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Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

Hayden

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This one is a tangy blend of roughly 50% flue cured goose creek red, 25-30% air cured goose creek red and 20-25% wlt perique.
Let's call it Christmas Goose.
Merry Christmas everybody!

Do you think your flue cured goose creek is very acidic ? I growed it also but 50% with my flue cured goose creek would be way to high for a everyday smoke. I did mix it with commercial perique but i think i will need to make some of my own.
 

Radagast

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Merry Christmas to you and all forum members @Radagast!
I’d be curious to read your impressions about the difference between flue-cured vs air-cured GCR.

pier
Cheers my friend!
My palate is about as refined as that of a racoon. Irrespective of that, my impression is as follows:
Hmm, how to describe.. Well at first my flue cured gcr was oddly perfumy, faintly uric, in a slight way when smoked and I didn't like it a whole lot. I did it as an experiment so I didn't do much more than a few leaves anyway, but for some reason, it is so much more mellow now (more than a full year later) and I can use it interchangeabley with flue cured lemon from any Virginia tobacco. It is different though, in that it is much more flavourful, like Virginia with it's own Turkishy tangy spiciness.
Air cured Goose Creek Red is very flavorful too in much the same way except I think not as acidic (hence the tangy bite). In fact it is so distinctive and flavourful that I haven't come up with many ways to use it in blends with other ingredients. And that's fine, it's very very nice all on it's own, but I have to be in the mood for it and I don't care all that much for Cavendish made from it unfortunately.
Do you think your flue cured goose creek is very acidic ? I growed it also but 50% with my flue cured goose creek would be way to high for a everyday smoke. I did mix it with commercial perique but i think i will need to make some of my own.

I think (with the sophistication of a garbage picking racoon) that my flue cured gcr is about as acidic as any flue cured lemon, likely as my small experimental handful of leaves was primed at that stalk level. I surely wish I had more and will definitely grow more next time, so all I can say is that it was worth doing but more tests are needed. Hope that helps.. and yes perique is very helpful in smoothing it out.
Also keep in mind that I sat on mine for over a year before I started really playing with it, that may have helped it mellow out. Have fun and let me know if you agree!
 

Hayden

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I think (with the sophistication of a garbage picking racoon) that my flue cured gcr is about as acidic as any flue cured lemon, likely as my small experimental handful of leaves was primed at that stalk level. I surely wish I had more and will definitely grow more next time, so all I can say is that it was worth doing but more tests are needed. Hope that helps.. and yes perique is very helpful in smoothing it out.
Also keep in mind that I sat on mine for over a year before I started really playing with it, that may have helped it mellow out. Have fun and let me know if you agree!

Yeah it helps a lot because the main problem i have with my first harvest is that i dont have comparision (its impossible to safley import the good raw tobacco from whole leaf to my country)

I had grown some virginia gold in the upper part of my field but the plants were much smaller because there was a tree. In addition the weather was quiet bad this summer in germany.
I did grow orientals which i also flue cured but they can be smoked much better alone then flue cured. I did expact it to a certain degree but its quiet a different beast in comparision to commercial stuff. The homegrown is much more potent.


Try cooking some of your flue-cured Goose Creek Red into Cavendish for blending. That will lower the acidity (raise the pH).

Bob

I did experiment with it a little bit but i need some more testing of the cavendish. Until now i would say that it helped to tune it down, but it still needs more perique than orientals i think.
My commercial bought perqiue also seems like the last bottom of the barrel. Everything is really shredded abd sometimes almost dusty. I have to make some of my own.
 

Radagast

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Yeah it helps a lot because the main problem i have with my first harvest is that i dont have comparision (its impossible to safley import the good raw tobacco from whole leaf to my country)

I had grown some virginia gold in the upper part of my field but the plants were much smaller because there was a tree. In addition the weather was quiet bad this summer in germany.
I did grow orientals which i also flue cured but they can be smoked much better alone then flue cured. I did expact it to a certain degree but its quiet a different beast in comparision to commercial stuff. The homegrown is much more potent.




I did experiment with it a little bit but i need some more testing of the cavendish. Until now i would say that it helped to tune it down, but it still needs more perique than orientals i think.
My commercial bought perqiue also seems like the last bottom of the barrel. Everything is really shredded abd sometimes almost dusty. I have to make some of my own.
I know what you mean. Homegrown tobacco is a totally different ballgame, especially since you have to blend it yourself!
 

deluxestogie

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Artifact_blendLabel_500_72dpi.jpg


If you were to find a well preserved sample of a pipe tobacco blend within the chambers of a Mayan pyramid, it might taste a bit like this: dry, almost dusty, with a full-bodied "pure tobacco" aroma and a generous load of nicotine. (Upper leaf from a Virginia variety that has been sun-cured, if you have produced some, might be more true to the notion.) There is no tongue bite; no ceremonial hallucinations.

I think the creature in this image is depicted closing its eyes, while it puffs out a draw of delicious tobacco smoke. The relatively narrow flavor profile is mostly that of burley, with the bite removed.

Garden20211204_6140_Artifact_pipeBlend_500_72dpi.jpg


Artifact
  • Burley Red Tip 50% (8 parts per 16)
  • Virginia Red Flue-cured 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Basma 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
Artifactoid
  • Burley 50% (8 parts per 16)
  • Virginia Flue-cured 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Oriental 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
Download 3½" hi-res label for Artifact as pdf.

Bob
 

Jb00

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Resolute Blend:
10 parts red VA
5 parts Black Cavendish
2.5 parts Katerini
2.5 parts Prilep
2 parts Maryland 609
Press for 3 hours.

The orientals mix very well with the Virginia to give it a sweet floral taste, and the Cavendish helps smooth it out. I had noticed a slight acidic bite from the initial mixture, so I added the Maryland to counter it. All in all it is a smooth blend that is mild in nicotine and a has a moderately bold flavor.
 

GunnyJ

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Threw together a blend today that is 6 parts cigar leaf, 1.5 parts perique, 1.5 parts stoved black Virginia, 0.5 parts black cavendish, and 0.5 parts red cavendish. The aroma after mixed is fantastic, I have high hopes for this one.
 

deluxestogie

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sunset_blendLabel_500_72dpi.jpg


Yep. This blend is for late in the day. It is rich and full, with a generous nicotine hit. The most distinctive aroma is that of Little Yellow Cavendish. While you can and should make Cavendish from other dark air-cured varieties, Little Yellow is unique among them. Its color, flavor and the character of its aroma are different from the others, when simply air-cured. It's nicotine is a peg lower as well. But that means you can command more of its aroma in your blend, without laying you flat. In its Cavendish incarnation, the edges are softer and smoother, but the unique aroma and nicotine persist.

Garden20210818_5993_pipeBlend_Sunset_500_72dpi.jpg


My blend used WLT Lemon Virginia flue-cured that has further aged in my possession for a number of years. So it is darker in color, softer in acidity and smoother in the mouth. As usual, I use a relatively wide shred (hand-shredded), since I prefer its slower burn. Because of this blend's simplicity, it is a great starting point, with likely adjustments easiest between the Little Yellow Cavendish quantity and the Flue-cured Virginia quantity.

A curious attribute of blends with a significant proportion of dark air-cured (or a dark air-cured Cavendish, like this blend) is that the pH of the smoke is in the same range as that of cigar smoke. So if you are inclined to switch between pipe and cigar during the same day, there is not the unpleasant taste transition attributable to what I will call pH shock. These blends have no cigar taste or aroma, but they play nicely when your mouth and tongue have recently enjoyed a cigar.

Sunset
  • Flue-cured Virginia Bright 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Little Yellow Cavendish 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Flue-cured Virginia Bright Cavendish 25% (4 parts per 16)
Nearly Sunset
  • Flue-cured Virginia Bright 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Dark Air-cured Cavendish 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Flue-cured Virginia Bright Cavendish 25% (4 parts per 16)
Download Download hi-res Sunset blend label 3½" 300 dpi as pdf.

Bob
 

Hayden

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A little blend i smoked today

Take 50% 6h cooked Cavendish which is pressed and in my case 6 months old

And 50% Bolivian Black Criollo which was also pressed and sliced up and mix it.

The result is a blend which has the fruitiness acidic mouth feel and the body of a cup of coffee.
Quiet a catch for me.
 

Mico

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This has become my go-to blend:

Va Orange 60%
Va Bright 30%
Va Lemon 10%

It's almost bite free while it retains the tanginess of virginias. Lemon Va I do find very bitey, but adding such a small quantity still produces a slight tangy note that I enjoy without biting. I made an earlier version with 10% more bright virginia, but it was a bit bitier than I enjoy so I substituted with Orange. It's really good now.

I wonder if Va Orange is the same as Va red.
 

deluxestogie

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Jaipur_blendLabel_500_72dpi_a.jpg


The pouch aroma of this blend is dominated by the floral Krumovgrad, a Basma-type tobacco grown in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria, not too far from Xanthi Greece. I can't really say if the difference between Krumovgrad and Basma is the variety itself, or the sun-curing methods. But they are different.

My supply of India Dark Air-Cured tobacco seems smoother than the American Dark Air-Cured that I have smoked, but this may be due to age. The India Dark Air is from a 2011 crop. It's nicotine is full, and is alkaline enough to balance all the Virginia and Krumovgrad nicely. I suspect (only a suspicion) that the room note of this blend is similar to that of the back streets of Jaipur.

There is an edginess to the taste. Aroma is rich and distinctly different. Burn is excellent, and the nicotine of the blend is medium-to-full. This is not a timid blend.

Garden20201118_5552_Jaipur_pipeBlend_500_72dpi.jpg


If you have no access to India Dark Air-Cured, then it's your turn to change the Jaipur.

Jaipur
  • India Dark Air-Cured 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
  • Lemon Virginia 37.5% (6 parts per 16)
  • Krumovgrad 31.25% (5 parts per 16)
Download 3½" hi-res Jaipur blend label as a pdf.

Bob
 
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deluxestogie

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BurrowingOwl_blendLabel_600_72dpi.jpg

Photo: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

This mild and tasty blend is primarily air-cured Maryland (I used MD 609 that I kilned), with a sprinkle each of Basma and Latakia. Easy to blend; easy to smoke. Since my MD 609 crop was stalk-cured, and not separated by stalk-level, this is a random blend of lower, mid-stalk and upper-stalk Maryland leaf.

Nicotine is a slight notch below medium. Lights and burns well. There is no tongue bite. Latakia is soft, floating in the background, although it presents the most distinctive smoke aroma of the three ingredients.

Garden20220217_6226_BurrowingOwl_pipeBlend_500.jpg


Burrowing Owl
  • Maryland 75% (12 parts per 16)
  • Basma 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
  • Latakia 12.5% (2 parts per 16)
Download 3½" hi-res label for Burrowing Owl as pdf.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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Bobs74th_pipeBlend_500_72dpi.jpg


It was February of 2022. I saw this secret message as a challenge. I had purchased a huge, "Party Size" bag of potato chips. The "best if used by" date was my upcoming birthday! Was it an omen? At the very least, I would clearly need to settle a new pipe blend ahead of that date. That would be best.

Garden20220226_6245_Bobs74th_pipeBlend_500_72dpi.jpg


This is a mild to medium strength blend. I have enjoyed it at any time of day. Flavor and aroma present a broad, though soft profile. Pouch aroma is likewise subtle, though the small quantity of Perique can be discerned. I used Maryland 609, WLT Stacked Basma and WLT Perique.

Have a Happy Bob's 74th Blend Party!

Bob's 74th
  • Maryland 50%
  • Flue-cured Virginia 31.25%
  • Oriental 6.25%
  • Perique 12.5%
Download 3½" hi-res label for Bob's 74th as pdf.

Bob
 
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