Learning different tobaccos / "Pure" Blends

[anotherbob]

To expand on your expansion…

Orientals can be tricky these days. There are a number of varietals (I couldn’t begin to say how many), and each one has a distinctive flavor profile—Izmir, Yenidje, Basma, Smyrna, Drama, etc.—which can range from spicy to acrid, sweet to floral. But often they aren’t featured individually in blends but rather are combined and identified only as “orientals” or “Turkish,” due to the current scarcity of some leaf.

This honestly could apply to VA or Burly or even Perique.

(There are a good number of blends these days that will give you a very solid understanding of the general “oriental” flavor profile: McConnell’s Oriental and Oriental Square blends, Presbyterian Mixture, Rattray’s Red Rapparee, and GLPease’s Charing Cross, which, for me, is an acrid-oriental forward Balkan. “Acrid” may not sound appealing, but it’s a delicious blend.)

If the OP would like to go deep and explore individual oriental varietals, it isn’t easy going to be easy these days. I don’t know how many could be found and sampled individually. As for mixtures, though, GLPease’s Embarcadero is a Virginia/oriental blend that features Izmir. McClelland’s Frog Morton on the Town featured Basma…but we all know the costs of acquiring McClelland blends in 2023. Beyond that, I think it will take some investigating.

 

[mortonbriar]

Whole leaf. this allows for a 'pure' experiment because you are not including casings/toppings, which takes away some of the second guessing around what you are tasting. it also allows you to play with all the different cut options.

 

[mingc]

Good to know.
I think the lot I got is still youngish (not sure how old) but I tried some in a home blend and it was peppery.
I've jarred the rest. Hopefully it will develop some raisiny, plummy notes

Sounds like you got the perique that smells like aged gym socks. Congratulations!

 

[Ahi Ka]

I often soak it in dark rum to add some sweetness.

I agree. One of the smoothest home blends I’ve tried was perique soaked and pressed in rum, crowley style

 

[OzPiper]

Sounds like you got the perique that smells like aged gym socks. Congratulations!

Ah, thank you.
I was wondering what that elusive scent was

 

[skeeter456]

Ha i love pure latakia! Only pure blend ive really smoked.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Why does this not surprise me?!! Both that you have smoked it straight and also that you like it!

Unless a blend has deertongue in it, I'm getting to the point of enjoying tobaccos better straight with Yenidje and Katerini being the favorites.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Unless a blend has deertongue in it, I'm getting to the point of enjoying tobaccos better straight with Yenidje and Katerini being the favorites.

I like me some 'Gentleman Caller' on occasion....
Thanks for the suggestions. Not sure whether to order or avoid them.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I like me some 'Gentleman Caller' on occasion....
Thanks for the suggestions. Not sure whether to order or avoid them.

Yenidje is like incense or a light tea, Katerini is sweet spice. Both being orientals, they're very mild.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Yenidje is like incense or a light tea, Katerini is sweet spice. Both being orientals, they're very mild.

I have some 'Magnus Opus' with Yenidje, dubbed the "Queen of tobacco's". I will give it a try soon.

Katerini is either high in nicotine, or I only see it in high nicotine blends. As much as I hate to say this out loud, I am a nic wimp.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have some 'Magnus Opus' with Yenidje, dubbed the "Queen of tobacco's". I will give it a try soon.

Katerini is either high in nicotine, or I only see it in high nicotine blends. As much as I hate to say this out loud, I am a nic wimp.

I've not ran across a high nicotine oriental. Likely the other components or the blend used Katerini Perique.

 

[canucklehead]

A very simple and inexpensive way to see how tobaccos interact when blended would be to try the three Low Country (C&D's store brand) Natural bulks, which are unflavoured two leaf blends, for $1.80/oz. I like all three and smoke them fairly often.

Natural Virginia = red Virginia + bright Virginia

Natural Virginia&Burley = red Virginia + dark burley

Natural Virginia&Oriental = red Virginia + Izmir (this is my favourite blend on hot and humid summer days)

 

[Ahi Ka]

Unless a blend has deertongue in it, I'm getting to the point of enjoying tobaccos better straight with Yenidje and Katerini being the favorites.

Have you smoked much prelip?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Have you smoked much prelip?

Only if Macedonian Prilep is the same thing.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Only if Macedonian Prilep is the same thing.

I assume it is. Closer to the yendije side of the flavour spectrum. I’ve been growing some this year, and Samson Maden. I was reading about prelip being quite a new variety and could be grown with large leaf spacings as opposed to traditional oriental spacing. Would be curious if this yields a different flavour by growing larger leaves

 

[Chasing Embers]

I assume it is. Closer to the yendije side of the flavour spectrum. I’ve been growing some this year, and Samson Maden. I was reading about prelip being quite a new variety and could be grown with large leaf spacings as opposed to traditional oriental spacing. Would be curious if this yields a different flavour by growing larger leaves

I get a sweet earthiness and teakwood from it. Really pleasant.

 

[anotherbob]

I've not ran across a high nicotine oriental. Likely the other components or the blend used Katerini Perique.

there is only so much room in a leaf. Either it's got the flavors like an oriental or it's got nicotine. Or at least that's how it was explained to me. Not be possible to do both in one plant.

 

[Ahi Ka]

there is only so much room in a leaf. Either it's got the flavors like an oriental or it's got nicotine. Or at least that's how it was explained to me. Not be possible to do both in one plant.

Grow your burley for your nicotine. Chop it at the ground. Let it regrow and harvest early spring. The leaves will be tiny. Boom. Same plant, both things. Also, economically makes no sense to do this unless you are lazy.

Speaking of which, @Chasing Embers you should try growing burley in some small buckets to force the to produce small leaves. I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on this

 

[Chasing Embers]

you should try growing burley in some small buckets to force the to produce small leaves

Same principle of root bound foliage reduction in bonsai.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Same principle of root bound foliage reduction in bonsai.

Time to buy a new Dunhill planter