Making Your Own Blends from Your Cellar

[btp79]

What sort of blends are you looking for it trying to replicate?

Adding 1-Q or perique to blends is fairly common. Personally, I add Five Brothers to aromatics if in the mood for something stronger.

Then there are common copy cat recipes, like Hobbits Weed: 50% Lane BCA, 25% Sutliff Very Cherry, 25% Sutliff 1-M or Lane 1-Q.

Same here. 5 brothers is my go to additive when I want to smoke something around non smokers. I call my 1Q/5 bro mix "Brother Q" and my Night Cap mix "Brother Night". Straight 5bros is called "Daddy had a bad day"!

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

Best advice I can give you is when you do find a mix that works for you is to PRESS IT! I press my own mixtures between two blocks of wood in a vice for about a week. Much better than waiting 6-12 months for the tobaccos to meld loosely in a jar.
Not many of my attempts at home blending have been successful but here's a few that I do keep repeating.
Sam Gawith's FVF / BBF.
St. Bruno / Uncle Toms (Germain's).
Rum Twist / Brown Flake Unscented (Gawith Hoggarth's).
Condor / Black Cherry.
Carey's #7 Dark Flake / Brown Flake Unscented / Perique & a pinch of Black & Brown (my own version of 3 Nuns).

Have you made something that can hold the cake to be plugged then?

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Have you made something that can hold the cake to be plugged then?

Noodle press. $20 on Amazon.

If you have tools (I don't), then a vice press works (probably even better than the noodle press).

 

[makhorkasmoker]

What does the white burley add to the dark burley or maybe it’s the other way round?

Very difficult to describe, but the rough unfermented white burley works very well with the dark fermented burley, flavor-wise, chemistry-wise, and otherwise. I think a lot of C&D's burley blends work on one form or another of this combo. I mix it myself because they typically add other tobaccos--virginias, perique, etc--that I prefer not to be there.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

Noodle press. $20 on Amazon.

If you have tools (I don't), then a vice press works (probably even better than the noodle press).

I’ve just had a look on Amazon for a noodle press - it’s come back with a pasta cutter; that’s not what you mean, is it??

 

[sablebrush52]

@sablebrush any examples you can share? With obtainable tobacco or not.

Nothing I would deem worth sharing. I haven't had time to get back into it since 2018, but I want to explore toppings. The few blends I made were OK, but just lacked a little something, since they were made from basic blending components without any other additions. Commercial blends are flavored, including the ones that claim that they aren't

 

[mso489]

My mixes are usually one-off. I do mention them in the WAYS thread, giving the recipes. But there have been so many, I can't come up with one off hand. Next time I do that, I'll post it. A good burley or Virginia is a base, with the other of those two as a condiment, and some black Cavendish added for volume, and maybe some cigar leaf for example. But when I post, I'll be specific on brands and blends, if possible.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I’ve just had a look on Amazon for a noodle press - it’s come back with a pasta cutter; that’s not what you mean, is it??

A noodle press pasta maker. In short, a mini hand crank vice meant for pasta but can be used to make tobacco cakes and plugs by pressing them.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

My mixes are usually one-off. I do mention them in the WAYS thread, giving the recipes. But there have been so many, I can't come up with one off hand. Next time I do that, I'll post it. A good burley or Virginia is a base, with the other of those two as a condiment, and some black Cavendish added for volume, and maybe some cigar leaf for example. But when I post, I'll be specific on brands and blends, if possible.

A noodle press pasta maker. In short, a mini hand crank vice meant for pasta but can be used to make tobacco cakes and plugs by pressing them.

I’ll have another look. I was thinking of making something up that could be put into a vice if I get into home blending but, for the moment, I’m just looking for readily obtainable blends that can be mixed together and have a smoke that is better than the sun if their parts I guess.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I just put stuff into a ziplock bag, fold it over and shape it and then put it into the vice. A bit budget, but it works well enough.

If I am going to make a decent size plug, I’ll shape in a terrine press before going into the vice.

 

[simong]

Have you made something that can hold the cake to be plugged then?

No, just pressed between 2 bits of wood.

 

[Ahi Ka]

No, just pressed between 2 bits of wood.

I’ve been thinking about carving a shape onto one of the pieces of wood, or inserting a mould, so when the plug/cakes are finished they have a logo on their surface, like the warhorse of old.

 

[simong]

I’ve been thinking about carving a shape onto one of the pieces of wood, or inserting a mould, so when the plug/cakes are finished they have a logo on their surface, like the warhorse of old.

Give it a go cuz!?
Without an industrial strength steam press, not sure how they'd fare though.

 

[dontbeaburleyman]

Had to find something to do with a bunch of 1Q that people had given me. Mixed it 1:1 with Carter Hall. Actually not bad at all.

 

[sokrates]

I like to mix my heavier latakia blends with Black Frigate. I currently am really liking Black Frigate and Artisans Blend. It has all of the flavor of Black Frigate with a little more oomph to it.

 

[SBC]

Through systematic experimentation, I've dialed in one mixture which has become a go-to for me.

I set out to create something in the Frog Morton's Cellar and Shortcut to Mushrooms arena, and wound up with something somewhat different but quite good:

• 50% by weight Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged (SPC)
• 20% by weight Northwoods (Boswell)
• 15% by weight Whiskey Biscuit Gravy (Just for Him)
• 15% by weight Shepherd's Pie (Country Squire)

I experimented with more and with fewer components, with differing priorities and proportions, and in the end, this was the winning recipe.

Note: the PP-BBA must be thoroughly, thoroughly rubbed out in order to achieve an even blend with the other components.

I named this "The Floating Log" after the Pub in Frogmorton, in the Eastfarthing of the Shire.

I currently have 9+ oz. of this mixed up, I think.

 

[trouttimes]

Had to find something to do with a bunch of 1Q that people had given me. Mixed it 1:1 with Carter Hall. Actually not bad at all.

Mix in a little Country Squire Old Toby. Hops up the 1Q and calms the Old Toby.

 

[MattRVA]

Lately I’ve been mixing 3 Sails with 5 Brothers for my morning smoke. I also like to mix my D&R blends together to make VaBur’s or VaBurOr’s. I love experimenting with home mixing and have collected quite a bit of blending tobacco for that purpose.

 

[AJL67]

Well I’ve just discovered my love for Sutliff 507-S and it’s opened my eyes to the world of “Hey a little bit of those would really be great in …. Everything!” Some great information here but what really picked up on was the noodle press, found a video online of it and then i understood, oh that noodle press not the one that cranks out the sheets of noodles”, needless to say i ordered one right away. For $18 it’s worth a look. Seems you can do a fumble kake in between 24 and 48 hours, this will be my first test when it arrives.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

Well I’ve just discovered my love for Sutliff 507-S and it’s opened my eyes to the world of “Hey a little bit of those would really be great in …. Everything!” Some great information here but what really picked up on was the noodle press, found a video online of it and then i understood, oh that noodle press not the one that cranks out the sheets of noodles”, needless to say i ordered one right away. For $18 it’s worth a look. Seems you can do a fumble kake in between 24 and 48 hours, this will be my first test when it arrives.

Can you share the noodle press video here? I’d be interested to have a watch.