My Own Blend, Really

[woodsroad]

My first attempt at a blend is now sealed in a jar. If you want to play along and try it out, here's what I did:
Plan B

12-03-2013
Item.....................Wt. (gr)
Latakia P&C BGM0028.........................30

Turkish Blend P&C BGB0028...................40

McClelland 5100 Red Cake P&C M420028........20

Dark Fired Kentucky Burley P&C BGH0028......10

Stoved Black Virginia P&C BG20028...........10

Total weight................................110gr
Cognac- St. Remy VSOP 30ml
Combine tobaccos in a 1 gallon Ziploc. Inflate and shake.

Slowly add Cognac and shake until evenly distributed

Pack in to an 8oz. Ball jar.

There is room in the jar for about 25% more, or 27.5 gr, so increase each ingredient by 25% to fill the jar
I'll keep this jarred for a couple of months, dry some out and give it a try.....

 

[pitchfork]

The cognac throws me a bit -- it's hard to imagine how liquors will affect particular blends. But the addition of DFK to English-type blends is something I often do at home. It adds a whole new dimension -- a savory roundness, mabye -- to the usual Latakia plus Oriental plus VA flavor profiles.

 

[woodsroad]

That Dark Fired Kentucky smells fantastic!
The alcohol will evaporate off, but in the meanwhile, I'm hoping that it is melding the blend a bit. The 10 gram additions get spread pretty thin in this blend, especially the stoved Virgina, which is cake-like and very dense. It's entirely likely that any given bowl that you pull out might not have any in it.
Besides, I love cognac.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Sounds pretty interesting I've been eyeing blending tobaccos for a while now, thinking about blending my own, but haven't made the leap yet. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[woodsroad]

Don't wait for me, Anthony. It will be a couple of months, I think, until it's ready to try.
My only advice, garnered from my father the scientist, and bolstered by my years of all-grain homebrewing: Keep good records. It's the only way that you will be able to tweak and reproduce blends. Otherwise, it's all pretty simple. I bought 4 oz samples of an array of blending tobaccos. Took me about a half hour to mix up this batch.

 

[pitchfork]

I second that. Blending is just plain fun. English blends are harder to do because there are so many "moving parts," but any idiot (speaking from personal experience) can make a great VaPer or burley and VA blend. VAs with Orientals and Perique (Vapero's) are fairly foolproof, too, just so long as you don't add too much Oriental to the VaPer base.
I think you really get to understand tobaccos in a new way by blending at home, even if you aren't able to make any great masterpieces of your own.

 

[woodsroad]

What do you like in oriental blending stock? I wish thst I could find more than just Izmir and Smyrna.

 

[pitchfork]

I've used C&D Izmir, which I like a lot, especially for Vaperos. It's really pungent and aromatic. I've also used McC's Turkish blend which is more medicinal and a bit muted overall. Daughters & Ryan Ramback is pure oriental and I like it for a soft, sweet oriental flavor. Of course, I'd love to be able to get Yenidje, but the only place I've seen it for sale was for whole leaves by the pound -- far more than I'd ever need or use.

 

[mso489]

For those who want immediate (or quick) gratification, try something simple, like equal parts Virginia and burley, with a hefty pinch of

non-aromatic (or only slightly aromatic) black Cavendish. This probably benefits from aging, but it isn't bad right out of the mixing

bowl. You can always tweak it another time with a small spicing of Perique or Izmir, but it's pretty good just like that. But I'll look

forward to hearing how your much more ambitious mix comes out, woodsroad.

 

[woodsroad]

Pichfork, I have both the C&D Izmir (used it my "Rescue" blend), and the McClelland Turkish Blend (pretty sure that's what was used in this blend). The Rambeck has been on the shopping list.
Now, I've seen that whole leaf Yenidje, and I'm tempted to try it. Do you think that it's ready to go, once stripped? I don't know much about tobacco curing and prep, but I'm trying to educate myself.
MSO, I'm going to try some variations on this blend, changing one thing at a time. The first is to make it without the Cognac, then maybe swap Izmir and Smyrna for the Turk blend. 100gr batches are very easy and inexpensive to mix up. And I'm going to try your blend suggestion.

 

[glwanabe]

I have about 22oz of a Franken blend that is basically a light English. Based on the bouquet at this point it needs a little more latakia, that I will pick up tomorrow and mix in. I'll start with about an ounce, sample, and then adjust. I'm pretty close to what I think will turn out to be pretty good, but I can't replicate it as nothing was written down. However, I'll let somebody try it when I'm happy with it, and see if it matches anything else that is already being made. At that point I can then settle into a new recipe, and

write it out.

 

[pitchfork]

woodsroad, I meant to ask -- where did you get "Smyrna"? And is that a varietal or a blend of orientals? I think "Basma," for instance, is usually a blend of orientals.
As for the Yenidje, it's been sun-cured already, so it should be ready to go.

 

[woodsroad]

P&C has Smyrna. However, I've been told that it's the same as Izmir. They are one and the same. But P&C carries both Izmir and Smyrna. I'll have to ask them about it tomorrow.
The Yenidje whole leaf is sold out, more expected in early spring.

 

[captainbob]

Woodsroad has the right idea. Always keep precise records of your experiments! You will be rewarded. It is a process of adjustments until you discover your desired result. But, without records, you will never get there or if you do, you might not ever be able to duplicate it. Keeping accurate records is the key. If mixing prepared blends you are creating a MIXTURE. If using blending tobacco from scratch with or without topping, it is a BLEND. Carry on!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[woodsroad]

Well...Success!
I couldn't wait, and opened the jar today. The blend now has a uniform deep brown color, and smells fantastic! It is only a bit damp at the top of the jar. I spread a bowl full out on a sheet of paper, broke it up and and let it dry for a while. The RH in my house is just above 20% right now, so it dried quickly. I loaded up a pipe and headed out to the Experimental Testing Lab (my garage).
Fantastic.
The tobacco was still a bit too damp, although it felt "right" to the touch. So there was some steam-induced tongue bite and a bit of gurgling, which I took care of with a pipe cleaner. I also had a little trouble keeping it lit at first, but the flavor and aroma were wonderful. OK, this is my own blend, but IMHO, it was as enjoyable a smoke as I've ever had. As it dried in the bowl, the bite disappeared, and a rich, but fragrant aroma emerged. I could certainly pick out the Virginia, Turkish and the Latakia, but they were nicely unified. An altogether pleasant and fulfilling smoke.
Please give this blend a try and report back here. My only addition to the recipe would be to recommend a good-quality Cognac or French Brandy. I used St. Remy, an inexpensive but good French Brandy, flavorful and dry.
Plan B

12-03-2013
Item.....................Wt. (gr)
Latakia P&C BGM0028.........................30

Turkish Blend P&C BGB0028...................40

McClelland 5100 Red Cake P&C M420028........20

Dark Fired Kentucky Burley P&C BGH0028......10

Stoved Black Virginia P&C BG20028...........10

Total weight................................110gr
Cognac- St. Remy VSOP 30ml
Combine tobaccos in a 1 gallon Ziploc. Inflate and shake.

Slowly add Cognac and shake until evenly distributed

Pack in to an 8oz. Ball jar.

There is room in the jar for about 25% more, or 27.5 gr, so increase each ingredient by 25% to fill the jar

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Getting into home blending is just asking for problems. TAD problems. You're all a bunch of degenerates! Lol

 

[scrapyardape]

Woodsroad... You need to change your forum avatar.

:wink:

 

[woodsroad]

Scrapyardape, I like it!

Getting into home blending is just asking for problems. TAD problems.

Yes...and no. Yes, because I'm buying more blending stock, no because I've lost interest in any commercial blend that I can't make myself. So, I'm still wanting plugs, slices and twists, and stuff that is mysterious and wonderful. I still like a few aromatics, like the "My Own Blend" aros and what-not. There are 4Noggins blends like Bald Headed Teacher that are classics, and a lot of C&D is just magic. And...well....shit, you're right.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Home blending is more like opening the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser than opening Pandora's Box: unleashing something you never expected, the King of TAD into your world.

 

[woodsroad]

cmdrmcbragg, you're right. Now I can synthesize my own TADS.

Still, this blend is great, and I'll never have to hunt it down or go with out it.