Cognac / Pembroke Home Blend

[rushx9]

I love Cognac and I love English/Balkan blends. I want to try Pembroke but it's never available or the price is jacked-up when I can find it. (My tobacco budget is definitely used up for the season.) Smoker's Haven blends are no longer available but I've read here and on other pages that that their Cognac Blend was made for them by Germain and was bulk Pembroke. I've also read where their blends were originally made by the fabled House of Sobranie and that the original Cognac Blend was BS Original Smoking Mixture topped with Cognac. I've had success topping my own blends with dark rum in the past so my question is this-- If I top some Sutliff BSOSM MATCH with good Cognac, will I be in the ballpark? When I've added rum to VAs, I've also dissolved a tiny drop of molasses in the booze, mixed everything well in a jar, left closed for a couple days, then left open to flash away the alcohol and dry down. Finally, I press a puck with a squeeze-clamp, then wrap in a coffee filter and leave in a jar for a few months. This method has had decent results. Would this work to booze up a Balkan? Should I leave out the molasses or sugar syrup? Should I even bother with pressing? Hoping y'all have some experience to share or are familiar enough with SH Cognac/Pembroke to tell me if this is never going to work!??

 

[cshubhra]

Smokers Haven Exotique and Smokers Haven Our Best Blend is now available. I have heard the rest of the blends will be available new year

 

[rushx9]

Smokers Haven Exotique and Smokers Haven Our Best Blend is now available. I have heard the rest of the blends will be available new year

Exotique will definitely be at the top of the must try list. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[rushx9]

Can anyone familiar with these blends say if the topping seems to be sweetened or just straight Cognac? Subtle or in your face flavor?

 

[sandollars]

I may have erroneous tastebuds but I don't believe either of these have any added anything in them.

SH DOES have a couple that do but they are out of stock.

 

[rushx9]

I may have erroneous tastebuds but I don't believe either of these have any added anything in them.

Just going by what Tobacco Reviews has in the description for Cognac Mixture:
"The top quality string cut Virginia is carefully blended with choice Syrian latakia and a delightful dash of exotic Turkish with the addition of the finest cognac flavouring. A taste and aroma never before experienced in any other quality blend of tobacco."
I'm just wondering if "Cognac Flavouring" is a cooked down, sweetened flavor "sauce", or if it's straight liquor.

 

[rushx9]

Pembroke is described thusly:
"A luxury English blend (Margate) is married with fine French cognac."

 

[sandollars]

My bad. I wasn't clear. . I was referring to the SH blends cshubhra referenced.

Pembroke is great and does indeed have Cognac.

SH blends are fantastic and among my favorites of all time. Thanks Germain!

 

[adui]

Its my favorite (for now) English blend, and as stated it's got Cognac, but I don't think they added any other sweetening to it.

 

[rushx9]

My bad. I wasn't clear. . I was referring to the SH blends cshubhra referenced.

Gotcha!

 

[rushx9]

as stated it's got Cognac, but I don't think they added any other sweetening to it.

No sweetener- CHECK. Thanks!

 

[rushx9]

Update:
After posting this thread a very kind forum member sent me a tin of SH Cognac Mixture. I also acquired some Pembroke in a trade with another kind and generous forum member, and I've gotten to know the two blends fairly well. Folks here on PM.com truly are some of the kindest, coolest, salt of the earth people I've ever had the pleasure of engaging with!
I decided to check on my experiment since it's been jarred for a couple of months now. The jar note was nearly identical to Cognac Mixture. A bit bolder than Pembroke. The taste is pretty close to Pembroke, but with the latakia a bit more pronounced, and overall missing some of Germain's signature softness. Halfway in, I felt a nip on the tongue that I attribute to some unevaporated alcohol. I'm hoping that letting it air out for a while will solve that problem but I also hope all of the Cognac flavor doesn't flash out in the process! There are obviously differences in the base tobaccos and their processing, and my goal was just to get in the ballpark, but the top flavor is on point, so if I can air the bite out of it without losing all of that flavor I'll consider this experiment a success!