How Do You Save a Blend

[WVOldFart]

I can smoke just about any tobacco, but sometimes the blend doesn't meet my needs, so I have to help it. I don't like to waste any tobacco. Since I am a Burley lover, sometimes the Burley doesn't have much taste to it so I mix some Sutliff Chocolate Mousse to give the blend just a little bit more chocolate zip. What do you do to save your tobacco? What is your favorite mixers?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

If it presents some possible long term potential, I cellar it. Otherwise I give or throw it away. Putting relish and mustard on a shit sandwich isn't going to help. Life is too short to smoke crap tobacco.

 

[rajangan]

I don't smoke very much Latakia. Not a Latakia lover - about half a pound in five years. But, in my experience, Latakia will save pretty much anything.

 

[verporchting]

I’m with hoosierpipeguy on this one. Toss it or give it away if I don’t like it. If it’s just meh I might cellar it to see if age improves it or jazz it up with a small amount of condiment leaf if seems I’d like a little oriental or Kentucky or whatever in the mix - BUT only if it’s a decent tobacco to start with. If it just sucks I won’t waste a single minute faffing about with it. It gets dumped in the flowerbeds to discourage aphids or put directly in the trash bin.

 

[falconsmoker]

I'd toss it, I'm not a blender.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Lots of tossers here! Very occasionally I might try to spice up a blend with Lat or Perique, then if it's a bunch, I'll jar it and wait two years.

 

[lawdawg]

I'm with the other guys. Smoking a pipe is something I do purely for enjoyment, so I make zero effort to force it where it's not working. If a blend or a pipe is not suiting me, I let it go.

 

[fireground_piper]

I will donate or toss usually. Just tossed a number of jars a few weeks ago of random things. If I have enough of something, I’ll hold for a trade if I think it has some value.

 

[elnoblecigarro]

If it's neutral blend it can be used to tame aromatic where the flavoring is too strong or bring strength to a mild blend. I did this with Mac Baren Harmony and G&H Rum Maple. And I also mixed Mac Baren Vanilla Cream with Greve Hamilton Blandning (whoch is a great natural tasting blend with plenty of nicotine) because Vanilla Cream was too mild on it's own. Turned out alright. These Mac Baren offerings were too mild and bitey on their own. I'm not planning on making this a habit though.

 

[B_Rock]

I usually give it several bowls, then let it sit in a jar at the back of the cellar, give it some time and try again. Just did that last night with Latakia Flake…I didn’t like it the first couple of bowls, but after almost a year in the jar it really hit the spot.

 

[sablebrush52]

If I don't like a blend I'll try adding a bit of Perique to it to see if that does anything, or give it away. But if the blend is a real stinker, into the trash it goes, with no regrets. I won't smoke crap.

 

[mso489]

I'm not afraid to throw tobacco away, but usually I can do something interesting with mixing. I smoke mostly non-aromatics, so odd flavoring doesn't get in the way. Latakia and Perique in moderation can fix up a tired blend, but I prefer fixing something up with cigar leaf, black Cavendish, a good single-leaf Virginia or Burley, Izmir, dark fired, or sometimes just a different blend that has some contrast, like a Va-Per on a burley. I once I had premium English blend that lost all of its Latakia in aging (first three bowls were good, but the Lat was gone after that). So I braced it up with a condiment or two and finished the tin, not bad.

 

[Servant King]

If it presents some possible long term potential, I cellar it. Otherwise I give or throw it away. Putting relish and mustard on a shit sandwich isn't going to help. Life is too short to smoke crap tobacco.

 

[karam]

Give it away or sell it at rock bottom prices. Haven’t thrown anything out, though C&D’s Mississippi Mud was a close one for the compost pile.

 

[--dante--]

I don't try to 'save' a tobacco I don't like. I do however, like to occasionally add blending perique to some burley or Bur/Va blends I already like.

 

[jpmcwjr]

It could be a "meh" tobacco, neither liked nor disliked that could be doctored up.

 

[warren]

If I mistakenly purchase a blend I end up not liking? Into the trash bag it goes. With my knowledge, attempting a salvage job would be a waste of time and materials.

 

[captpat]

I’ve thrown away a couple blends that were awful, no hope. OTOH if its not terrible I’ll cellar it and come back later—in some cases my preferences have changed and those jarred blends became acceptable. Early on I didn’t prefer burley blends, now I smoke more of it.

 

[stogie37]

I’ll occasionally try blending two or more blends that just aren’t doing it for me together to see what comes of it - my expectations, and the results, are usually pretty low. Once in a while, they just click. My 60/40 mix of C&D Yale Mixture & Dunhill the Aperitif is a keeper. I call it Yale dropout and have actually made more from fresh bulk / tins it’s so good. Recently, C&D Morning Drive was a disappointment. 15% added blending Latakia (also C&D) really brought that around to a nice smoke. I’ll finish the tin, but it’s not a rebuy. I also try adding a fair amount of Izmir to improve blends. But I’m an Oriental fanatic, so that taste profile is usually an easy winner with me.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

many popular blends are too busy for me. I've found I can open them up, give the flavors more space, allow them to take on more dimension, by adding Five Brothers--fifty percent, usually. This does not always work, but very often it does.