I really enjoy blending tobacco that I've grown as well. I am currently smoking more in rotation of what I have done myself. Sometimes, I wish that it was more legal to share them, because there's a joy or pride that comes from having someone compliment something that I've created from dirt and seed... an affirmation that I've made something good.
I've been thinking more about getting more variety of cigar leaf from one of the whole leaf places, so that I can add more variety to my condimental selections. Plus, I'd like to perfect my cigar rolling skills.
After years of growing and cooking what we grow, with most of our foods coming from our land, I like to get nerdy with the tobacco, with flu curing, fire curing, air cure, etc... It's interesting to see how the different processes affect the smoke. It helps me better understand what has happened to the tobacco in the tins.
Most have this concept that blending is really hard, but I've found that it is really more about playing around. A dab of this, a dab of that. I rarely ever try to make something taste like something else, just enjoy the serendipity of the experience. This is how we cook also. You won't find measuring cups or spoons in our kitchen. We just put a sprig of this, a pinch of that, and a dash of this. If we like the meal, we remember what all went into it, and get something close again next time. Same with tobacco blending. Curing and processing is a bit different. There, I have to take notes and follow charts. Same with curing sweet potatoes, onions, or garlic. I think commercial blenders have a harder time, because they have to take a test sample recipe and apply it to a larger scale, and duplicate that over and over. But, someone just blending for themself doesn't have any of those obligations.
