A Question about Mixing Tobaccos of Different Cuts

[buroak]

I have been tinkering with mixing tobaccos to make a briar break-in blend. My next planned blend is a mixture of McClelland's 5100 Red Cake, McClelland's X10 Unflavored Burley, MacBaren Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed, and Five Brothers. I have selected these components based on consideration of their different burning and cake-forming qualities. This blend will obviously contain tobaccos of very different cuts. Is there any reason to avoid making a blend comprised of such different cuts? I have thought of the presence of different cuts in the same blend as being advantageous to my purpose, but I may be overlooking some flaw in my logic.

 

[buroak]

If it matters, the recipe is this:
1 oz. McClelland 5100 Red Cake (Ribbon Cut)

1 oz. McClelland X10 Unflavored Burley (Ribbon Cut)

3/4 oz. Five Brothers (Fine/Shag Cut)

1/2 oz. MacBaren Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed (Rubbed Flake)
Combine ingredients in a food processor for about five continuous seconds, or longer if short bursts are used.

 

[blueeyedogre]

Sounds interesting. I have blended different tobaccos before but never considered cuts. My aro is regular ribbon cut with some cubed burley for vitamin N and I have tried adding Five Brothers to spruce up a blend. Does using the different cuts change the burn qualities of the tobacco? I mean cubed will burn at maybe 1/2 to 1/4 the speed of a fine shag so does it all burn together or does the shag burn off faster then the cubed?

 

[mso489]

It seems to me that many blends come with varying size leaf. The food processor will make it uniform, but you can simply rub it own to reduce the larger pieces, and this burns pretty well in most cases. Uniformity gives a more even burn, but varying size pieces may give you a more interesting changeable bowl. It's all what you like. I'm not using a food processor, but I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[beastkhk]

I would watch for different sizes/densities trying to separate in storage container. I think your use of a blender/processer should help alleviate that though.
I also would let it sit for a little so the moisture contents can level out across the different cuts. That might help with concerns about even burn.
Regarding selecting based on different burning and cake forming qualities; I am of the opinion that the tobacco world and blends do not always follow the logic of the whole being the sum of its parts. I don't know that the result of this blend will be a better cake forming. That said, it sounds like a tasty blend regardless so I would lean towards saying "TO ADVENTURE!" with a raised glass. Give it a go in the name of science and let us know if something goes terribly array.
Edit: Looks like I was a little slow typing my response, I would add a +1 to what MSO489 said

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When I mixed Firedance with Blackberry Brandy, one is a flake and the other a topped cavendish, I just made sure to break up the Firedance really well. They both tend to burn evenly, but at the bottom of the bowl, I think the cavendish really comes forward in flavor, but the flake gives it the nic kick in the end. Funny how tobaccos do that.
Ultimately, I don't think it matters, as long as one isn't so fine that it sinks to the bottom of whatever you are storing it in and makes it so that each bowl is a different percentage of mixture.
Just my .02.

 

[buroak]

Thanks for the input, sirs. I am going to give this a try.

Regarding selecting based on different burning and cake forming qualities; I am of the opinion that the tobacco world and blends do not always follow the logic of the whole being the sum of its parts.

beastkhk, My thinking is as follows:
1. Red Cake has a high sugar content and makes a great caking tobacco. This tobacco, however, seems to be a finicky burner when smoked as the sole leaf, and the effort to keep it lit sometimes makes for a hot pipe.

2. X10 is an easy burner and, despite the lower sugar content, seems to be a decent cake-builder.

3. Five Brothers is also easy burning. The main reason I selected it for this blend, though, is that its fine cut makes Five Brothers especially good at forming protective cake in bowls with heat fissures.

4. Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed was chosen because of its low moisture content, easy packing nature, and slow burning speed.

5. All of these tobaccos have flavors I enjoy, which is important in a blend to be used for the tedious task of breaking in a briar.

I'm not using a food processor, but I wouldn't rule it out.

mso489, I am mostly turning to a food processor because Five Brothers is (as I know you know) clumpy and thus makes a frustrating task out of hand mixing a decent sized batch.

 

[dmcmtk]

One of my current homebrews is C&D Bright+5100+5105+ODF RR+MacB Scottish Blend. I just mixed it all by hand. Food processor, I've used for... Basil Pesto, Hummus, White Bean Paste, Tapenade, Cauliflower Puree, Pate Brisee, Fresh Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Shrimp Mousseline......

 

[buroak]

One of my current homebrews is C&D Bright+5100+5105+ODF RR+MacB Scottish Blend. I just mixed it all by hand. Food processor, I've used for... Basil Pesto, Hummus, White Bean Paste, Tapenade, Cauliflower Puree, Pate Brisee, Fresh Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Shrimp Mousseline......

dmcmtk, Thanks for the morning chuckle. I previously mixed tobaccos only by hand. The idea to use a food processor came from pipestud. By the by, your home blend sounds delicious.
I was able to get the blend mixed last night. The food processor pretty well homogenized the tobaccos, though some of the ribbon cut remained on the larger side. I think next time I will put less tobacco in the processor at one time. The processor had a hard time churning the whole batch. Still, the result looks satisfactory and when packed fit nicely in a half-pint Mason jar. I am hoping to fire up a bowl of the blend this afternoon.

 

[av8scuba]

I believe one of Brian Levine's recent quests discussed about his style of blending. He would agree that the result is definitely not a sum of the individual parts.
The nice thing about tobacco is that you can try it (and document it). If you like it, keep doing the same thing. If you don't like it, change up the ratios, cuts, etc. and try it again.
Experimenting is one thing I really like about this hobby. Although, I don't know if I can call it a hobby much longer. It has become such a part of my daily life that it is now a part of me. Enjoy! ::

 

[dmcmtk]

Thanks for the morning chuckle.

I thought you might enjoy that! :wink:

 

[buroak]

Update: I smoked the first bowl of this blend in a Charatan's sandblast with heat fissures at the back of the tobacco chamber. The caking of the bowl was so uneven and generally squirrely that I sanded the tobacco chamber to bare briar. As a result, the Charatan's needs to be broken in as if new. Before smoking I dried the tobacco on a paper towel for about half an hour. The tobacco lit well, burned evenly, and stayed lit quite well. The flavors of the Red Cake and Burleys harmonized well but sometimes alternated in prominence, with the Red Cake taking the lead towards the bottom of the bowl. The Old Dark Fired never took center stage, but it added something I cannot quite pin down. I suppose one might call it body, depth, or that "meaty" quality sometimes attributed to ODF. I expect the flavors will meld with more age. As to the impetus for this blend, the caking qualities show promise. The heat fissures began to cover quite nicely, and the buildup on the walls is fine and even. I will continue this experiment by completing the break-in of the Charatan's using only this blend.

 

[huntertrw]

buroak:
Thank-you for this thread, as it has given me an idea! I have a quantity of Flying Dutchman pipe-tobacco, the flavor of which I love, but which burns very hot because its cut is so fine. I will experiment with mixing it with some chunkier tobacco - Kentucky Club (blue label) comes to mind - to see if I may constrain its combustion rate.
Incidentally, I, too, took Mr. Fallon's suggestion concerning the use of a food-processor to pre-process tobaccos before loading them into my pipe, and find that it works extremely well.

 

[buroak]

huntertrw, My motivation was pure self-interest, but I am glad that someone else got something out of this thread. Kentucky Club (RIP) ought to slow down the burn.
Mr. Fallon's food processor suggestion changed my life, well the pipe smoking part of it at any rate. I just need to remember not to overfill the container. I think my second batch of Buroak's Briar Break-in Blend will turn out better if I halve the quantity processed in one go.