Starting a Tobacco Blend - looking for what tobacco to use

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chalbach72

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 27, 2014
158
2
28
United States
halbachphoto.com
I've become extremely interested in making my own tobacco blends, and I want to know where I can find tobacco that I can blend to do so. My local B&M sells their own house blends, but they don't grow the tobacco; they buy from someone/somewhere and blend in in-store. I want to do the same with my own personal touches, but don't really know where to start

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
It's a free country. Do what you want. Sutliff still makes the money from you buying their tobacco. If you're in a county other than the US tax laws would make it illegal to do so technically if there are taxes on tobacco. If you want to actually make a tobacco blend though you need to blend tobacco's, not just buy a sutliff blend and sell it.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,207
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
In the US, don't forget your business licenses, etc. Also, good book-keeping is a must for when the IRS comes calling. And, make no mistake, they will. One of your customers will get peeved over something and . . . . well, there will be a visit. And, trust me on this, they do not ask questions that they do not already know the answer.

 

chalbach72

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 27, 2014
158
2
28
United States
halbachphoto.com
Yes I wanted to blend Sutliff's different selections to make new blends, and I want to make sure there is nothing wrong with that.
If using Sutliff's different blends to make new tobaccos to rename, etc.. is wrong, by all means forgive me. I'm looking for where to start in this endeavor.
edited topic to clear this up more than using Sutliff's bulk to blend and more of, what can I use to blend and sell?

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Between Cornell and Diehl, McClelland and a few others, you can pretty much get any of the basic components you're looking for. But you'll be limited to mixtures, really. True flakes and/or your own Virginias would require whole leaf -- which is a whole different ballgame.

 

mephistopheles

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 14, 2014
545
0
If you take a couple different Sutliff blends and dump them together, this is just a "mixture" in my opinion.
This. +1 Sparks
Also, you can hardly call it your "own" blend if you don't even know what the casings used are composed of. Make sure it's just blending leaf.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
chal, it isn't clear what you mean by "making my own tobacco blends." Do you mean commercially? Or just putting some

tobaccos together for your own enjoyment? Becoming a professional blender requires some serious education whether formal

or self-taught, and I'm talking years of study, and then a good apprenticeship beyond that. Real blending requires pressure

and aging, and equipment. Just doing mixes at home is another matter, and most of us do that. For that, I recommend the

blending tobaccos mentioned in earlier posts. At least for starters, I think the simpler the leaf the better, like all-Virginia or

all burley, with maybe another smaller proportion of highly flavored tobacco like Perique, Latakia, or Cavendish. A good simple

mix is Virginia (like McClellands 5100), a burley like Lane's Burley Without Bite, in equal parts, and a healthy pinch of black

Cavendish. Try a few simple mixes, then maybe try a little Oriental, like Izmir Turkish. Fewer components are more likely to

be pleasing, especially until you get the hang of it. Proportions are crucial and change the flavor a lot. If you are thinking of

becoming a professional, you need a long-term plan and a serious sustainable commitment.

 

chalbach72

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 27, 2014
158
2
28
United States
halbachphoto.com
To clarify a few things,
1. I'm looking to use Sutliff's blending leafs

2. I don't want to make a legitimate business/brand with this, just have a name for custom blends

3. I don't have intentions of selling unless a friend wanted some, I'd just charge him enough to cover the costs of the blending materials. Other than that, I just want to enjoy my own blends.
I don't want to take credit for Sutliff's blends. I want to make my own using their blending leafs
mso, you hit the nail on the head for me. I guess mixture would be a better word; I just want to make my own mixtures/blends and have names for them :)

 

chalbach72

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 27, 2014
158
2
28
United States
halbachphoto.com
Weezell, I'll take note of that if I want to buy large amounts. Just looking for small amounts to play around with right now.
I want to apologize if I sounded arrogant or scheme-ish at all in this post. My intentions are pure, I assure you. I just want to really customize my smoking experience, and as a Graphic Designer, I often tend to give projects names, and this would be no different :) I do thank you all for both your concerns and advice.

 

weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
Look at it. They do not require large quantities and it would afford you the opportunity to play with different tobaccos...

 

blendtobac

Lifer
Oct 16, 2009
1,237
213
If you're interested in what we have at P&C andvwant some tips, you can call and ask for Russ or email me at russo@pipesandcigars.com.
Russ

 

freakiefrog

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 26, 2012
745
2
Mississippi
If you local B&M blends why not support local and see about buying some of their mixing tobacco. Buy 2oz of each and keep good records (by weight) of what you mix with what and go from there.

 
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