Blending Your Own

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brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I'm about to pull the trigger on a half dozen blending tobaccos, including some condiments, an oz or so of Latakia and Perique, some orientals and burleys, as well yellow and red Virginias.
I'm mostly interested in smoking a little of each straight, just so I can identify ingredients of commercial blends. Should be fun, something like home brewing but less messy.
I'm looking forward to getting a copy of Russ Oullettes upcoming book. But in the meantime, can anyone point me to some information on blending. I dabbled in it 30 years ago but only remember, that "a pinch of perique goes a long way." I gave it up when my B&M store closed. Besides, I realized none of my blends matched my favorites I could get commercially.
Pax

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
Brass,

That sounds interesting and labor- intensive. I can't imagine smoking straight perique. I remember listening the the radio show last summer and Brian Levine was sampling straight orientals. I guess being able to identify ingredients in a blend would give you a window into what the blender is trying to achieve. What kind of flavor he wants to impart to the smoker. Also, if he was successful in enhancing the favors in the tobacco. I don't know anything about blending and am just starting to able to guess where the flavored are coming from. It requires so much concentration. Sometimes I just want to taste what I'm tasting and not over-analyze.

 

jitterbugdude

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 25, 2014
993
8
Don't get stuck on the "little pinch goes a long way" notion. Experiment and find out what you like. The way to do that is go to extremes. With Perique for instance try a 5% blend and a 40% blend. You will be able to judge where you want to go with Perique, up or down. Myself, I like about 30% Perique in my blend.
Mix small batches so if you make something that's terrible you will not have wasted a lot of tobacco. Keep written records!!!
I use a triple beam balance and usually mix up about a 20g blend for starters.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I got my order of blending tobaccos.
My first order of business is to familiarize myself with the look, taste and smell of these straight tobaccos. So,

Spent an hour or so jarring the tobaccos, taking note of look and smell of each leaf.
I used a tiny cob to taste the tobaccos straight. The Perique was a jet black, moist shag that was surprisingly mild, relatively speaking, to it's reputation. I guess I expected it to set my head on fire. I detected the pepper but it was light. The smoke tasted of heat, like a mild pepper sauce. It didn't burn hot, it tasted hot.
I was surprised that a bowl of straight dark fired Kentucky tasted much more spicy than the Perique. It was a bit musty and full bodied and tasted like tobacco. Surprise.
I'm wondering if I might need to smoke a larger bowl, maybe something close to a size two, to get a truer idea of the characteristics?
I would like to see this thread be the start of discussion about creating your own blends. Perhaps some experience blenders could share some reciepies and tips.
I'm sure it is more than just mixing ingredients. For example, how do you go about making kakes and flakes; constructing home-made presses, stoving tobaccos, etc.
It is possible to get basic blending tobaccos for less than the price of a box of low end premium cigars. Here's what I got to start.

__________________________________________________________________________
Qty Item Options Price
4 Blending - Blended Turkish Ribbon

Item # PT-BGB0028 $10.56 USD

1 Blending - Burley Shag

Item # PT-BGD0028 $4.03 USD

1 Blending - Cigar Leaf

Item # PT-BGF0028 $4.22 USD

2 Blending - Dark Burley

Item # PT-BGG0028 $7.74 USD

1 Blending - Dark Fired Kentucky Burley

Item # PT-BGH0028 $4.63 USD

3 Blending - Latakia

Item # PT-BGM0028 $14.01 USD

1 Blending - Perique

Item # PT-BGO0028 $4.84 USD

2 Blending - Premium Ribbon Cut Burley

Item # PT-BGR0028 $8.16 USD

2 Blending - White Cube Burley

Item # PT-BGW0028 $8.50 USD

1 Blending - Yellow Virginia

Item # PT-BGX0028 $4.06 USD

2 Blending - Green River Black Cavendish

Item # PT-BGY0028 $7.78 USD

4 Blending - Red Virginia Cavendish (Matured)

Item # PT-BG00028 $10.80 USD
Pax

 

okiescout

Lifer
Jan 27, 2013
1,530
6
brass, I have not heard about Russ writing a book. Have you heard when it will be available?

 

tarak

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
1,528
15
South Dakota
Brass- I do recall listening to one of the radio shows to a blender talk...they only use clay pipes to sample and smoke the tobacco as briar tends to impart its own flavor. I don't know if that's true for cobs but they felt to truly understand the pure taste of a leaf they smoked it in clay.
Thought you might find that interesting.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
OkieScout, I think it is coming out next year. It will cover DIY blending among other topics. For details, you can post a message to Russ in this months tobacco crawl athttp://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pax-tobacco-crawl-with-russ-ouellette#post-777917
Tarak, I may just have to try some clay pipes. I know some professional blenders use cobs to the same effect.
Pax

 
If you are really getting into the groove with this, try buying some whole leaf tobacco, shread it in a paper shreader or twist it up yourself. You'll discover there are many different types of Turkish with a vast difference in flavor. Cigar blends, what is that? There are so many different types of tobaccos used in cigars that translate nicely into pipe blends also. Even Virginias. If you are dealing with whole leaf, there is no clear category called Virginias. It is bright leaf. And, there is a whole array of flavors. Orientals, man there are so many.
This is why I could never do those blend you own things on the tobacco seller websites. What do they mean by oriental, which Turkish's? Too many unanswered questions, ha ha.
Fun fun!!

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Thanks Michael.
I dabbled in blending years B.I. (Before Internet). Straight tobaccos for blending were hard to come by. Most B&M at the time that were selling house blends, were actually just re-branding bulk IQ and others. I finally found a real tobacconists who sold me some straight tobaccos as a favor. There was little written for the DIY home blender. I finally came to the conclusion that what I was blending for myself didn't match the COTS blends by the pro's. When my tobacconist closed, I gave up blending and rarely smoked a pipe for a number of years.
For now, my primary purpose is simply to sample the straight tobaccos so as to get better acquainted with the ingredients in the blends I buy. I also see some value in blending some basic varieties and adjusting ingredient proportions to see how it affects taste. For example, maybe start with some red Virginia straight, add some yellow Virginians, then a bit of Perique.
I can see blending as a hobby could get completely out of control. I already have several different Virginians, a couple of orientals and know that it isn't even the tip of the ice burg. I could see a basement wall with shelves top to bottom, with gallon plus containers of exotic tobaccos.
Regarding cigar blends, I refer to blends that contain cigar leaf, usually wrappers. Key Largo, Billy Bud, Dominican Glory, Stogie, Havana Day Dreams are cigar leaf blends. There about 50 blends in the tobacco review database that contain cigar leaf. None remotely taste like cigars. The leaf is used mostly to add body, fullness, and smoke volume to a blend.
Pax

 
To me, the ones that I like, add a creaminess, a heaviness to the mouth feel of it. I like that part of it. Then Key largo tends to add a bit of that cedar taste I like to the blend also. MMM... I need to pop a tin of that. No no, I will hold off till mid summer. I love Key Largo on the deck by the pool in the mornings with a cup of coffee. Pure heaven!

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I'm still working on my favorite cigar leaf. None would be at the top of my rotation but I love them as a change of pace, as mentioned.
The DGM is a little different from the rest. I'm still not decided if I like it. It certainly wasn't love at first puff.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Thanks. I've added it to my official wish list. Looks interesting. I like Latakia. But since almost all cigar leaf blends use Lats, I decided to try other interpretations. It may be a while before I order more baccies. I spent over $200 on tobacco in the last month. Ouch!
Pax

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
It makes sense to try components straight up. Also makes sense to blend them and see how they mix. Also makes sense to see the individual components and how they differ from one another and how they look individually. Good thread. I will follow it.

Thanks

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I don't really blend tobaccos, but I do enjoy mixing them, the distinction -- in my mind anyway -- is that I don't put the mixes under pressure or age them with any orderly plan, or heat, steam, or otherwise process them. I just put a little of this, and two parts of that in a pottery bowl, and pack my pipe with it immediately or over the next few days, small quantities, and no recipes kept. Equal parts burley and Virginia, with a healthy pinch of Cavendish is often good, and Latakia and/or Perique as flavoring too. Some of my most enjoyable smokes have been done this way. I'm not sure if I went to more trouble I would have a whole lot better experience, but it could be quite a quest. Hard to beat the pros who've apprenticed and been at it for years or decades, but fun to try.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
GK Chesterton said that "If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
I've learned that trying to create your own art, even if done badly, helps you appreciate the art in a way that could never be understood if the art is just taken in passively.
I played and practiced my Saxophone for 2 to 4 hours for several years. I never became a virtuoso. As a matter of fact, I was barely competent for the stage. But I did learn to appreciate jazz and blues and classical music like never before. I heard structure, harmony and rhythm that I never noticed until I started playing.
While I couldn't (and can't) play nearly as well as most professional musicians I've had the deep pleasure of knowing, I could still have informed discussions. Some of the musicians I've known or met were relatively unknown but extremely talented. e.g, members of the Air Force or Marine bands here in DC.
Some were better famous, like Dizzy G. or Derek Trucks or BB King. I met each for only a few minutes but they were memorable. (I know some members here are terrific blues players. BB King gave me a bit of advice on technique I'll pass along. "It ain't what you play that makes the blues, son. It's what you leave out."
The point is that doing things, even badly, helps you appreciate the art or craft not possible any other way. So, I'll never mix blends like our friend Russ Oullette or Greg Pease. I don't have the talent and the gift of heightened senses required. But as MSO says, it will be fun to try and I'll get to know pipe tobacco in a way not possible any other way.
And who know, maybe, like Captain Bob, I'll stumble onto something original that members here will enjoy.
Pax

 

okiescout

Lifer
Jan 27, 2013
1,530
6
Back in the day I took several courses in high fired ceramic as electives my senior year. We mixed our own glazes and were required to keep exact records. Working one weekend I didn't bother with it (weighing some known elements) a terrific glaze really impressed the instructor ... until he asked for the paperwork. Well what we have here is a happy accident we cannot reproduce, don't we Mr. student?! I could never reproduce that exact glaze again.

It is the same with paints, cooking, and any number of other subjects.

Note to self: keep good notes when blending anything.

With no experience in Tobacco blending.... it may not be as exact as minerals in ceramic glass, but with the smoke taste buds many of you guys have, I would not want to bet on it.

Then again, I have heard many folks on here say, blends shift with the quality of the tobacco crops from year to year, the top dressing, etc so maybe it is not as big a deal as I am prone to think. :roll:

Maybe it just comes down to what you are really trying to accomplish. Different personalities coming into play. :)

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Master Blenders face similar challenges as Whiskey Malt Masters, Beer Meisters, Masters of Whine (er, excuse me, wine). You could say there job is take similar but ever changing ingredients, whether hops or malts or grapes, changing weather conditions, etc and blend them all together to obtain the same branded taste, flavor and bouquet year after year.
I imagined that Tobacco Blenders secluded themselves in a little room like a mad scientist, spending their time on creating new creations.
In a conversation with Russ Oulette, who is guiding this months tobacco crawl at http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pax-tobacco-crawl-with-russ-ouellette?replies=63#post-778804, (as I never tire of mentioning) he said that a big part of his job is quality control, testing blends as they are being produced, and making whatever adjustments are necessary, to produce a consistent product.
I compare it with cooking. If you cook at all, you will hardly ever follow a recipe exactly. You'll add ingredients and seasoning, as you go, to arrive at a taste that is in your mind as being "just right".
I take Okies advice on making notes when I start blending. Right now, I'm still tasting the raw ingredients. Last night, I tried a straght burley shag and a dark fired Kentuckey burley. They were like burley blends - they just had more burley in them.

:roll:
I have to say that I enjoyed the straight burleys more than a couple of commercial burley blends that I've tried, especially the dark fired one. I could really see smoking them straight once in a while just for the pleasure.
BTW, one thing I'm learning is the incredible variety in the varities - there many burleys, many, many orientals, and all kinds of Virginias.
This is already lots of fun.
Pax

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Master Blenders face similar challenges as Whiskey Malt Masters, Beer Meisters, Masters of Whine (er, excuse me, wine). You could say there job is take similar but ever changing ingredients, whether hops or malts or grapes, changing weather conditions, etc and blend them all together to obtain the same branded taste, flavor and bouquet year after year.
I imagined that Tobacco Blenders secluded themselves in a little room like a mad scientist, spending their time on creating new creations.
In a conversation with Russ Oulette, who is guiding this months tobacco crawl at http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pax-tobacco-crawl-with-russ-ouellette?replies=63#post-778804, (as I never tire of mentioning) he said that a big part of his job is quality control, testing blends as they are being produced, and making whatever adjustments are necessary, to produce a consistent product.
I compare it with cooking. If you cook at all, you will hardly ever follow a recipe exactly. You'll add ingredients and seasoning, as you go, to arrive at a taste that is in your mind as being "just right".
I take Okies advice on making notes when I start blending. Right now, I'm still tasting the raw ingredients. Last night, I tried a straght burley shag and a dark fired Kentuckey burley. They were like burley blends - they just had more burley in them.

:roll:
I have to say that I enjoyed the straight burleys more than a couple of commercial burley blends that I've tried, especially the dark fired one. I could really see smoking them straight once in a while just for the pleasure.
BTW, one thing I'm learning is the incredible variety in the varities - there many burleys, many, many orientals, and all kinds of Virginias.
This is already lots of fun.
Pax

 
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