I tried several Balkan blends and noticed that a mix. of İzmir and Prilep (60/40 or 50/50) really tastes better when compared to the blends containing Prilep or İzmir alone.
Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make
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That mixture looks very appetizing!
I wonder, my own Prilep 66-9/7 is not really floral, but the Izmir (that Lebanese strain) is (some leaves even smelled distinctly like jasmine while air/sun-curing). But last year´s Xanthi was also less floral than the Baffra. In a less than favourite climate a shorter time to maturity may make a positive difference.
I wonder, my own Prilep 66-9/7 is not really floral, but the Izmir (that Lebanese strain) is (some leaves even smelled distinctly like jasmine while air/sun-curing). But last year´s Xanthi was also less floral than the Baffra. In a less than favourite climate a shorter time to maturity may make a positive difference.
Planter, what is your general location?
The subtle qualities of all Orientals are influenced not only by the local climate, but also the planting density, soil fertility, topped/not topped, stalk position, and of course the curing conditions and extent of aging. The sweetest Orientals are from sun-curing (although the few varieties that flue-cure well are even sweeter).
The most floral Orientals are grown in conditions that allow them to reach about 3 to 3-1/2 feet in height (about a meter), with relatively tiny leaves, and are not topped. My Xanthi-Yaka, when widely spaced, grew to over 6 feet, and produced 10 inch long leaves. The nicest were the densely-planted ones, which all seemed like midgets. Aging after kilning also makes a significant difference.
I think that, for blending purposes, each blender needs to carefully evaluate the character of the specific batch of Oriental leaf to be used, and adjust the blend to compensate for those qualities that are present or absent. (That's often the explanation for a commercial blender altering a successful blend from time to time--different leaf is available.)
Bob
The most floral Orientals are grown in conditions that allow them to reach about 3 to 3-1/2 feet in height (about a meter), with relatively tiny leaves, and are not topped. My Xanthi-Yaka, when widely spaced, grew to over 6 feet, and produced 10 inch long leaves. The nicest were the densely-planted ones, which all seemed like midgets. Aging after kilning also makes a significant difference.
I think that, for blending purposes, each blender needs to carefully evaluate the character of the specific batch of Oriental leaf to be used, and adjust the blend to compensate for those qualities that are present or absent. (That's often the explanation for a commercial blender altering a successful blend from time to time--different leaf is available.)
Bob
Indeed, I have a number of Orientals in pots on gravel in a sunny patio, and they are just 3 feet tall with small, very sticky leaves. Almost all leaves became ripe/overripe. It´s probably just the kind of microclimate they need. This year I stored these leaves separately, if after some aging they appear to be much more aromatic than the rest, I may restrict growing next year to that spot (not much trouble with slugs, and easy to sun-cure).
(On the other hand, the oversized leaves from 7ft Orientals have a cigarish character to them when air-cured, which has its own uses.)
Anyway, the Prilep is a pretty plant, you did not promise too much there.
(On the other hand, the oversized leaves from 7ft Orientals have a cigarish character to them when air-cured, which has its own uses.)
Anyway, the Prilep is a pretty plant, you did not promise too much there.
WLT Latakia Blending Matrix
This project was undertaken in order to establish a set of blending guidelines for pipe blends that use WLT Latakia as a major ingredient. One significant constraint was to create balanced blends using only whole leaf varieties that are available from WLT (www.wholeleaftobacco.com). This precludes the use of common pipe blending condiments, such as Perique and Black Cavendish, which require additional processing to manufacture.
Selected Ingredients:
Altogether, I prepared 34 different blend variants over several weeks, using the early trials to narrow down the range of proper proportions for later trials.
Shredding
Any shred can be used in a pipe blend. The finer the shred, the hotter the tobacco will smoke. Different burn temperature affects the taste and aroma of the resulting smoke in subtle ways that I do not address here. My preference is for a moderately slow-burning, coarse shred.
Kuhn Rikon 6" kulu knife.
For the larger leaf ingredients, I stemmed the leaf, rolled a large, fat, tight cigar of a single ingredient, then hand sliced it into thin "coins" with a large (6", NOT 4.5") Kuhn Rikon kulu knife. The row of coins is then sliced once or twice to limit shred length.
(http://www.kuhnrikonshop.com//search/kulu)
Holding the kulu by the riser opposite the handle, rather than by the handle, I am able to easily exert enough force to slice through the densest tobacco. This is the same knife that I use to make all my cigars. A simple chaveta can be used, but because of the required force, needs a wide surface on the top edge (against your hand), such as wood or even a section of tubing or garden hose.
For small Orientals, I picked through the leaf to remove any thick stem butts. I made a crude pile the length of the cutting board, then shredded the pile with the kulu, stems and all. The kulu was then used to slice lengthwise down the shredded pile two or three times, to limit shred length.
Latakia was also shredded in a crude pile. Since the Latakia stems are crumbly, I left all of them in the pile as I shredded.
Blending
After shredding, I had a quart bag of shred of each ingredient from which to measure blend components. For blending, I used a kitchen measuring teaspoon, doing my best to keep the transferred quantities similar. While one might be tempted to make this more precise, by using a scale, or even a scientific balance, my thought is that there is sufficient variability from one batch of the same leaf variety to the next, that the added precision would not be useful. However, the larger the volume measure (say, using a tablespoon or a 1/4 cup measure), the lower the margin of measurement error when scooping shred. So, for creating a large batch, the use of a large measuring container will likely lead to more reproducible blend results. For these trials, I needed three or four pipe bowls of each blend.
For each trial batch, each "unit" in the matrix represented 1 teaspoon of that ingredient. I still ended up with a substantial quantity (about 1 gallon!) of "not quite balanced" blends, by the time I settled on the final blend ratios.
Once the ingredients for a specific blend were placed into a carefully labeled 1 quart freezer Ziplock, I mostly closed the bag, inflated it to capacity (like a balloon), then sealed it. Each bag was then shaken in several directions, and banged a few times (to break up any clumps of a single ingredient), for a total of 30 seconds. The bag was then deflated, and hand compressed into a tight roll, and sealed. After a mere 1 day of rest, it was sampled. The near-balanced blends were smoked in several different types of pipes (large briar, tall briar, medium meerschaum, corncob).
Latakia
Latakia guided the building of the blending matrix, with the percentage of Latakia ranging from 25% to 75%. One could certainly experiment with even lower percentages of Latakia, but most commercial Latakia pipe blends probably fall within the range of 20 to 50%, with several notable outliers.
Orientals
I created most blends using either Izmir or Prilep as the Oriental component, with most of the Prilep blends being duplicated in an Izmir version. In addition, several blends used differing ratios of a combination of both Prilep and Izmir. After completing all the trials, I realized that the overall balance of the blend did not depend on the Oriental variety. So, in the final matrix, a column is simply labeled "Oriental." The Oriental variety chosen will certainly influence the flavor, the floral nature of the aroma, and the strength. But the general blend balance doesn't seem to change much. I've included the "Balkan White" blend in the final matrix, indicating that the Oriental is "Xanthi", which most closely duplicates my recollection of the early Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture (Balkan Sobranie White). Using different Orientals in place of the Xanthi still makes a lovely blend.
Flue-cured Virginia
Although flue-cured Virginia is available in a wide continuum of color, from lemon to a dark red, I used WLT Lemon Virginia and WLT Red Virginia. The ratios of the two vary from one blend to the next, influencing how "bright" (or sour) I wanted the taste to be. Lemon VA seems to give a sour edge, while VA Red creates a "rounder" and deeper taste.
In examining the graph above, I found it difficult to generalize any blending guideline. If, instead, I create a graph using the total Virginia (a sum of the lemon and red) [in the graph below], it becomes readily apparent that as the percentage of Latakia decreases, the total percentage of Virginia required to balance the blend increases in proportion. That is, the proportions of the remaining ingredients (Dark Air and Oriental) remain unchanged, when maintaining a taste balance.
Dark Air Cured
The addition of Dark Air seems to add body, a "fullness" to the smoke, and a broader flavor spectrum. It enhances the characteristics of the other ingredients. In my trials using a proportion greater than 1/16 of the total mixture, most seemed "off" or too cigar-like. Surprisingly, a mere 1/16 Dark Air makes a world of difference. Within a narrow range, Dark Air seems to reduce the tongue bite of Virginia tobaccos.
Burley
Burley is not a traditional ingredient in English-style or Balkan-style blends. Although C&D has introduced a line of burley/Latakia blends, such a pairing is fairly uncommon. What I found in repeated trials of varying burley ratios is that the burley seems to take over the blend when it goes above 25%, and seems to get lost at 12.5%. So, for these burley blends, the proportion of burley stays pretty much the same, with other ingredients varying.
Some thoughts on Perique and Black Cavendish
These two ingredients were not a part of this project.
Commercial Black Cavendish is an ingredient that adds mildness and dark bits of shred. Cavendish can be made at home by steaming or pressure-cooking color-cured leaf for 5 to 8 or more hours. With home-made Cavendish, all bets are off. How strong or rich a Cavendish turns out to be is highly dependent on the variety of tobacco leaf (as well as stalk position) used to create it. So, if using home-made Cavendish, blending trials are the only way to approach a balanced blend. Start low, and work your way up.
Perique, both commercial and home-made, are alkaline (higher pH), and will eliminate the tongue bite that accompanies higher proportions of Virginia. I suspect that it has a similar, though less pronounced effect on the bite of higher proportions of Oriental. A reasonable starting point for blending trials is a quantity of Perique that is about 1/3 the total of Virginia plus Oriental. Perique will allow much higher ratios of Virginia and Oriental than are palatable in the absence of Perique. Perique always increases the absorption of nicotine, so keep that in mind.
You should consider the blending matrix as simply a starting point for your own blending.
Bob
This project was undertaken in order to establish a set of blending guidelines for pipe blends that use WLT Latakia as a major ingredient. One significant constraint was to create balanced blends using only whole leaf varieties that are available from WLT (www.wholeleaftobacco.com). This precludes the use of common pipe blending condiments, such as Perique and Black Cavendish, which require additional processing to manufacture.
Selected Ingredients:
- Cyprus Latakia
- Prilep
- Izmir
- Lemon Virginia
- Red Virginia
- Dark Air
- Toasted Burley
Altogether, I prepared 34 different blend variants over several weeks, using the early trials to narrow down the range of proper proportions for later trials.
Shredding
Any shred can be used in a pipe blend. The finer the shred, the hotter the tobacco will smoke. Different burn temperature affects the taste and aroma of the resulting smoke in subtle ways that I do not address here. My preference is for a moderately slow-burning, coarse shred.
Kuhn Rikon 6" kulu knife.
For the larger leaf ingredients, I stemmed the leaf, rolled a large, fat, tight cigar of a single ingredient, then hand sliced it into thin "coins" with a large (6", NOT 4.5") Kuhn Rikon kulu knife. The row of coins is then sliced once or twice to limit shred length.
(http://www.kuhnrikonshop.com//search/kulu)
Holding the kulu by the riser opposite the handle, rather than by the handle, I am able to easily exert enough force to slice through the densest tobacco. This is the same knife that I use to make all my cigars. A simple chaveta can be used, but because of the required force, needs a wide surface on the top edge (against your hand), such as wood or even a section of tubing or garden hose.
For small Orientals, I picked through the leaf to remove any thick stem butts. I made a crude pile the length of the cutting board, then shredded the pile with the kulu, stems and all. The kulu was then used to slice lengthwise down the shredded pile two or three times, to limit shred length.
Latakia was also shredded in a crude pile. Since the Latakia stems are crumbly, I left all of them in the pile as I shredded.
Blending
After shredding, I had a quart bag of shred of each ingredient from which to measure blend components. For blending, I used a kitchen measuring teaspoon, doing my best to keep the transferred quantities similar. While one might be tempted to make this more precise, by using a scale, or even a scientific balance, my thought is that there is sufficient variability from one batch of the same leaf variety to the next, that the added precision would not be useful. However, the larger the volume measure (say, using a tablespoon or a 1/4 cup measure), the lower the margin of measurement error when scooping shred. So, for creating a large batch, the use of a large measuring container will likely lead to more reproducible blend results. For these trials, I needed three or four pipe bowls of each blend.
For each trial batch, each "unit" in the matrix represented 1 teaspoon of that ingredient. I still ended up with a substantial quantity (about 1 gallon!) of "not quite balanced" blends, by the time I settled on the final blend ratios.
Once the ingredients for a specific blend were placed into a carefully labeled 1 quart freezer Ziplock, I mostly closed the bag, inflated it to capacity (like a balloon), then sealed it. Each bag was then shaken in several directions, and banged a few times (to break up any clumps of a single ingredient), for a total of 30 seconds. The bag was then deflated, and hand compressed into a tight roll, and sealed. After a mere 1 day of rest, it was sampled. The near-balanced blends were smoked in several different types of pipes (large briar, tall briar, medium meerschaum, corncob).
Latakia
Latakia guided the building of the blending matrix, with the percentage of Latakia ranging from 25% to 75%. One could certainly experiment with even lower percentages of Latakia, but most commercial Latakia pipe blends probably fall within the range of 20 to 50%, with several notable outliers.
Orientals
I created most blends using either Izmir or Prilep as the Oriental component, with most of the Prilep blends being duplicated in an Izmir version. In addition, several blends used differing ratios of a combination of both Prilep and Izmir. After completing all the trials, I realized that the overall balance of the blend did not depend on the Oriental variety. So, in the final matrix, a column is simply labeled "Oriental." The Oriental variety chosen will certainly influence the flavor, the floral nature of the aroma, and the strength. But the general blend balance doesn't seem to change much. I've included the "Balkan White" blend in the final matrix, indicating that the Oriental is "Xanthi", which most closely duplicates my recollection of the early Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture (Balkan Sobranie White). Using different Orientals in place of the Xanthi still makes a lovely blend.
Flue-cured Virginia
Although flue-cured Virginia is available in a wide continuum of color, from lemon to a dark red, I used WLT Lemon Virginia and WLT Red Virginia. The ratios of the two vary from one blend to the next, influencing how "bright" (or sour) I wanted the taste to be. Lemon VA seems to give a sour edge, while VA Red creates a "rounder" and deeper taste.
In examining the graph above, I found it difficult to generalize any blending guideline. If, instead, I create a graph using the total Virginia (a sum of the lemon and red) [in the graph below], it becomes readily apparent that as the percentage of Latakia decreases, the total percentage of Virginia required to balance the blend increases in proportion. That is, the proportions of the remaining ingredients (Dark Air and Oriental) remain unchanged, when maintaining a taste balance.
Dark Air Cured
The addition of Dark Air seems to add body, a "fullness" to the smoke, and a broader flavor spectrum. It enhances the characteristics of the other ingredients. In my trials using a proportion greater than 1/16 of the total mixture, most seemed "off" or too cigar-like. Surprisingly, a mere 1/16 Dark Air makes a world of difference. Within a narrow range, Dark Air seems to reduce the tongue bite of Virginia tobaccos.
Burley
Burley is not a traditional ingredient in English-style or Balkan-style blends. Although C&D has introduced a line of burley/Latakia blends, such a pairing is fairly uncommon. What I found in repeated trials of varying burley ratios is that the burley seems to take over the blend when it goes above 25%, and seems to get lost at 12.5%. So, for these burley blends, the proportion of burley stays pretty much the same, with other ingredients varying.
Some thoughts on Perique and Black Cavendish
These two ingredients were not a part of this project.
Commercial Black Cavendish is an ingredient that adds mildness and dark bits of shred. Cavendish can be made at home by steaming or pressure-cooking color-cured leaf for 5 to 8 or more hours. With home-made Cavendish, all bets are off. How strong or rich a Cavendish turns out to be is highly dependent on the variety of tobacco leaf (as well as stalk position) used to create it. So, if using home-made Cavendish, blending trials are the only way to approach a balanced blend. Start low, and work your way up.
Perique, both commercial and home-made, are alkaline (higher pH), and will eliminate the tongue bite that accompanies higher proportions of Virginia. I suspect that it has a similar, though less pronounced effect on the bite of higher proportions of Oriental. A reasonable starting point for blending trials is a quantity of Perique that is about 1/3 the total of Virginia plus Oriental. Perique will allow much higher ratios of Virginia and Oriental than are palatable in the absence of Perique. Perique always increases the absorption of nicotine, so keep that in mind.
You should consider the blending matrix as simply a starting point for your own blending.
Bob
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jojjas
Well-Known Member
Great work Bob ,this is perfect for us who loves an english balkan for use in our home blending efforts.
Mikael
Mikael
Did you try any casings on those blends ?
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ArizonaDave
Well-Known Member
They look like fantastic blends. I've been thinking of getting back to pipe, especially during winter. I like the cigars in the spring/summer/fall here, when I can enjoy in the pool. There are times I just want to read, and a pipe seems to work well during those contemplative times.
Something I left out of my comments on the Latakia Blending Matrix is the diurnal cycle. First pipe in the morning seems to beg for a low-Latakia, very bright blend, like Smyrna Bright. The last pipe of the evening might best be the highest-Latakia percentage that you enjoy. Alfred Dunhill [my spell-checker says this should be "dunghill"] reflects this with Early Morning Pipe and Night Cap, respectively.
So, generally (during these indoor, frigid months), I start out at the bottom of the Latakia spectrum, and work my way up to Davy Jones by bed time. (I believe that Davy Jones is a smoother, more flavorful rendition of C&D's Pirate Kake. And since you blend it with shredded, whole leaf Latakia, it doesn't require pressing into a press-cake to remain blended.)
Bob
So, generally (during these indoor, frigid months), I start out at the bottom of the Latakia spectrum, and work my way up to Davy Jones by bed time. (I believe that Davy Jones is a smoother, more flavorful rendition of C&D's Pirate Kake. And since you blend it with shredded, whole leaf Latakia, it doesn't require pressing into a press-cake to remain blended.)
Bob
ArizonaDave
Well-Known Member
I'd rather have something called Dunhill as opposed to something called "Dunghill". Besides, there is nothing big enough in the animal kingdom that could possibly be be big enough to leave a dung hill that wouldn't already be petrified.
Back to topic: Very interesting. I've been contemplating ordering some Latakia, and now I think I will.
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Black Mallory was the first English tobacco I ever smoked, 20 years ago, geeze, feeling old. This is a sad post . Sad, sad, sad.
I'm not against all progress. And change happens. Unfortunately, with commercial pipe blends, the marketeering quest for prolonging shelf life, together with the irresistible urge to tamper with a successful blend, has resulted in the deterioration of quality in English pipe blends. So, even though they are now crappy, they safely stay that way for longer.
The good news is that you can easily blend pipe tobacco that is as good or better than even the best commercial products (even from their heyday), using whole leaf available from WLT, and can expand that with simple home techniques to make Perique and black Cavendish.
Bob
The good news is that you can easily blend pipe tobacco that is as good or better than even the best commercial products (even from their heyday), using whole leaf available from WLT, and can expand that with simple home techniques to make Perique and black Cavendish.
Bob
jojjas
Well-Known Member
jolly
Well-Known Member
That looks friggin awesome! How is it?
jolly
Well-Known Member
Until recently I'd been adding my tobacco to store bought blends to tweak them because I wasn't enjoying most of my stuff by itself. Lately though my burley has really developed into a nice stand alone tobacco. One of the things I'm finding is that the dashboard curing method I was using produced really inconsistent results. Some of my tobacco wasn't cured enough, and some of it (poor silkleaf) got cooked.
My first run of FL sumatra was the real strange one though. My guess is that the curing temps got high towards the middle/end of curing. The leaves got very dark and quite a bit sweeter. I've shredded lots of this, but didn't like it initially so I put it in a canning jar and just let it sit since 2011.
I opened the jar this week and wow -- stuff smells amazing! A little like cigar tobacco, but also caramel. I mixed this stuff 50/50 with burley and it is fantastic. I think this is the first bowl of homegrown tobacco I actually want to smoke more than store bought. Question now is, how do I reproduce this effect?
My first run of FL sumatra was the real strange one though. My guess is that the curing temps got high towards the middle/end of curing. The leaves got very dark and quite a bit sweeter. I've shredded lots of this, but didn't like it initially so I put it in a canning jar and just let it sit since 2011.
I opened the jar this week and wow -- stuff smells amazing! A little like cigar tobacco, but also caramel. I mixed this stuff 50/50 with burley and it is fantastic. I think this is the first bowl of homegrown tobacco I actually want to smoke more than store bought. Question now is, how do I reproduce this effect?
jojjas
Well-Known Member
Well , it`s gone upp in smoke
all 300 grams, so i guess it was pretty good , my lab-rats and other who test wanted more of it to smoke The opinions about the baccy was overall , better then store bought stuff and most of those testers wanted a bit more perique and perhaps sweeter virginia , so i guess they like it '
My first impression of the flakes when i slice them , when i started to smoke pipe in the early 70´s , i often bought capstan blue , the aroma was exactly i remember it, but the taste a little more prunish and sweet then capstan blue and a bit more nicotin
As the memories come to me , i had to bought a tin of todays capstan blue for test and compare , i should not had do that , it has nothing of the older capstan blue qualitys , nothing at all
So todays work has being , to make 2 new plugs of 300 gr (10.5 oz) each for this summer delicius smoking
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