Inspiration from Many Sources (Ideas for New Tobacco Blends)
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Kevin Godbee - Sep 19, 2010
- 5 min read
By Russ Ouellette
Probably the most commonly asked question I receive is "Where does your inspiration come from to create new blends?" This is, at the same time , one of the easiest and most difficult questions to answer, as, in some cases, the inspiration is apparent- a customer request, the availability of a new blending tobacco or the memory of a long-lost and lamented blend of the past. But in other circumstances, the thought that spurs creativity might not seem like something that should stoke the fires of innovation.
I’ll give you an example– for the past couple of years, I’ve been fascinated by Rick Newcombe’s belief that a pipe with a more open draw is a better smoker. Rick, who is the author of the excellent "In Search of Pipe Dreams" feels that pipes with an open airway exhibit benefits beyond an easier draw alone. I’ve certainly noticed that among the pipes I own that have a larger drafthole, the pipe will stay lit much longer when it has been set down. I also seem to notice a somewhat cooler smoke and one that is usually a bit drier.
I recently took two pipes that I’ve dedicated to Latakia blends, both with similar chamber sizes and wall thicknesses, but one has a "normal" airway, while the other is from a maker who uses a larger drafthole, and I started smoking the same blend in both. After about 3 bowls in each (to chase away any "ghosts"), I became more critical in comparing the tobacco in the two pipes. The "normal" pipe exhibited , in my opinion, a less balanced flavor than the more open pipe, and it smoked a bit hotter. In retrospect, this makes sense. The narrower airway directs the smoke in a more concentrated stream at a smaller area, leading to the heat issue, and being more targeted, the smoke doesn’t blanket the palate in quite the same way that the freer drawing pipe can. Beyond that, I detected subtle differences in the flavor with the more open pipe showing a bit less sweetness and more of a bottom note.
That has led me to try to develop a couple of new blends to attempt to take advantage of those characteristics. Whether this experiment becomes anything more than that, time will only tell, but this is an example of where an unusual inspiration can come from.
Starting out, it was pretty easy to figure out what to make. I wanted a few different Latakia blends (in varying intensities), a couple of Virginia blends, some Burley blends and Aromatics and then a few unique "signature" type blends. The next few that made the cut were ones that were made because customers would try one of existing tobaccos and tell me what they liked and disliked, and I would concoct something to make them happy. Then I began to try to fill the gaps between the current tobaccos. After that came a flood of requests to try to recreate mixtures that have disappeared over the years, which is something I’m loathe to do. During the first year of marketing the Hearth & Home tobaccos, I received a call from Greg Pease congratulating me on our early success. I was, obviously, very flattered and appreciative of his call, and we briefly touched on the subject of "clone" tobaccos. Although I don’t recall his exact words, the essence was that beside the variety of tobaccos we use to put a blend together, there are so many other variables that while it’s possible to capture the spirit of an old blend, it’s virtually impossible to recreate one exactly.
In recent months, I’ve found a source for some wonderful varietal tobaccos that I haven’t had access to in decades, so I have a fresh source of inspiration. I tried a combination last week of Virginias with some of those long-missing Oriental varietals, and a memory leapt into my head. The resulting mixture was reminiscent of some of the Lakeland tobaccos, but with a difference that nagged at me. Late one evening while smoking a bowl of the prototype, it struck me. The next day, I took what I had left and mixed in some cigar leaf. Upon trying the new blend, it reminded me in more than a passing manner of Sobranie Virginia #10. I’m hopeful to be able to do a little more to get it closer to that amazing old tobacco.
Some recent challenges that I’ve dedicated myself to are to create a few Aromatics in which the flavoring will not only be noticeable in the room note, but in the taste as well. Our Classic Burley Kake and the brand new Berry Nice have proven to me that it’s possible, now I want to make a few more with some variety (although I refuse to make an Anchovy Pizza blend). I also want to create a number of Virginia/Oriental and Latakia mixtures featuring some of those incredibly bright, fragrant Macedonian Orientals. A recent trial blend was passed around at our pipe club’s clamsteam, and one of the comments was "Who’s burning incense?", which gave me a bit of a thrill, since that’s what I remember from a number of those long-missing Latakia blends of yore.
From time to time, I’ll solicit input. We’ve put together a focus group of pipe smokers who will help us evaluate new blends, and their feedback, I’m certain, will lead to a number of new tobaccos. Since Kevin and Bob have been gracious enough to give me a forum here on PipesMagazine.com, I would like to make the best use of it. If you have an idea for a blend of any sort, based upon any characteristics or variables, please shoot me an email at the address below, or call our toll-free number (also below) weekdays from 9 to 5 Eastern, and I will take a hard look at all suggestions. While we’ve been fortunate to create some tobaccos that have a solid following, you’re only as good as the work you’ve done today, so give me some input and I’ll get back to work.
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Russ Ouellette is the blender/creator of the Hearth & Home series of tobaccos for Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe and www.pipesandcigars.com in Albany, NY. He has been a pipe smoker and blender for over 30 years, and enjoys feedback from the pipe smoking public. You can reach Russ at russo@pipesandcigars.com or by calling 1-800-494-9144 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm and Friday from 1 pm to 5 pm. |
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 635. Our featured interview on tonightâs show is with James Ravenwood. James is the boutique tobacco blender of Ravenwood Blends. His blending started out as a fun hobby, and he now has professionally packaged commercially available products with some great tin art. Part of his interest in pipe smoking goes back to fond memories of a retired Navy Veteran that lived on his street while he was growing up that would sit in his driveway smoking a pipe all day. Later, in 2011 he began smoking pipes and soon after started experimenting with mixing different tobaccos. His other hobby, that he has been doing for 30 years, is photography. He takes wonderful photos of outdoor spaces, and still life pictures of pipes and tobacco. You can see them on his Instagram @thebriarfellowship. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.
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Well thereâs nothing like a touch of the plague to usher in the changing season. Leaving the airport just when the first advertisements for all things pumpkin spice began to appearâlattes, muffins, shampoos, trash bags, and myriad other concoctionsâso, too, my ability to breathe freely disappeared. The unfortunate side effect of losing oneâs sense of taste and smell for weeks is the utter inability to enjoy tobacco. Not that I consider myself an expert on anything but my own tastes, but be forewarned that this review was made with mildly impugned sensory equipment. Just when a comforting pipe was most needed, its comfort was denied. Be that as it may, the road to recovery found me limping along on one lung this past month, trying to wrest the particulars of two blends on offer from Sutliff: the latest 175th Anniversary blend, Silver Quarter, as well as their spooky seasonal Maple Shadows II. Silver Quarter is a new style on offer from Sutliff, their first coin-cut blend. 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The tin notes are, forgive the pun, on the nose for a good VaPer blend: mild tart sweetness peeking out from behind dried hay and slight chocolate undertones, with a lightly tannic finish of weathered oak. It is always a joy to prepare a coin cut, my preference being to put a few in my palm and vigorously warm my hands together to fully break them apart. These well-formed discs pack and light easily, and smoke with little prodding to the end of the bowl. For technical points it scores wellâit smokes light, and itâs easy to tend the ember. While it gets sharp after a few quick bowls, pacing should be heeded to easily smoke down to the heel without inviting bite. Of the flavor, though, I am left a bit wanting. There are tart and high notes aplenty, but very little of the lemony citrus I would anticipate, as well as scant midtones; they tend more toward the red wine-vinegary and sour. 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Bewitched by a dissonant charm, weâve created Maple Shadows. In a season that is defined by the unlikely harmony of treats and frights, weâve joined the enchanting sweetness of maple with the earthy spice of Dark Fired Kentucky for a smoking experience that captures the senses with an otherworldly fusion of flavor. This may be the best aromatic blend Sutliffâs ever madeâand they make a ton of them. First off, itâs not overbearing in the leastâquite the opposite, it is also one of the more restrained aromatics theyâve ever made, with a clear but very light topping that melds oh-so-well with their choice Kentucky added to the mix. Opening the tin, the sweet maple is up front and center, but so too is the must of fallen leaves, bready pie crusts, and a crackling fire in the hearthâa perfect invocation of HerbstdĂźfte in a can. Packing best in an open and capacious bowl, the flavoring is subtle, and recedes to the background while puffing. With a sweet coffee or tea to accompany, the aftertaste of the maple is reinvigorated on the palate […]
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Fantastic…thank you for a great read !!
Joe N.
Another great article Russ!
What a fine window into the creative process Russ!
Thanks for the article Russ. It provided great insight into the development process. As for cloning the old Sobranie Virginia #10, even something close, or reminiscent, would be well received. As for the Orientals that resemble incense, it was, again, Sobranie (? green label Reserve #6 ?) that had the taste I keep searching for. I’d buy something like that in a heartbeat!
Russ is going to run me broke yet. I need to try ALL the H&H blends! Well I don’t NEED to. But I wanna!
Thanks for this. It answers a lot of question’s I’ve had, but have been unable to to pursue myself. Well done!
Extremely minor quibble: It’s “palate,” not “palette.” đ
Thanks Andy. I fixed that in the article just now after seeing your comment.
About the Newcombe “In Search of Pipe Dreams”. A great read. I took Newcombe’s advice and opened all my pipes except my Costellos since they are opened when made. Opening up a pipe to slightly less than Rick suggests is a great idea, especially my Petersons, since they do smoke cooler, stay lit longer and make for a more enjoyable pipe experience and the real taste of the tobacco seems to shine through much better.