Is this Mixing or Blending?

[badbriar]

I had about an ounce of a blend from Edward's Pipe Shop, Scottish Buccaneer, that was a bit too sweet and light in body. This was taking up space in the den for a couple of years, so I decided to see if I could make something a bit more to my liking. I added a couple of ounces of St James Flake, an ounce of C&D perique, a half ounce each of latakia, Turkish izmar, plain black Cavendish and stoved Virginia. Much to my surprise, the result is a really good Scottish style that's light on the latakia and a bit spicy from the perique. This mixture lights easily, requires few relights and is quite smooth - except for the occasional tingle from the perique.
So, is this blending or mixing up a TV dinner?

 

[AJL67]

I present you, literally and figuratively.

'Mixing' - Not 'Blending' :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion

So, have you ever done any mixing of your on-hand blends? I'm about to give it a go after reading a suggestion on SG Brown No. 4. They say it is likely too strong for those not accustomed to rope tobaccos and further recommend adding to your regular blend. 'You will know it's there!' I'm game...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[Auxsender]

In my most humble opinion, creating a delineation between tobacco mixing and tobacco blending is snobby and unnecessary. The point is that various components are combined to make a new blend/mixture.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I consider “mixing” to be combining tobacco blends that someone else blended, cased, cured, pressed, cut, etc.

I consider “blending” to be selecting raw components and creating blends by the selection, balance, flavoring and processes involved in cut and cure.

I don’t do this out of snobbery, I just respect craftsmen too much to claim their status, ie-own a welder and can stick metal together in a functional manner, but I know too many welders that do the work and fully understand it as a trade for me to call myself a welder.

 

[kcghost]

So, as I read the recipe you have:

1 Oz Scottish Buccaneer
2 Oz St, James Flake
1 Oz C&D Perique
.5 Oz of Latakia
.5 Oz Turkish Izmir
.5 Oz Black Cavendish
,5 Oz Stoved Virginia

I'd say that's quite a mixture in which the original disappears.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Displacement, it’s what floats your boat

 

[brooklynpiper]

Mixing

Difference of ‘homemade’ vs ‘made from scratch’

 

[JRW11b]

If you like it, who really cares what its called? Well done, sounds like something I'd enjoy myself.

 

[mso489]

People use both terms interchangeably, but I like the distinction and call my homemade combinations mixes because I am not using pressure, heating them in an oven, nor aging them in any calculated way. So I feel mixing is a more honest description.

But you can learn a lot about real blending by doing mixes, like how greatly you can change a mix by changing proportions of the various tobaccos, so with the same ingredients you can create numerous different flavor profiles.

The simplest recipe that is often highly successful (to my taste) is a Virginia and burley blend, and perhaps adding a measure of unflavored black Cavendish. With just these three ingredients, you can create a variety of flavors. Add in a measure of cigar leaf or Turkish condiment and you get new effects.

But my most successful smokes have come with just two or three tobaccos. More can get muddy or somewhat harsh without a lot of trial and error and tuning.

But I think it is most honest to call these home experiments mixes, so I can leave real blending to the pros. It makes me feel more at ease with my creative experiments. I'm not G.L. Pease, never will be, and don't intend to be.

 

[Auxsender]

I

I consider “mixing” to be combining tobacco blends that someone else blended, cased, cured, pressed, cut, etc.

I consider “blending” to be selecting raw components and creating blends by the selection, balance, flavoring and processes involved in cut and cure.

I don’t do this out of snobbery, I just respect craftsmen too much to claim their status, ie-own a welder and can stick metal together in a functional manner, but I know too many welders that do the work and fully understand it as a trade for me to call myself a welder.

I respect that point of view.

 

[ADKPiper]

Mixing when you are buying, blending when you are selling.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

I had about an ounce of a blend from Edward's Pipe Shop, Scottish Buccaneer, that was a bit too sweet and light in body. This was taking up space in the den for a couple of years, so I decided to see if I could make something a bit more to my liking. I added a couple of ounces of St James Flake, an ounce of C&D perique, a half ounce each of latakia, Turkish izmar, plain black Cavendish and stoved Virginia. Much to my surprise, the result is a really good Scottish style that's light on the latakia and a bit spicy from the perique. This mixture lights easily, requires few relights and is quite smooth - except for the occasional tingle from the perique.
So, is this blending or mixing up a TV dinner?

If you're not actually processing raw ingredients, I would personally feel sheepish calling it blending.

That said, if you were re-casing and/or maybe even just pressing and aging store-bought blends, I could even consider that blending: lots of grey area I suppose.

 

[brooklynpiper]

If you're not actually processing raw ingredients, I would personally feel sheepish calling it blending.

That said, if you were re-casing store-bought blends, I could even consider that blending:

That would be a salad

 

[badbriar]

Yeah - I figured I just mixed up a darn good 'TV dinner' ! Surprised at the good outcome!
Thought I might get...
Turns out I got...

 

[rmbittner]

It’s mixing. Blenders choose the specific leaf, the specific cuts, and the appropriate processing for the results they want.

 

[greeneyes]

Very interesting distinction and one I hadn't thought of before. This would make Ken Byron a "mixer" then.