 3.5" label as pdf (700 KB)

Bob

 

[Traveling Piper]

The problem I encounter with blending components that are mismatched in size and shape is that they often won't blend well, and subsequently tend to separate quite easily (Brazil nut effect). I've found this with the so-called "granular Perique", which is just lazy shredding (without teasing the leaves apart and opening them), and also with identical width shreds that differ dramatically in length.

Also, I'm not sure how far the spiritualistic symbolism will get us in a real world blend.

Bob

I figured that suggestion would make for a rather inconsistent blend. Was thinking the cubes could be picked out and placed during packing. After all, in keeping with the slow Southern theme--time concerns can't come as a requisite.
But, probably too much of a pain to fool with. One day I'll make some cigar cubes to add as a "condiment" when a change of pace is desired.

Finally, I'd call it a creative metaphor and not think too far past that

 

[deluxestogie]

A New Ptarmigan in Ptown (if you can spot it)

Ptarmigan Hiding

• Oriental 25.00% (4 parts per 16)
• Virginia Bright 32.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Dark-Air Cavendish 25.00% (4 parts per 16)
• Perique 18.75% (3 parts per 16)

This blend is deep and rich. If you manage to spot this Ptarmigan Hiding in plain sight, and fire it up, it raises a ruckus. The Dark-Air Cavendish is softer than uncooked Dark-Air, but is still intense. So despite the proportions of each of the ingredients, the Dark-Air Cavendish dominates--full and satisfying. There is no tongue bite. Nicotine is medium-full. I derived it as a variant of Ptarmigan Winter.

Download 3.5" blend label (2.3 MB pdf)

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Guess I'll be breaking out the pressure cooker again this weekend

 

[deluxestogie]

I've made Cavendish from about a dozen varieties. The purchased varieties I would recommend making into Cavendish are:

• Flue-cured Virginia Bright or Lemon
• Flue-cured Virginia Red
• Burley (I love the Red Tips)
• Maryland
• Dark Air

I frog-leg the leaves, roll them individually into a little sausage, and pack only a single variety into a 1 quart canning jar. "Very damp" will result in vibrant, deep red-brown Cavendish. "Soaking, with standing water" in the jar will result in a fully-oxidized, tarry brown-black color. Lids are placed, and these are treated just like canning green beans. Typically 5 hours of 15 psi will complete it.

I open and dry one variety at a time, preserving them as frog-legged leaves in a gallon Zip-lock, which is how I store it. On demand, I can shred some for a new blend.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

I'll have to see what this would bring to a cigarette, it might be interesting. If that doesn't work, I'll try it in the Hookah as a westernized Tombeki.

 

[deluxestogie]

Since today has been, specifically, Pi day, that is the only pipe tobacco that I've smoked.

It's not bad, though a little bitey. It is truly an all day smoke for one day a year. (Sometimes you just have to do what's right.) It is definitely not an every day smoke. I think the components are quite reasonable, and would likely benefit from some adjustments to the blend ratios. But considering that those ratios were arrived at by a purely geometric formula, (and, I might add, a clear statement of equality in diversity) it makes about as much sense as green beer. There will not be a new Pi day blend each year.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Bob,

Two questions:
- When making you Cavendish, do you leave the jars open while in the pressure cooker, or do you have a lid on the jar?
- What is the other 84.292% in the Pi day blend?

Steve

 

[deluxestogie]

- When making you Cavendish, do you leave the jars open while in the pressure cooker, or do you have a lid on the jar?

The lids are on, just like canning green beans.

- What is the other 84.292% in the Pi day blend?

Crust.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Chuck-Wills Widow pipe blend results

Enthusiasm for this proposed blend has be light. Thanks to those who gave it a go.

ChinaVoodoo
15% Latakia
10% Nicaraguan Viso
15% Izmir
10% MD609
50% Red Virginia

GreenDragon
10% Latakia
10% Fire Cured
20% Oriental - Bulgarian ("Basma")
10% Home Grown Cigar - Glessner [plans Nicaragua viso for next batch]
10% Maryland
30% Virginia Red
10% Cavendish (Burley / Va Red / Maryland)

These are fairly divergent recipes. Since mixing Latakia with Kentucky fire-cured hides the uniqueness of the the Latakia, I added the two together, compared it to ChinaVoodoo's proportion, and split the difference. GreenDragon's recipe, though likely delicious, consists of no fewer than 9 distinct components, which I suspect is a challenging demand for the average home blender.

As always, specific Oriental varieties are often not available, so I've generalized that. What we are left with is a whopping dose of Virginia Red, balanced with cigar leaf (Nicaragua, if you dare) and Maryland. My "rounding errors" are intentional.

Bob's simplified recipe for

Chuck-Wills Widow

• Latakia 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Maryland 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
• Oriental 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
• Cigar leaf viso 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
• Virginia Red 43.75% (7 parts per 16)

Download 3.5" pdf image (2.3 MB).

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Altiplano Blend

This odd blend mirrors the intense weather often seen on Bolivia's Altiplano, the high Andes plateau, where you can encounter scorching heat, high winds, rain storms, freezing temperatures and blizzards--all in the same day. To draw a different metaphor, this blend might be considered the 90% cocoa bar of the pipe tobacco world.

It is rich and deeply flavorful, while offering zero tongue bite. Nicotine is full. Room note? I shudder to imagine. The greatest surprise is that such an off the wall blend is delicious. It may be rather close to the (somewhat Periqued) twist rope tobacco sold in the region.

If you're not so sure, then make a mini batch of 1: 1: 1.5: 0.5 tablespoons. Surely you can spare 4 tablespoons of tobacco to transport yourself to the Altiplano. [Carry along gloves, a jacket, and a waterproof card with your next of kin information.]

Altiplano

• Dark Air Cavendish 25% (4 parts per 16)
• Maryland Cavendish 25% (4 parts per 16)
• Burley Cavendish 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
• Virginia Bright 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Download the 3.5" label as a pdf.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I went to blend CWW last night and discovered that most of the components are back at my house in the shed waiting for warmer weather so I can rehydrate them.

 

[GreenDragon]

Bob, have you hacked my computer or something??? This is suspiciously serendipitous - I made a batch of 5 different Cavendish tobacco's last night, and now I have exactly what's needed on hand to try out a batch of this!

Jars contain: Virginia Bright Leaf (4), Burley (3), Maryland (1), Dark Air (2), and home grown Comstock Spanish Ligero (0). I've had trouble in the past with portions of the jar not darkening evenly, so for this batch I left off the lids during processing. Seemed to work for me as I got even darkening throughout. Very happy with this experiment. Note - Virginia BL turned into "candy". Very sticky and moist; I assume from residual sugars. Can't wait to try these out.

(Numbers in (X) refer to the amount of toothpicks placed in the jars to tell them apart after processing.)




Clockwise starting on left: Comstock Spanish, Burley, Maryland, Dark Air, Virginia BL.

 

[Traveling Piper]

Man, so much goodness happening here guys. I hate I’m not on top of my tobacco game as of late. Life is hectic to a Pi-like degree. But I’m proud to open the forum intermittently yall’s good work being done! Keep it up fellas, you are doing the craft a HUGE service. I love it