EZ1 Blending Attempt

[Manawydan]

This is my first attempt to blend some 'EZ1' per @telescopes recipe. I didn't have any Sutliff Chocolate Supreme, so substituted Boswell Chocolate Cream (which has a bit of Vanilla as well). Otherwise did 5 parts C&D Mocha, 2 parts Boswell Chocolate Cream, and 1 part Sutliff Frosty Mint. I'll reply to this thread when I have tried the results (letting a bit of it dry at the moment).

Source Ingredients:



Portioned (note I used a bit more than 1 part Frosty Mint -- maybe 1.5 parts)



Mixed Blend:



Final Product!

 

[telescopes]

I absolutely love the lid. Eager to hear how it works. I hope the results are more than satisfactory- since chocolate supreme has gone the way of the dinosaurs. For the record- the original genesis for this recipe is our old friend @barrellproof who may have gotten some inspiration from @BROBS. I had been using similar ratios - but the final recipe was inspired by our Alaskan friend. The marketing is all me, lol. Just so everyone knows - this is a fun and interesting blend - and women love it as well. Over the years and on other forums I’ve gotten much positive feedback from those who have smoked it.

 

[Manawydan]

I absolutely love the lid. Eager to hear how it works. I hope the results are more than satisfactory- since chocolate supreme has gone the way of the dinosaurs. For the record- the original genesis for this recipe is our old friend @barrellproof who may have gotten some inspiration from @BROBS. I had been using similar ratios - but the final recipe was inspired by our Alaskan friend. The marketing is all me, lol. Just so everyone knows - this is a fun and interesting blend - and women love it as well. Over the years and on other forums I’ve gotten much positive feedback from those who have smoked it.

Heh — the lid is a tribute to your marketing. Looking forward to trying it out later this afternoon. Props to @barrellproof and @BROBS as well!

 

[telescopes]

Heh — the lid is a tribute to your marketing. Looking forward to trying it out later this afternoon. Props to @barrellproof and @BROBS as well!

The research that went into finding ways to successfully find meaningful ways to integrate Frosty Mint into a blend that is enriched by its use is storied. I feel I’ve played a large part in the promotion of its use - naming the blend in question above as well as sending out samples to others.

Why pipe smokers seemed reticent to try mint flavored tobacco is curious to say the least. Cigarettes certainly profited by adding mint flavored tobacco to their catalogs. Given that chocolate seems readily acceptable, adding mint flavored tobacco to their chocolate offerings seems like a logical next step- or so one might think. Chocolate Mint is combination of flavors that is so prevalent in so many other food choices, it makes only good sense to try it with tobacco. Adding mocha to their chocolate mint batch makes it the perfect trifecta of flavors.

Mind you - I have always maintained it as a dessert blend. One really shouldn’t make it a habit to only have ice cream as a main course for all their meals. After it ages a while, come back to it and I suspect you will enjoy the changes to it that will certainly occur. I have enough Frosty Mint left to make 12 pounds of EZ1 - for me, that will be about a 10 year supply. Now that Sutliff has left the concert, it will be an experience few will know, but those who actually do know will certainly cherish.

 

[Manawydan]

Initial Results:

I let a bowlful dry out for about an hour and then loaded it into my Ashton Pipe Club of London PotY ‘25 bent poker and gently applied flame. The result was indeed dessert in a pipe — very tasty mint, coffee, and chocolate flavors. The aroma of the blend before loading/smoking was almost York Peppermint Patty-like, but the smoked flavor was less chocolate and more coffee.



I am a fan of mint (used to eat Altoids by the fistful), but I think that 1.5 parts of my relatively fresh Frosty Mint was a bit much in this case. I intend to dial back to the original recipe 1 part in subsequent tests.

I was overall disappointed with the relatively low level of chocolate flavor. I think the vanilla in the Chocolate Cream subdued the chocolateyness, and wish I had some Chocolate Supreme to try instead. If I can get ahold of some at some point I think I’d like to try mixing it with C&D Espresso instead of Mocha — I think I can dial in a better mix by more clearly separating the coffee/chocolate components.

All in all a successful and delicious experiment! More to come…

 

[telescopes]

Initial Results:

I let a bowlful dry out for about an hour and then loaded it into my Ashton Pipe Club of London PotY ‘25 bent poker and gently applied flame. The result was indeed dessert in a pipe — very tasty mint, coffee, and chocolate flavors. The aroma of the blend before loading/smoking was almost York Peppermint Patty-like, but the smoked flavor was less chocolate and more coffee.

View attachment 390206

I am a fan of mint (used to eat Altoids by the fistful), but I think that 1.5 parts of my relatively fresh Frosty Mint was a bit much in this case. I intend to dial back to the original recipe 1 part in subsequent tests.

I was overall disappointed with the relatively low level of chocolate flavor. I think the vanilla in the Chocolate Cream subdued the chocolateyness, and wish I had some Chocolate Supreme to try instead. If I can get ahold of some at some point I think I’d like to try mixing it with C&D Espresso instead of Mocha — I think I can dial in a better mix by more clearly separating the coffee/chocolate components.

All in all a successful and delicious experiment! More to come…

I believe Smoking Pipes still has some in stock. I was curious how you chocolate would work. Chocolate Supreme is very chocolatey. Yes, the mint when fresh is over powering - but it will settle down with age. Thanks for sharing. @LotusEater sent me some Mocha Strips and I used them in a batch. They were a good substitute for the mocha form C&D but they did change it some. For that blend I actually doubled the FM and because the Mocha strips were extra strong it seemed to work. Regardless, 1:8 ration on the FM seems the correct amount and any more than that it overwhelms. Come back to it in 3 months and let us know what you think.

 

[Manawydan]

I believe Smoking Pipes still has some in stock. I was curious how you chocolate would work. Chocolate Supreme is very chocolatey. Yes, the mint when fresh is over powering - but it will settle down with age. Thanks for sharing. @LotusEater sent me some Mocha Strips and I used them in a batch. They were a good substitute for the mocha form C&D but they did change it some. For that blend I actually doubled the FM and because the Mocha strips were extra strong it seemed to work. Regardless, 1:8 ration on the FM seems the correct amount and any more than that it overwhelms. Come back to it in 3 months and let us know what you think.

I was able to get some Chocolate Supreme on SP.com. I am going to experiment with the ratios of that and Espresso for the next round (and decrease FM to 1 part).

 

[Manawydan]

Round Two!

I received my Chocolate Supreme (8 oz) from SP and went to work on attempt #2. I decided to use Espresso instead of Mocha so I could better isolate the two flavors (chocolate vs coffee) and adjusted the starting proportions accordingly:

5 parts Chocolate Supreme
2 parts Espresso
1 part Frosty Mint

My goal was to have a chocolate-forward aromatic with a hint of mint and some added depth/complexity from the coffee.

My wife and I tried it last night and both agreed that the blend was better than my first batch. We also thought the mint was still a bit strong and that it would benefit from a little more coffee. Instead of blending a new batch from scratch, I decided to just add one more part Espresso to the existing batch. This would slightly dilute the mint while increasing the coffee component. The new proportions are as follows:

5 parts Chocolate Supreme
3 parts Espresso
1 part Frosty Mint

Going to let some sit out for a bit and give it a whirl.

 

[Manawydan]

As an additional note - I purchased a kitchen gram scale between the first and second batches and am now mixing all my ingredients by weight. Definitely a lot more accurate as I iterate than the eyeball method I used originally. I defined one ‘part’ to be 10g in my last two batches.

 

[khiddy]

Good idea to actually measure, especially when you're using brawny ingredients like Frosty Mint!

 

[telescopes]

Years from now, Frosty Mint will be the myth of many distant memories.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I got a few oz of the Sutliff components, because I’m interested in trying the fabled EZ1 someday (not in a hurry, but definitely going to happen).
I’m curious if there are any coffee blends that carry some nicotine strength that could go in place of C&D Mocha. I do have a few Mocha Strips, but I don’t get much coffee out of them. Maybe the true recipe with some 5Bros added


That last line probably got @telescopes’ fez tassel swinging

 

[Manawydan]

I got a few oz of the Sutliff components, because I’m interested in trying the fabled EZ1 someday (not in a hurry, but definitely going to happen).
I’m curious if there are any coffee blends that carry some nicotine strength that could go in place of C&D Mocha. I do have a few Mocha Strips, but I don’t get much coffee out of them. Maybe the true recipe with some 5Bros added


That last line probably got @telescopes’ fez tassel swinging

I am not sure of the relative strength between C&D Espresso and C&D Mocha -- they 'seem' similar to me. I've been thinking of trying Warped: Saint Espresso and possibly even Bob's Chocolate Flake as potential variations. Let us know what you come up with!

 

[telescopes]

I got a few oz of the Sutliff components, because I’m interested in trying the fabled EZ1 someday (not in a hurry, but definitely going to happen).
I’m curious if there are any coffee blends that carry some nicotine strength that could go in place of C&D Mocha. I do have a few Mocha Strips, but I don’t get much coffee out of them. Maybe the true recipe with some 5Bros added


That last line probably got @telescopes’ fez tassel swinging

The original recipe began with our good friend @BarrelProof - Frosty Mint does best at no greater than 1 part out of a total of 8 parts. The Chocolate Supreme blends very well with C&D Mocha.

I want to add again that the ratio is

1 part FM
2 parts CS
5 parts C&D Mocha

This is a dessert blend - that is - a blend smoked for something different, perhaps after a meal or with a morning coffee. Nic is in my way of thinking reserved for other things. This is a light, flavorful blend that will give you good breath.

I suppose one could add frosty mint to some G&H Chocolate Flakes and get something unique.

 

[Manawydan]

Round Two!

I received my Chocolate Supreme (8 oz) from SP and went to work on attempt #2. I decided to use Espresso instead of Mocha so I could better isolate the two flavors (chocolate vs coffee) and adjusted the starting proportions accordingly:

5 parts Chocolate Supreme
2 parts Espresso
1 part Frosty Mint

My goal was to have a chocolate-forward aromatic with a hint of mint and some added depth/complexity from the coffee.

My wife and I tried it last night and both agreed that the blend was better than my first batch. We also thought the mint was still a bit strong and that it would benefit from a little more coffee. Instead of blending a new batch from scratch, I decided to just add one more part Espresso to the existing batch. This would slightly dilute the mint while increasing the coffee component. The new proportions are as follows:

5 parts Chocolate Supreme
3 parts Espresso
1 part Frosty Mint

Going to let some sit out for a bit and give it a whirl.

Round Three!

This variant really hit the spot for me. My wife still thought the mint was a bit strong, but I chalk that up to personal preference. I am going to enjoy this for a while before making any further adjustments.

 

[telescopes]

Round Three!

This variant really hit the spot for me. My wife still thought the mint was a bit strong, but I chalk that up to personal preference. I am going to enjoy this for a while before making any further adjustments.

I just opened up a jar of older EZ1. The mint does fade and not by a little. Because so much of what I jarred is for later use, I've actually increased the amount of Frosty Mint I use so that later on it will be just where I want it. Your current level might be spot on.

 

[InWithBothFeet]

You might try vacuum packing the stuff you have in reserve. Less oxygen might retard the degradation of the toppings.

 

[telescopes]

You might try vacuum packing the stuff you have in reserve. Less oxygen might retard the degradation of the toppings.

Probably true, but Frosty Mint is in terms of what it does to other tobacco, a Weapon of Mass Destruction. As it tones down it becomes more pleasant and the flavors of the other tobaccos actually seem to balance off nicely with what remains. I see this happening with Captain Black Grape as well.

 

[LotusEater]

@telescopes have you used CB Grape as a condiment in any of your blending experiments? I don’t really care for it straight but it might add an interesting dimension to a home blend if used sparingly

 

[telescopes]

@telescopes have you used CB Grape as a condiment in any of your blending experiments? I don’t really care for it straight but it might add an interesting dimension to a home blend if used sparingly

That's a great question.

I am trying to imagine how it might improve a tobacco. Mint and chocolate seem to be tobacco flavors that naturally connect with other tobaccos. Grape seems to be an end destination - at least for me.

I might be open to blending it, but it is even rarer than Frosty Mint. I purchased two tubs last year but haven't seen any others for sale - and of course those tubs were already aged tobacco.

Maybe cutting it with 1Q or BCA might make sense.