Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

[GreenDragon]

Do post your results. The possible permutations of varieties, priming levels and degree of steaming, when making Cavendish is a lot of fun to explore.

I've found myself repeatedly making up yet another batch of Three Cavs. (Maybe it's because the math is so easy.)
Three Cavs

• Lemon Virginia Cavendish 50%
• Burley Red Tip Cavendish 25%
• Maryland 609 Cavendish 25%

Bob

Will do. And will be making a batch of Three Cavs also as soon as these finish drying down. My garage (where these are drying) smells like heaven. Like I imagine a turn of the century tobacconist shop would have smelled like. All the funky odors are gone and it’s just a rich aged tobacco smell.

 

[GreenDragon]

Took the FTT Christmas Blend 2019 out of the press today. Smells like dark chocolate. Will let it settle for a few days before trying.

 

[deluxestogie]

Kaibab squirrel. North rim.

This Oriental and Cavendish blend is the product of successive, minor modifications and trials of my original Edinburgh blend. You might say that Black Bridge is a new species that has branched off distinctively from its parent species, after 9 different Edinburgh variants.

[Squirrels on either rim of the Grand Canyon became permanently separated from one another by the impassable gorge of the Colorado River, and diverged into two distinctive species of squirrel.]

Simply half Basma and half "Cavendish" doesn't really work, in the generic sense. The combination of Cavendish varieties needs to accomplish some specific tasks, the most important of which is to replace the now missing Perique, so that the pH balance is restored to a happier value. The Dark Air CAV, and to a lesser extent, the Burley CAV serve this purpose.

The pouch aroma of Black Bridge lacks the "roundness" of Edinburgh, since it lacks the Perique component. Instead, the bright, slightly "sour" aroma of Basma dominates the pouch. When lit, the combination of burley Cavendish and Dark Air-cured Cavendish perform an excellent job of minimizing the tongue bite that would be associated with so much Basma, in the absence of Perique. Nicotine is on the robust side of medium. Overall, this seems to be a satisfying, enjoyable blend for the second half of the day.

Black Bridge

• Basma 50%
• Burley Cavendish 30%
• Dark Air-cured Cavendish 10%
• VA Bright Cavendish 10%

[Within Grand Canyon National Park, there are only two bridges that cross the Colorado River. They are both in the vicinity of Phantom Ranch. That fine, black line shown on the map in this blend label is known as the Black Bridge, and accommodates pedestrians and livestock. (Watch out for road apples.) The other, just off the left of the label, is called the Silver Bridge, designed initially to support the trans-canyon water pipeline, but fitted for pedestrian traffic. From a couple of tourist viewpoints on the South Rim, the Black Bridge can be seen as an "eyelash" crossing the "tiny thread" of a river, roughly a mile below.]

Download 3½" hi-res blend label as pdf.

Bob

Abert squirrel. South rim.

 

[LivinInPiperHell]

Took the FTT Christmas Blend 2019 out of the press today. Smells like dark chocolate. Will let it settle for a few days before trying.

View attachment 29770

Man that looks really good. Well done.
Don't forget to tell us how it smokes.

 

[GreenDragon]

The 2019 Christmas blend. This has a deep rich Virginia flavor without much sweetness, with slight notes of caramel from the Cavendish. The dark air appears occasionally with an earthy pop.

 

[CobGuy]

Sounds like a tasty blend!

Nice pipe! Who is the maker and what is the transition made of?

~Darin

 

[GreenDragon]

It’s a Poul Winslow. The transition is acrylic.

 

[deluxestogie]

Don't forget to tell us how it smokes.

This morning, while smoking a bowl of Edinburgh, I thought to myself that it was really one of the nicest batches of it that I have made in a while.

I always list the exact varieties of any blend batch on a label taped to the underside of the container.

Truth from the seamy underbelly

I flipped it over, and was surprised to see that it was my new Black Bridge blend. (Hey. I'm old. I forget these things.) Unlike the Edinburgh blend, which always contains Perique in every batch, this ninth batch did not. So I had christened it Black Bridge.

Pay no attention to the fact that 10% isn't always 10%. That's a rounding error in my central processor's math sub-unit.

Now I remember having assured myself that I could easily remember that it was Black Bridge, and didn't need to peel off the Edinburgh label just for this eenie weenie batch of Black Bridge.

So, to answer your question of how it smokes:

"The pouch aroma of Black Bridge lacks the "roundness" of Edinburgh, since it lacks the Perique component. Instead, the bright, slightly "sour" aroma of Basma dominates the pouch. When lit, the combination of burley Cavendish and Dark Air-cured Cavendish perform an excellent job of minimizing the tongue bite that would be associated with so much Basma, in the absence of Perique. Nicotine is on the robust side of medium. Overall, this seems to be a satisfying, enjoyable blend for the second half of the day. "

It smokes good.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

This is a tricky one to blend properly. Most Oriental leaf produces smoke that is slightly acidic, but not to the extent we find with flue-cured Virginia tobaccos. To complicate this, every variety of Oriental differs in the acidity it contributes. And even different bales or crop years of the same named variety differ.

I find that smoking any pure Oriental has a bit of a tongue bite. The plan for this blend was to begin with a pure Oriental, then blend it with just enough Perique to neutralize the tongue bite, but no more. And no other ingredients. The particular batch of WLT Stacked Basma that I'm working with is just about as bright as any Oriental leaf I've ever seen. The aroma from my large bag of it even presents a slight "sour" note.

The balance point comes surprisingly close to the ratio of cows on the blend label.

This blend lights and burns well. Nicotine is low-to-moderate (compared to very low nicotine, with pure Basma). It still has a bit of a tang, but is much smoother than the pure Oriental. I think it would be a blend of interest for fans of simple, Virginia / Perique blends. If you are looking for a meaty smoke, this is not it. Instead, Contrarian is perfect for light, carefree, thought-free bowl of tobacco. It's perfect with a morning cup of coffee.

To blend this with a different Oriental, start with a bowl of the pure Oriental. Note the acidity and bite. Then add Perique, starting with 6.25%, which is 1 part per 16. Smoke it. Increase the Perique only enough so the bite vanishes.

Contrarian

• WLT Stacked Basma 81.25% (13 parts per 16)
• WLT Perique 18.75% (3 parts per 16)

Download 3½" hi-res Contrarian label as pdf.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

My Contrarian label is a mirror.

 

[deluxestogie]

Well...I didn't want to name names.

Bob

 

[tullius]

The plan for this blend was to begin with a pure Oriental, then blend it with just enough Perique to neutralize the tongue bite, but no more. And no other ingredients. The particular batch of WLT Stacked Basma that I'm working with is just about as bright as any Oriental leaf I've ever seen. The aroma from my large bag of it even presents a slight "sour" note.

This is a very interesting blend. For one, I don't think oriental+perique has been done before, so this is very original. Second, I was sorting through my humidor today taking stock before @deluxestogie posted this, and went sniffing ribboned pipe tobaccos to make sure they were OK (they are in excellent condition). The WLT stacked basma had exactly a delicate bright/sour tang to my nose, where fresh it had a distinctive gunpowder green tea/green peppercorn aroma. Now, it almost has some vinegar, but not quite.

I'm going to blend some up and try this, I think it's going to be a fantastic morning smoke. What a great unique blend idea, Bob.

 

[deluxestogie]

Shades of Dark

For those of you who prefer a deep, full-flavored blend, without the pungency of Perique or the smokiness of Latakia, Shades of Dark blends 3 Cavendish varieties. The nicotine is near the upper end of medium-to-full bodied. Unlike Caribbean cigar varieties, PA Maduro--especially as a Cavendish--does not permeate the room with a cigar-like aroma. Despite the Dark Air and PA Maduro proportions, there is still a slight tongue bite with this. That could be remedied with one more part of Dark Air Cavendish (6.25%) replacing one part of VA Bright Cavendish, but that significantly jacks up the nicotine hit.

Shades of Dark

• Virginia Bright Cavendish 62.5% (10 parts per 16)
• Pennsylvania Maduro Cavendish 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Dark Air-Cured Cavendish 18.75% (3 parts per 16)

Download 3½" high-res Shades Of Dark blend label as pdf.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Four Points: this is rich, deep, and absolutely enjoyable.

By weight, all WLT leaf processed into Cavendish via 3 runs at 4 hrs each in my Instant Pot.

Va Bright 30%
Va Red 20%
Dark Air 30%
Maryland 20%

 

[deluxestogie]

Fashioned in the tradition of my Red Caboose pipe blend, this one honors the late Sultan of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, known for his quiet diplomacy during his five decade reign. This blend offers mild to medium nicotine, and not a trace of sweetness--only desert dryness. With 87.5% Cavendish, one can imagine the steamy waters of the Gulf.

Sultan Qaboos

• Samsun 12.50% (2 parts per 16)
• Trabzon Cavendish 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• VA Red Cavendish 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Burley Red Cavendish 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Dark Air Cavendish 6.25% (1 part per 16)

If you don't have Samsun and/or Trabzon Cavendish, then definitely give it a try with whichever Oriental(s) you may have, as indicated below.

Sultan Qaboos Generalized

• Oriental 12.50% (2 parts per 16)
• Oriental Cavendish 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• VA Red Cavendish 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Burley Red Cavendish 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Dark Air Cavendish 6.25% (1 part per 16)

Download a 3½" Sultan Qaboos blend label as a pdf.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Okay. More than a bit. This simple blend leans heavily on my Long Red Cavendish. It will likely come out similar with PA Red, Little Dutch and Dutch Ohio (all cooked into Cavendish), but not so similar if made using the broadleaf/seedleaf Pennsylvania varieties. The pouch aroma is subdued. Its aroma is not cigar-like, but instead more like a kinder, gentler Dark Air-Cured blend pouch aroma. Nicotine load is dependent on the priming level of the Long Red that was chosen for the Cavendish. With my particular batch, the smoke is smooth, warm and seemingly mild, but the nicotine sneaks up silently to medium-to-full, without warning.

Bit of Red

• Long Red Cavendish 68.75% (11 parts per 16)
• VA Flue-cured CAVENDISH 31.25% (5 parts per 16)

Download Bit of Red 3½" hi-res blend label as pdf.

Bob

EDIT: Both ingredients are Cavendish. My initial post was in error.

 

[GreenDragon]

I have a new jar of home grown Little Dutch Cavendish just waiting to be used. This sounds like a perfect opportunity. Would you recommend Bright, Lemon, or Red as the Virginia?

 

[deluxestogie]

Would you recommend Bright, Lemon, or Red as the Virginia?

Yes. The Flue-cured Virginia that I used was labeled "Lemon", but is now several years old, and looks and tastes more toward the Bright to Red end of the spectrum. So you'll just have to experiment with small batches of each.

Bob

EDIT: I just noticed that my initial post on Bit of Red failed to list the Virginia Flue-Cured as CAVENDISH, even though the perfectly unreadable label clearly indicates that both ingredients are Cavendish. Sorry for the confusion. I triple proof-read these things prior to posting, but missed that.

 

[deluxestogie]

Including some of England's most breathtaking views, and its highest peaks, Lake District National Park, in the county of Cumbria, is a worldwide tourist destination. The dramatic valley shown in this blend label (looking toward the Irish Sea) was carved by the weight and movement of a massive glacier during the last Ice Age (which formed a transient "land" bridge between the British Isles and mainland Europe, and ended about 11,500 years ago).

This pipe blend is a medium-Latakia blend, moderate on the Virginia Bright, and a noticeable dose of burley. The Perique and Burley together smooth out the flue-cured bite. An excellent blend for mid-to-late in the day. Nicotine is medium.

Cumbria

• Latakia 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
• Burley 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
• Oriental 6.25% (1 part per 16)
• Virginia Bright 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
• Perique 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Download Cumbria 3½" high res blend label as pdf.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

This is another of my attempts to make a smokable blend of Silver River Cavendish. My problem is that Silver River contains some sort of terpene that I find unpleasant. It's still there in the Cavendish. So I decided to use a blunt instrument with this one. It contains fully 25% Silver River Cavendish. The Silver River Cavendish leaves a bit of a "cigar" room note, and I continue to be suspicious that it is a renamed version of Bolivia Criollo Black, or a related Bolivian or Paraguayan variety, like Flojo.

[Names of tobacco varieties are often uninformative, sometimes misleading. "Moonlight" and "Magnolia" sound truly charming, but are simply a slight variation of CT Shade. Silver River was a name assigned by a US hobby grower who thought it had something of a natural menthol to it--it does not. But he had lost track of its actual varietal name. So we now have the charming name, "Silver River".]

Back to this blend. Somehow, the robust dose of Silver River Cavendish, with a similar quantity of Burley Red Tip Cavendish, together balance the pH of the Lemon Virginia Cavendish. What I found surprising is that the combination seems to play happy games together. That is, I don't taste the icky terpene that I know is still there. Somehow, the other blend components mask its taste.

The science of odorant perception:

1. production
2. release
3. detection
4. identification

A) The terpene is already in the tobacco
B) we know it is released with combustion
C) we know we must be smelling/tasting it; but...
D) another odorant within the combusting tobacco tricks our senses into not identifying the presence of this terpene. Yay!

Similarly, I don't taste the usually distinctive note of Burley Red Tip Cavendish. Its nicotine is on the high side. Although I might regret being stranded on a desert island with only this particular blend to smoke, those who have a supply of Silver River may want to give this a try.

Silver Lining

• Lemon Virginia Cavendish 50%
• Burley Cavendish 25%
• Silver River Cavendish 25%

Download 3½" hi-res Silver River blend label as a pdf.

Bob