I would assume - dangerous I know - that part of the old recipe was cavendished burley. Whether this was the selbur or the white burley component I couldn’t say. For example they could have used edgeworth or something.
If you are wanting mild burley, consider using some Maryland like telescopes. Also consider natural (I.e unsweetened) stoving/cavendishing some of your blending burley. Of course you could do this with your Virginias too.
As for the Latakia. Consider using even 1% and compare this to a version without. Or…something I have been wanting to do for a while, and hopefully will do shortly, cavendish some Virginia but with a bit of Latakia in the jar too imbue the cavendish with a bit of its flavour.
Enjoy.
Interesting thoughts, Brother
@Ahi Ka !
And VERY interesting to ponder:
On Cavendished Burley... Very hard to say, and there is no way for us to know at this point.
I've asked older tabak people about this for years -
not that it means much - and sadly, I've never spoken with anyone who's smoked
SelBur -
that they know of - of have seen it, in order to relate what it looked like in the tin.
So again, we are left with our assumptions, as you've said -
Yes, potentially dangerous LOL! - which is the best we can do.
Considering what you are speculating,
imho, I would say that
IF I were to design a so-called 'Selceted Burley Blend' product to used as a Base Tobacco for general mixing purpose,
AND IF I was already using a higher than 50% amount of White Burley in most of my OTC products, and I wanted to appeal to those people who have already accepted my commercial offerings, I might
PRESUME to use that same OTC Burley base out of the factory, so not to have to 'Re-Win' those tongues and palates over a second time to my specifically branded tobaccos.
Additionally,
IF I would be essentially offering a
'Stripped Down Version' of my heavily cased and topped OTCs which are further blended with other taste enhancing tobaccos,
AND IF, I felt the product need to be less raw and
'more creamy', 'burn cooler', 'even-out the limited flavor variances', AND IF I didn't want to add even more White Burley to tackle that job,
THEN YES,...
I would DEFINITELY consider a flavorless nearly unsweetened Burley Cavendish to handle those tasks and not affect the balance of the profile of SELected BURley Blend as a Ready-to-Go Base;
OR, If my OTC customers who usually identify my brand more with 'sweeter topped and heavily cased mixtures',
AND I wanted to also appeal to that association;
THEN, I might go with a '
Sweet but Unflavored' Cavendished Burley.
Again, as you quite rightly said, we are left purely with assumptions.
As it see it, we only have 2 Solid Clues:
1. SelBur was mostly Burley - But that doesn't automatically mean that's
all that's in there. After all, it is a '
Blend'. And, the easy thing to do is 'assume' it's
all Burley, and nothing but Burleys... however, there is a difference between "
Selected Beef Hot Dogs" and "100%
All Beef Hot Dogs".
Wouldn't be funny if we found out that
SelBur actually contained x-amount of high-sugar Virginia to add sweetness, as a '
Flavoring Tobacco' - and, by-passing Semi-Base status altogether - rather than using an even higher-sugar concentration casing, as part of it's "Mostly" Burley Blend.
Truth
could end up Stranger than Fiction.
2.
SelBur's tin description -
and it IS sales-copy to be sure, as opposed to anything formulaic - promises
SelBur to be an EXTREMELY MILD Burley Blend.
So, if I go by the Tin, I am left to dangerously presume:
To
me that says:
a) No Dark Fired Kentucky Burley;
and,
b) No Dark Burley;
and,
c) Perhaps, even a very small contribution of Medium Burley; as the 'strongest' Burley in the Blend?
Who can say?
Not me.
I am going to try to shoot for a SWR, PA, Granger, level of "Extremely Mild" - as I perceive them
YMMV.
However, this is why I say, I think everyone should simply choose what THEY THINK is best FOR THEM, and how they imagine the
SelBur blend Could or Should Be; Interpret the Tin Description as you will -
My assumptions are mine alone - and create their own version of a so-called
'Select Burley Base' to use in this, JAN 1946 Blend, and in those that follow which call for
SelBur in the recipe.
And,
please share your version of your own go to Selected Burley Base Blend, which you used.
On Maryland TS-9:
To make up part of someone's "Generic Burley Blend -
that may or may not be 100% The Typical Burleys - Yes, absolutely! Why not. I was just introduced to this fascinating varietal last week, and it's properties and characteristics literally fascinate me. So, from what little I imagine I understand about it -
an excellent burning Neutral Tasting tobacco - I cannot wait to start fooling around with this one!
ADDED NOTES: In re-re-re-reviewing the MIddleton Blending Book to absolutely double-check there was no additional helpful clues or descriptions of
SelBur - there are none - I did discover 2 new clues as they related to both
"Virginia" and
"Havana":
From page 4:
"...two of the unblended tobaccos found in the Blending-Kit my be classified as Semi-Base, the Virginia Bright Granulated, and, the Havana.
Tells us PERFECTLY what the
"Virginia" is when called for - Type, Color, Cut - and, absolutely nothing about the other
Again, such is life!
I think we can safely assume Middleton's Blending Kit was designed for
"Burley" smokers.
@Ahi Ka fabulous post, Brother! Tons of food for thought! AND, because you asked, we serendipitously turned out the defining clue on
"Virginia" Thank-you! -
Sherm Natman
I am really happy to have some company on this journey. - Sherm Natman
sutliff-tobacco.com
www.cupojoes.com
