Plug and/or cake

[coffinmaker]

Even though I've smoked a pipe for many many years, I have not been into special blends or custom blends very much. So I know very little along these lines. I gather from this site crumble cake is already cut or chopped up tobacco pressed into a near solid form. What is a plug from, the hole leaf or is it also cut up and pressed? How is it different between plug and cake? Thank you.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Plugs, bricks, and ropes come from whole leaf. If you want whole uncased leaf, just google "whole leaf tobacco," and you'll get several sources. But, you'll want to know something about the different types of leaf and how to process them. There's more to preparing tobaccos than you'd think. Just mixing that "blending" tobacco shiite the companies sell to us to play with is just to make us feel like mixing a couple of things is real blending. But, to be a real chef, you'll want to research quite a bit, and tobacconists don't give away information easily. Some of it is informed guessing to fill in the gaps they leave out. And, some of the best reading is from books from the industry that are full of jargon that you have to wade through.

 

[coffinmaker]

Thank you for your reply. I'm not planning to dive into mixing from straight different tobaccos, just a pinch of this mixture and that to change the routine a bit. I have noticed a couple pipe fulls of sample plugs from friends, has made me not want to walk around. I don't think I want to be working in my coffin shop while smoking this stuff!! Bow Legged Bear is off my list. My three fingers of Jim Beam and Bow Legged Bear, Lord know where I may be found.

 

[mso489]

Maybe start by smoking some plug to get the hang of what that is. I'd suggest GL Pease Triple Play or Jack Knife. Cut it vertically so you get all the different leaf layers, and then rub it out. A big pottery or china bowl is a good place to rub it out. You an mix it with loose tobacco later, but you may enjoy it enough not to choose to bother. Start simple and see where it leads you. Mixing loose tobaccos is also interesting, but start with simple blends or straight Virginia, burley, Cavendish etc. For starter, single leaf or simple (fewer tobacco) blends will be most instructive, in my opinion. What you want is great taste you'll enjoy.
Very handsome coffin, that in your avatar. I don't confuse remains with the person, but this looks like a very respectful way to lay to rest remains. If the sentient essence of people remains to observe this -- who really knows -- I think they would approve. In any case, it looks like a comfort to the survivors, whatever their beliefs.

 

[coffinmaker]

Thank you for the advice and the kind words. My clientele is mainly Eastern Orthodox Christians and Russian Orthodox. That one is a plain one in the avatar. I do a lot of pipe puffing when making an eco-green one. That pipe I made and posted with the pipe cabinet is the smoothest smoking one I have, maybe due to the long stem. Should I rub out the hole plug or just enough for a bowl? (I have discovered the older I get the less I know.)