Making Your Own Blends

[hmhaines]

There are a few blend ideas kicking around my head, so I am trying to determine the best procedure for making blends at home. Experience will teach tobacco behaviors, inspiration covers what to make, but the technical side is something to know before starting.
What's your home blending process?

 

[kanse]

Throw your ingredients into any dish convenient to you, swirl them around, smoke it, tweak it, smoke it again, tweak it and vacuum seal it for a few months.

 

[jitterbugdude]

1. Get a notebook

2. Get a scale

3. Keep notes
Start with something basic. For example: 70% Virginia and 30% Turkish. Smoke it. Note what you are tasting. Is the Turkish coming through as strong as you want? If not, raise the Turkish and lower the Virginia. Once you find a good percentage you can use that as your base. Next you could add 10% Perique or Burley to your base and adjust accordingly. It is a long process to find something that is special to YOUR tastes.
Repeat-ability is the key here. Once you've found a blend you like you need to be able to reproduce it consistently.

 

[prairiedruid]

+1000 jitterbugdude

 

[uneek]

I'm working with my first experimental blend as well. I can tell it's going to take a lot of time. On the upside, I get to smoke a little more for "testing" purposes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I do it with pinch fulls of my blending materials, using teaspoons and tablespoons to measure. This way when I get something interesting, I can better translate that into larger portions.

 

[crashthegrey]

I would recommend by weight and not by volume, but that's a personal preference. Also, you may want to wait before trying a blend. Some of the big blenders say at least 7 days, and some say a year. Whatever extreme you want to take, I like the one week idea. The flavors do really blend more after a waiting period.

 

[dottiewarden]

I believe that before you can become a proficient blender, you need to have considerable experience as a pipe smoker. It is taking me literally years to recognize the relationship between tastes and the types of tobacco used. This by no means you can't begin to fiddle with home recipes at any time. I'm certainly no chef and I like to invent my own recipes in the kitchen.
Enjoy yourselves and your creations.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I highly recommend this kit.
https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/cornell-diehl/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=206146
I got one when they came out because I've been wanting to get into blending for some time, but wasn't sure where to begin. This makes it all a little less daunting. And you get a few ounces of a decent variety of different tobaccos to get started with. Comes with a scale and bowl for mixing, as well as a few flavors for aromatics. And a notebook and some recipes to help you get started. They even threw in a beard guard... who thinks of that? I'm already making my own blends and I'm about to start experimenting with adding whiskys and rums and looking for a way to make a press so I can make crumble cakes.

 

[tmb152]

hmhaines, your weird avatar creeps me the f***k out! I wish you'd find a different, better picture.

 

[carver]

I highly recommend this kit.
https://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-maker/cornell-diehl/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=206146
I got one when they came out because I've been wanting to get into blending for some time, but wasn't sure where to begin. This makes it all a little less daunting. And you get a few ounces of a decent variety of different tobaccos to get started with. Comes with a scale and bowl for mixing, as well as a few flavors for aromatics. And a notebook and some recipes to help you get started. They even threw in a beard guard... who thinks of that? I'm already making my own blends and I'm about to start experimenting with adding whiskys and rums and looking for a way to make a press so I can make crumble cakes.

I've been eyeing that kit for a while now. For the aromas and recipes. But I already have a sale, so I just bought different varieties of tobaccos and see what I can do with them.

The whiskys and rhums idea sounds awesome !!

 

[uberam3rica]

I made a mixture of several blends that I had only a bowl or two left. I let it sit for two years, and it turned out quite good.

 

[hmhaines]

hmhaines, your weird avatar creeps me the f***k out! I wish you'd find a different, better picture.

@tmb152....
BOO!

 

[hmhaines]

I looked at the kit, just ended up buying a bunch of blending tobaccos that sounded good to me. Already have a nice scale, and don't have enough beard to need a guard!
Thanks for the info, guys. Appreciate it.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I think what Dottie says about becoming a pipe smoker first before considering being a tobacco blender (mixer actually) is actually quite important. Once you have several months smoking behind you, hopefully of differing blends, then you will have a much better idea of what a specific tobacco contributes what particular flavour to a blend.
I would also suggest going the weigh scale route over the tablespoon route as it is more precise and therefore more easily repeated for consistency. Also always keep notes of what has gone into your concoctions.
I think it was Crash who suggested leaving your 'mix' a while. This allows all the flavours to meld. As little as possible air in the mix is also preferable.
I have been doing this mixing thing for a few weeks, only in small quantities, 10g of this, 15g of that etc and I use small zip-lock style bags for my 'creations'. I squeeze out as much air as I can afore closing the bag. It is then rolled up with a rubber band, labelled and placed in a plastic Tupperware type box. They will stay there for at least a month and I look forward to spending a day just sampling my mixes.
I say go for it, it's hardly rocket science but then it's not true 'blending' either ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jackswilling]

"I would recommend by weight and not by volume, but that's a personal preference."
yes, I agree

 

[carver]

I would recommend by weight and not by volume, but that's a personal preference.

+1 That does make a lot of sense.

 

[jitterbugdude]

Weight vs volume, an interesting topic. I have always used weight but lately have been favoring volume, at least for my initial blend. Here's why: recently I mixed the following: 1/4 cup Semois, 1/4 cup Perique and 1/4 cup Cavendished Virginia. You would think that equates to each tobacco contributing 33 1/3% to the overall mix. When I measured what a quarter cup of each weight I got: Semois 20%, Perique 36% and Cavendished Virginia 44%.
Tobacco varieties did dear immensely by density so a 50:50 mix by weight might actually mean you are smoking something that is 80:20.
Additionally, I usually mix 3 pound batches at a time. I think it'll be easier to measure the tobacco by volume than on my triple beam balance. Don't forget too that the moisture level will effect your weight measurements.

 

[skraps]

When I have attempted to create a somewhat complex mixture, say something with 3 or 4 different ingredients, I will use weight. There are too many variations in volume in that situation, and it becomes a lot more important to be accurate.
That being said, for most of my mixtures, it's usually C&D Cube Cut Burley and some sort of Cavendish. For that, volume works fine for me. 2 ingredients, fewer nuances, less to worry about.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I perhaps ought point out that all of my mixes have been done using already established blends as my mixers, such as 15g of G&H Dark Flake with 15g of SG Full Virginia Flake, I have never used 'proper' blending tobaccos.
I only do it as a pastime and for the sheer pleasure. Using blends I am already familiar with and which I like limits the chance of producing something really awful.
Earlier tonight I mixed 15g each of Solani Aged Burley Flake, SG Golden Glow and SG Brown Sugar Flake. All very innocent in themselves, I just look forward to tasting the results a month or two down the line ::
Regards,
Jay.