Ever add whole spices to flavour tobacco?

[spartan]

I know nsFisher has been known to layer dried mint leaves into his tobacco bowls.
Something I've thought of doing as well if I ever come across a mint bush lol.

 

[pipeinhand]

Since I am doing custom blending I will throw in. BE Careful when using supermarket stuff. Bob has got it nailed. I have worked with clove before and don't just grind it up, throw it on some baccy and smoke it. It will firebomb your mouth. Also you do not know what has been added for 'freshness'. Use only organic sources for everything. It is much better to extract flavor than burn it, meaning, soak your spice/fruit in distilled water, or alcohol then coat it on whatever leaf you use. You can condense the flavor by boiling down the liquid and refreshing it with more medium. Remember it is MUCH easier to add than take away, so a little at a time until you 'find' the sweet spot.
My 2p

 

[captainbob]

The professional "food-grade" extracts are extremely concentrated so as not to add too much moisture to the blend and thus avoids mold. For example, only a half ounce of aromatic sauce tops an entire pound of Captain Bob's Blend. Quality tobacco manufacturers do treat their raw tobacco with a food-grade anti-fungal. So, if you experiment with any type of home-made liquid flavors, keep in mind that you could end up with a moldy mess if you use too much!

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[sparroa]

Greg, I try not to go overboard with the cloves in my baked hams! I know where you are coming from, though. I like spicy scents and they are right up my alley...
Spartan, see that's what I was talking about! I've always heard of deertongue, but yeah, mint sounds like an option too. Any other herbs that could be used in a pleasant way? lol.
Thanks pipeinhand. I have heard of your blending projects. I appreciate the input. I didn't plan to grind the cloves or smoke them at any point. The idea was to combine the cloves with tobacco for an extended period of time and them separate them - but I've heard several sources tell me now that that will probably be ineffective. My original post details why I was hesitant to use water/alcohol but it appears there is a need for that in most cases.
Although it's not quite the same thing, I am familiar with the concepts you describe through the preparation of extracts for use in homebrewing. I have made hop teas and tinctures of some of these very same spices - it is quite easy to go overboard and ruin a batch and hygiene/preservative concerns are also high. Thank you for outlining your own procedures, though - tobacco is a different animal and it remains to be seen if I will follow up with the "wet" flavouring options as I was trying things on the "dry" side...
Captain Bob, you are coming in loud and clear. I will exercise caution if I decide to chance it, but at this point I am too wary to bother with those liquids for fear of mold and spoilage.

 

[captainbob]

sparroa wrote:

Captain Bob, you are coming in loud and clear. I will exercise caution if I decide to chance it, but at this point I am too wary to bother with those liquids for fear of mold and spoilage.

I don't wish to discourage anyone from experimentation. However, if I had the benefits of the information in this forum way back when I tried to be a chemist with tobacco, I could have saved myself a lot of time. Analogy: "It's kinda like Porn... so many perfect pictures of beautiful women have already been taken for me to enjoy... why bother to take my own! On the other hand, I say, "It is so much fun to experiment first hand"!

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[sparroa]

Haha, great analogy. The adventure is half the fun!
My desires aren't really to replicate the usual aromatic, however, so I don't know how far I'll take this just yet.

 

[captainbob]

sparroa,
By all means, follow your heart. You may just hit on something like I did with CBB. It was unique and there was a minority of "light English" blends that were aromatic. But, my blend has now expanded to international proportions according to Chris Tarler, with orders coming in from as far away as Austrailia! So, follow your heart, as I did, and dare to be different to please yourself. Chances are, you may just please other pipe smoker's as well!

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[sparroa]

Thanks for the encouragement, I will update you if I take any of these flavouring experiments further.
(The biggest reason I am hesitant is because I don't want to "waste" tobacco as I go to great lengths to import it. Dang Canadian laws! Perhaps starting with simple latakia/perique additions to a simple burley like PA will be my gateway to greater experimentation along with some of these "dry spice" ideas on a minuscule level - say 1 oz. I still have a lot to learn about the different tobaccos and I am still in a very "introductory" phase even though I've been smoking for 3 years because it is such a pain to get new tobacco.)
I just read the reviews of your blend for the first time; it sounds very delicious by the way! I have never heard of a pipe tobacco with grape flavour/aroma, let alone with the complexity of tobaccos that you have put together. I would like to try it someday...
Take care and thanks for all of your assistance. If this thread keeps going I'd be grateful to hear any further advice you may have.

 

[chopz]

any of you all come up with a way to infuse tobacco with porkchop, mashed taters and gravy, let me know.