What Makes A Blend "Easy to Smoke"

jttnk · Aug 18, 2018

Wondering what makes a blend easy to smoke. Example Lane 1Q or RLP-6 and I've heard PA and or CH, are "easy to smoke". In my experience, with 1Q, I pack, light and go. It doesn't give me trouble with relights or bites. (Don't worry, I'm getting there). Better tasting / more interesting blends seem to be more difficult to smoke. Navy Flake gets hot and burns me, Dreams of Kadath needs relighting a bunch, MacBaren Dark Twist can't stay lit and bites me. Why are these "difficult to smoke".
We have nomenclature to describe Nicotine Content = Strength, Room Note= Pleasant to Intolerable, Taste= mild, medium strong,... but is there one for easy to use?
I know there is a lot to technique, but my technique is just as bad with 1Q and or the "easy blends" Are there more complex, interesting blends that are "easy to smoke"?
Any ideas would be great help. PS: I don't dig latakia.

mso489 · Aug 18, 2018

Easy to smoke would include a cut that packs evenly with little attention or effort; lights right up after a charring light or on the first light; develops a nice centered ember that stays lit with few or no relights, delivers nice volume of flavorful smoke; has pleasing flavor that either remains consistent or evolves in interesting ways and remains tasty through the bowl; and ends by simply going out and not getting bitter, wet, or stale. Mostly this refers to loose tobacco cuts, but you can apply similar standards, given the necessary preparation, to flake, coin, plug, or rope. I guess easy to smoke also means responding well to intelligent tamping at appropriate times, that brings back the ember. If a blend or single leaf does all that, I think it's earned the characterization as easy to smoke.

workman · Aug 18, 2018

Royal Yacht is the easiest blend in my current open-tin collection. It's a ribbon cut. I would think that all ribbon cuts, sufficiently dry, should be easy to smoke.

jttnk · Aug 18, 2018

MSO, You've indeed described the easiest best sounding smoke. It's reality eludes me ;-) Maybe I'll try drying more. Also, with flakes rubbing them out and making them more loose cut like sounds like something I might need to pay more attention to.
Thanks

sparroa · Aug 18, 2018

I find the MacBaren HH flakes very easy to smoke. I keep mentioning them but they stand out in my mind compared to all other tinned tobaccos I have tried for being simple to light and enjoy.

lordofthepiperings · Aug 18, 2018

I find coins and flakes easier to smoke. They typically take a bit more effort to get going, but once they're going they seem to virtually smoke themselves with a fold and stuff method. Also, I think a lot of it is technique learned over time through practice. I've learned with flakes my cadence can be even slower and I can tamp less often to keep the bowl going nicely. With ribbon cut I have to tend to it a bit more often with tamping and specifically tamping while lightly puffing to coax the ember back to life. Obviously you can also factor in the humidity of the leaf. The wetter it is the more you'll fight to keep it lit. There is a fine line though between being dried out enough to keep it going well and being too dry and losing the oils i.e. the flavors.

hoosierpipeguy · Aug 18, 2018

Packs easily, lights easily, adapts to a variety of cadence, burns cool and requires minimal relights.

slowroll · Aug 18, 2018

I find all English/Balkan blends easy to smoke when on the dry side, and no bite. Same for MacB HH ODF ready rubbed.

sablebrush52 · Aug 19, 2018

Chatham Manor is easy to smoke, so are RO Perique Series blends of which my favorite is GP-11, GL Pease Haddo's Delight, Savinelli Doblone d'Oro, Sutliff's Edgeworth Ready Rub match, Edward G Robinson blend, all of the Daughters & Ryan blends, etc.

bassbug · Aug 19, 2018

I think mso summed it up pretty well, but I'll ad my $0.02.
I firmly believe the questions of bite and flavour are every bit as much related to individual chemistry as they are to technique. As a personal example, I cannot smoke any blend with latakia, as the flavour makes me physically sick to my stomach.
There are a significant number of smokers that get bitten by Mac Baren tobaccos of similar blends to other brands, while I personally have never encountered any bite with them. I've been told its a PH thing.
I will add one more thing about consistent vs. evolving flavour. For me, an easy to smoke blend is one that is consistent in flavour from beginning to end of a bowl rather than one that evolves. It's not as gratifying a smoke, but it requires less "attention".

jttnk · Aug 19, 2018

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful answers and suggestions.

bigpond · Aug 19, 2018

Short answer: experience.
It takes time with a blend to recognize the right level of moisture and density in a bowl to get it to burn well and without undue irritation. Some blends add humectants and accelerants to ease/complicate matters depending on your preference,
Generally, the easiest natural tobacco blends are dry, ribbon cut with a good measure of burley and or lat. Don’t know about aro’s or cav heavy stuff.

sablebrush52 · Aug 19, 2018

Some blends require a little prep. Some, like Motzek Strang, require a long drying time and chopping up, so I can't just smoke them when the thought occurs. Others, like Chatham Manor, you can just scoop and smoke as soon as the thought occurs.

Chasing Embers · Aug 19, 2018

What Makes A Blend "Easy to Smoke"

A lighter. :mrgreen:

sparroa · Aug 19, 2018

I also find true crumble cakes to be some of the easiest smoking tobacco ever made.
I'm still working on some aged Kingfisher and that stuff is a dream to rub out, light and smoke.
My problem is that I can't find a readily available crumble cake that doesn't contain latakia. I've been tempted to try Briar Fox but the reviews seem to be underwhelming and people seem to say the C&D cakes aren't the same...

bigpond · Aug 19, 2018

Simenon, many of the flakes by Watch City Cigar are sliced and pressed crumble cake. Check out Watch city slices, for example.

yaddy306 · Aug 19, 2018

Some find Lane 1Q easy to smoke. I find it easy to throw in the trash.

npod · Aug 19, 2018

Easy to smoke is relative. Your post is a good topic. I’d say ribbon English’s are the best out of the tin easy smoke blends. But in the right pipe I’d say even plugs can be smoked.

techie · Aug 19, 2018

Packs easily, lights easily, adapts to a variety of cadence, burns cool and requires minimal relights

And most importantly, burns down to a fine white ash.
:D

sparroa · Aug 19, 2018

Thanks for the heads up, bigpond.

What Makes A Blend "Easy to Smoke"

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