Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

[Radagast]

When I'm stuck at work and can't smoke delicious pipe tobacco, I tend to surf FTT pretty hard in my downtime so I can enjoy magnificent pipe tobacco vicariously. Last night while reading my favourite thread again (this one) I noticed there weren't a lot of blends with Little Dutch in them, even though it seems like everyone grows it and there are many posts and recommendations in other threads to it's use in pipes. Bob does use Long Red, which I think must be similar, in a few blends here and there.
This off-the-cuff blend was hacked quickly together first thing today from very roughly:
- Little Dutch cavendish 60%
- Lemon 30%
- Latakia 10%
I winged it. It's really good. Could it be better? You tell me.. Please experiment with more Little Dutch folks, I'd love to see your creations since I believe many of you grow it.

edit: quick description; the Little Dutch cavendish is aromatic like a chocolate croissant without much body. It can get a bit soapy and somewhat bitter too. It does well with the Latakia but I think it would be better with a half and half base, or Bob's Virginia Burley blend base, instead of pure lemon, as I am noticing a mild bite on the forward roof of my mouth.

 

[deluxestogie]

After a half-hour of examining bags and bags of kilned and aging tobacco varieties, I located a bag of Little Dutch: some oldish, some newish. I've got it coming into case, for pipe blending over the next week or so. I'm not expecting to cook any Cavendish for a while. (But what about Chichicaste and Guácharo?) I also discovered 4 more full, 1-gallon Ziploc bags of cigar short scraps. Yikes!

Bob

EDIT: I need to develop a Gooey Decimal System to keep track of my shelved tobacco holdings.

 

[Radagast]

I've got it coming into case, for pipe blending over the next week or so.

Excellent! My hands, with anticipation, are twiddling in a "Mr. Burns" fashion.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

View attachment 44271
When I'm stuck at work and can't smoke delicious pipe tobacco, I tend to surf FTT pretty hard in my downtime so I can enjoy magnificent pipe tobacco vicariously. Last night while reading my favourite thread again (this one) I noticed there weren't a lot of blends with Little Dutch in them, even though it seems like everyone grows it and there are many posts and recommendations in other threads to it's use in pipes. Bob does use Long Red, which I think must be similar, in a few blends here and there.
This off-the-cuff blend was hacked quickly together first thing today from very roughly:
- Little Dutch cavendish 60%
- Lemon 30%
- Latakia 10%
I winged it. It's really good. Could it be better? You tell me.. Please experiment with more Little Dutch folks, I'd love to see your creations since I believe many of you grow it.
View attachment 44272
edit: quick description; the Little Dutch cavendish is aromatic like a chocolate croissant without much body. It can get a bit soapy and somewhat bitter too. It does well with the Latakia but I think it would be better with a half and half base, or Bob's Virginia Burley blend base, instead of pure lemon, as I am noticing a mild bite on the forward roof of my mouth.

I did grow some little Dutch this year, and will grow more next year. I like how easy it cures.

I went in my car and grabbed a bag of “trunkbacco” and found some little Dutch leaves. They smell quite sweet already.

Any recommendations on blending? I’m thinking maybe some bright VA and a touch of md cavendish.

 

[Radagast]

Beauty!!
In my humble opinion; I think you're on the right track there. I've never had Maryland but from what I've read of its mild burley-like quality I think it should be really a nice carrier for the strong flavoured Little Dutch. Bright should be good in there too to balance out the Md, though the dosages are outside my ability to suggest as I have no clue about the pH of little dutch or md.
Can't wait to see your first test smokes!

 

[deluxestogie]

Photo: Artemiy Ober

In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a wicked witch—her house walks through the forest on chicken legs. She eats children. So, do as you're told, and go to bed!

This Baba Yaga blend is somewhat more tame and likable than its namesake. The Little Dutch vanishes into the mix. With 25% Perique Cavendish, its medium-to-full nicotine doesn't even sneak up on you—it just pounces. It's aroma profile is broad and tasty. But smoking this pipe blend will definitely not cause you to see your house walking through the forest on chicken legs.

Baba Yaga

• Flue-cured Virginia Red 43.75% (7 parts per 16)
• Perique CAVENDISH 25% (4 parts per 16)
• Little Dutch 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Krumovgrad B2 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Bobbie's Yaga

• Flue-cured Virginia 43.75% (7 parts per 16)
• Perique 25% (4 parts per 16)
• Little Dutch 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Oriental 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Download 3½" hi-res label for Baba Yaga as pdf.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

This "Little Dutch" effort has me smoking a bowl of pure Little Dutch as I type this. I sense no stinky "cigar" aroma. It is missing brighter and deeper components to its aroma profile. The pH of the smoke seems to be only slightly toward the alkaline. So, as an intuitive leap, I will be exploring blends of mostly Little Dutch, with tiny proportions of Oriental and Dark Air-cured.

[Historical Sidebar: As I recall, from smoking the genuine Marsh-Wheeling cigars during the 1970s to1990s—made in Wheeling, West Virginia (in a factory visible from the Interstate highway), the aroma did not resemble that of Caribbean-style cigars. That old blend consisted of Pennsylvania Red and Little Dutch. The light-colored ones were wrapped in CT Shade, while the dark ones were, I believe, wrapped in a Pennsylvania broadleaf/seedleaf (e.g. Glessnor, Lancaster Seedleaf, etc.). It was those darker ones that I sought out for decades, because they were mild and smooth, with no intense aromas.​

​

Today you can purchase cigars packaged as "Marsh-Wheeling Deluxe Stogies," but they are currently made from low-grade Dominican leaf, and will be of zero use in envisioning a pipe blend made from Little Dutch. Traditional American cigar manufacture is dead and gone.]​

Bob

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Beauty!!
In my humble opinion; I think you're on the right track there. I've never had Maryland but from what I've read of its mild burley-like quality I think it should be really a nice carrier for the strong flavoured Little Dutch. Bright should be good in there too to balance out the Md, though the dosages are outside my ability to suggest as I have no clue about the pH of little dutch or md.
Can't wait to see your first test smokes!

Thanks!

Quick report. Last night I made a blend of roughly 1:1 lemon VA, and MD609 Cavendish. This was mixed with 2x the mass of little Dutch. The leaves were rolled into a cigar and sliced up. The smoke was quite nice, and fairly thin/lite in body. I think the cav goes very well with the little Dutch . The room note was quite pleasant to me.

So I guess the recipe was
3g md609 cavendish
3g lemon va
6g little dutch.

To me the mix was a bit thin, and I think adding 5-10 Latakia would be very nice. I’ll try again!

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Quick update from my end.

I weight out 150mg of Latakia and mixed it with 3g of the high case tobacco mixture. This was allowed to dry to low case and subsequently packed into my pipe.

The mix burns very well and is very fragrant. The smoke seems a little thin still, and sort of acidic. My though is dropping the Latakia to 5% and adding 5% Perique may improve the acidity and provide some body. I’ll have to try that when I’m back next weekend.

Overall I’m quite intrigued with my first run with little Dutch. It seems that even in its young age, it is a very smokable and interesting pipe tobacco. As Bob mentioned, there are no “cigar” notes to it, it seems to be fairly aromatic and a little thin on the body. In a way it reminds me of md609 cavendish. That is to say, it smokes well, is pleasant, but leaves something to be desired.

 

[tkaraca]

Out of press this morning

 

[Radagast]

@deluxestogie
Going to whip up a bowl of baba yaga as soon as possible.
@PressuredLeaf
I know what you mean about the "thin"ness, I think Bob is onto it with the perique/dark air.
Good show fellows!

 

[deluxestogie]

Photo: Ian Mason

If your spirit animal happens to be a red squirrel, then they may levitate before your eyes. Next best is enjoying a bowl of this elevating blend. The key ingredient is Little Dutch. Your choice of Oriental and Dark Air-cured will sculpt the aroma profile, but you still end up with a soft, mild smoke. To crank up the nicotine, increase the proportion of Little Yellow (or other Dark Air-cured) slightly, in exchange for some of the Little Dutch.

Levitation

• Little Dutch 68.75% (11 parts per 16)
• Izmir 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Little Yellow 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Really Just Jumping

• Little Dutch 68.75% (11 parts per 16)
• Oriental 18.75% (3 parts per 16)
• Dark Air-cured 12.5% (2 parts per 16)

Download 3½" hi-res label for Levitation as pdf.

Bob

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I found a tin of tobacco I sealed in December of 2019. I thought it would be fun to open it now and give it a try.

It consists of 70% bright VA
30% VA perique made in a charred oak barrel.

The tin worked wonderfully and the slices smell eerily of chocolate. Very nice stinky VaPer smell to the combusting tobacco. Taste is spicy and full, the burn is excellent.

 

[Plinsc]

Interesting, I have the small charred barrel from when I transformed a bottle of shine into a mug of bourbon.
I’m a talented dude!
I’ll have to dig that thing out

 

[Radagast]

The tin is fun, I've never seen that done before.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I forgot where I bought the tins and lids, but I thought it would be fun for long term storage. So far the tins are holding up excellently. I’d like to make a bunch of tobacco, tin it up, then age it for a long time for future me, and my relatives.

 

[deluxestogie]

Rust Resistant Screw Lid Tin Cans:

Wholesale Packaging Supplies and Products | Paper Mart

Paper Mart offers a huge selection of wholesale packaging supplies and products at great prices. Shop Paper Mart today for all of your packaging needs!

www.papermart.com

 

[deluxestogie]

My personal favorite for pipe tobacco storage:

16 oz. Clear Polystyrene Straight-Sided Thick Wall Round Jar with 120/400 Neck (Cap Sold Separately) | U.S. Plastic Corp.

These straight-sided jars can be used for cosmetic or chemical applications. They are also great for storing nuts, bolts, or other small ...

www.usplastic.com

 

[Radagast]

Rust Resistant Screw Lid Tin Cans:

Wholesale Packaging Supplies and Products | Paper Mart

Paper Mart offers a huge selection of wholesale packaging supplies and products at great prices. Shop Paper Mart today for all of your packaging needs!

www.papermart.com

Those are pretty much perfect.
Which size of those best fits deluxestogie's standard label printouts?

 

[deluxestogie]

The labels are sized at 3½". When you print them, you can, of course, reduce their size.

Bob