Blend Recommendation?

[Hobbs]

As a novice pipe smoker of 2 years, I (like many others) started with Aros and then began branching out towards the English blends.
Unfortunately, my palette is not as sophisticated as others and I have a difficult time distinguishing flavors, even with Aros.
In an effort to understand the different nuances of pipe tobaccos, I’ve been experimenting with smoking straight tobaccos such as:
C&D - Oriental
C&D - Latakia
Sutliff - Perique
MacBaren - HH Virginia

I have also tried:
Peter Stokkebye PS 400 Luxury Navy Flake (Perique, Virginia)
C&D Smooth English (nice)
Balkan Supreme
…and a variety of Aros (Sutliff Taste of Summer, C&D Blockade Runner, C&D Black Cherry)

My question is this…
I did enjoy the HH and the Oriental straight up. The Latakia is fair. The Perique kicked my ass!
Am looking for some recommendations for custom blending as I wouldn’t know what ratios to use. I realize this is very subjective but maybe someone would know of a good blend. And I have no objection of throwing in some Aros to it.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Hold up...you smoked straight Perique?

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Hold up...you smoked straight Perique?

View attachment 283799

Hmmm. This smells like was scraped off the barn floor. I wanna smoke it !
LOL - it does smell like a$$ but does taste good smoking it

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Joking aside, this is the best way to get to know the flavors of the individual tobaccos.
I think the key is to keep the blends simple, not too many varieties or the falvors will fight with each other.

Maybe one or two base tobaccos (VA, Burley, etc.) and then add much smaller amouts of condiments and if inclined maybe one very small "seasoning" tobacco (think like adding salt to a meal idea).

50-50 mix of Va (bright/red) for 65%
white burley - 20%
dark burley (or maybe unflavored cavendish) - 10%
Perique 5%

Just as an example

 

[Hobbs]

Hold up...you smoked straight Perique?

View attachment 283799

Yep…thought I was back in The ‘60’s singing Kum-by-ya.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Hold up...you smoked straight Perique?

I smoke the cube cut alot, sometimes I soak it with rum. Completely different experience than when smoking it with other tobacco. It's interaction with Virginias is what people typically reference its flavors with.

As a novice pipe smoker of 2 years, I (like many others) started with Aros and then began branching out towards the English blends.
Unfortunately, my palette is not as sophisticated as others and I have a difficult time distinguishing flavors, even with Aros.
In an effort to understand the different nuances of pipe tobaccos, I’ve been experimenting with smoking straight tobaccos such as:
C&D - Oriental
C&D - Latakia
Sutliff - Perique
MacBaren - HH Virginia

I have also tried:
Peter Stokkebye PS 400 Luxury Navy Flake (Perique, Virginia)
C&D Smooth English (nice)
Balkan Supreme
…and a variety of Aros (Sutliff Taste of Summer, C&D Blockade Runner, C&D Black Cherry)

My question is this…
I did enjoy the HH and the Oriental straight up. The Latakia is fair. The Perique kicked my ass!
Am looking for some recommendations for custom blending as I wouldn’t know what ratios to use. I realize this is very subjective but maybe someone would know of a good blend. And I have no objection of throwing in some Aros to it.

10% Perique/10% Izmir/80% Virginia is a good one to start with.

Aromatics can often take many years to fully enjoy. I'd never suggest them to newer smokers.

 

[badbriar]

Include some unflavored black Cavendish and stoved Virginia to your bending components if you like a sweeter element.