What Is An "American" Blend, Exactly?

[brian64]

There is a seed stock called Virginia Gold, but the category is "bright leaf."

Bright Leaf would have had a lot more to say about that.

All the terms we used is just made up. Literally, made up.

I prefer to think of it as progressive.

 

[--dante--]

American blend often means an aromatic of some kind over here in England. Gawith do an "American Blends" range and they're virtually all aromatics, I don't know why this is.

Indeed it's quite a rabbit hole. I believe I shall not descend into it.

 

[--dante--]

I like "cat hair on your socks."

Me too. Also his signature quote

 

[--dante--]

95% of the people have no damned clue what they are talking about. The industry has their own categories, companies may have their own category for each company, and then there are the smokers, who just string big words together for their word salad posts on there. Ha ha. I don't think anyone could adequately explain some of the ideas those guys have, nor where they even got those ideas.
Me too, don't exclude me. Only between narrow margins during the day do I even know what the hell I'm talking about, ha ha.

It's pipesmoking. It's not a serious thing like... bumper cars. It's more just random bits of information people have picked up along the way like cat hair on your socks.

I should say: I would never make light of bumper cars, sir. Have yourself a great evening and thanks for your input!

 

[bullet08]

Somewhere I read that Brits prefer Virginia, and Americans prefer burley. Then later on when English blend came around, American blend was just English with burley like Scottish blend is English with black cavendish.

 

[--dante--]

Somewhere I read that Brits prefer Virginia, and Americans prefer burley. Then later on when English blend came around, American blend was just English with burley like Scottish blend is English with black cavendish.

That sounds about right. I did an advanced search on tobaccoreviews, selecting 'American' as the blend type. It yielded 196 blends, and each one I checked was burley forward and contained latakia and/or orientals and/or perique.

 

[condorlover1]

I used to view 'American Blends' like one does the child you have with your maid - not really kith and kin but more the fruit of ones overactive loins. After a quarter of a century in the U.S and principally through the prodding of our good friend Jim Inks I have come to appreciate a few of the American blends. You guys cannot make plugs or ropes that mirror the stuff knocked out by SG but you sure can make some excellent chewing tobacco and a few of the U.S offerings are not only good but priced at levels Europeans can only dream about!

 

[--dante--]

I used to view 'American Blends' like one does the child you have with your maid - not really kith and kin but more the fruit of ones overactive loins. After a quarter of a century in the U.S and principally through the prodding of our good friend Jim Inks I have come to appreciate a few of the American blends. You guys cannot make plugs or ropes that mirror the stuff knocked out by SG but you sure can make some excellent chewing tobacco and a few of the U.S offerings are not only good but priced at levels Europeans can only dream about!

Have you tried (smoked or chewed) Cotton Boll? I have yet to do so, but as a cheap, straight-up very strong burley-only rope, it seems to fit your comments here.

 

[condorlover1]

I am very fond of the stuff but its not that easy to obtain.

 

[Misanthrope]

Well, I learn something new everyday. I figured American meant it tasted like barbecue, Jesus, Hoppes No. 9, and the screech of bald eagles.

 

[craig61a]

 

[dcon]

Thanks for all the replies. I believe I will consider all blend descriptions as essentially useless However, if one mentions English I'll at least make the assumption that it has latakia, which is decidedly not from England . Except when the reference is to how they are cased, in which case...ah, forget it!

This the problem with people assuming that there is no definition, no right - no wrong. (Time for me to get on my soapbox again) this sort of relativism I find abhorrent in most things and definitely on this particular subject. I will concur with cosmicfolklore that, today’s manufacturers and sellers call blends whatever they wish. This is a product of marketing and advertising. I am old, and there used to be a pretty clear cut definition for an American blend. It was any blend (not a straight varietal) that was not an aromatic (flavor enhanced blends have that designation) that contains burley. So, yeah, if you are sticking burley in what would be an English blend, it becomes an American blend or some might sub-designate it as an “American English“ to separate it from American blends without the Latakia. I am sure there will be some that will uphold the “no definition posture“ or say that, this is simply dcon’s definition. I am stating that, 40 years ago this would not be a topic of debate. You know why?... when you have a definition it is not debatable, it just is.

 

[--dante--]

This the problem with people assuming that there is no definition, no right - no wrong. (Time for me to get on my soapbox again) this sort of relativism I find abhorrent in most things and definitely on this particular subject. I will concur with cosmicfolklore that, today’s manufacturers and sellers call blends whatever they wish. This is a product of marketing and advertising. I am old, and there used to be a pretty clear cut definition for an American blend. It was any blend (not a straight varietal) that was not an aromatic (flavor enhanced blends have that designation) that contains burley. So, yeah, if you are sticking burley in what would be an English blend, it becomes an American blend or some might sub-designate it as an “American English“ to separate it from American blends without the Latakia. I am sure there will be some that will uphold the “no definition posture“ or say that, this is simply dcon’s definition. I am stating that, 40 years ago this would not be a topic of debate. You know why.. when you have a definition it is not debatable, it just is.

Well I see there is _not_ a definition, and I simply asked if there was. Further, what would or wouldn't constitute a debate over a 40-year span would of course change.

 

[dcon]

Well I see there is _not_ a definition, and I simply asked if there was. Further, what would or wouldn't constitute a debate over a 40-year span would of course change.

Why? Why is a a burley based non-aromatic not a definition (put more simply) and why is it necessary to change over time?

 

[logs]

People argue over these definitions all the time. It's just part of the fun of being a pipe fanatic... that's how I see it.

 

[wolflarsen]

Potlatch. It's fantastic. The best of the SPC lineup in my opinion. It's not a codger, not a balkan, not an english ... I call it an american blend because its burley forward with a splash of latakia. It has everything else in it too so I guess calling it a Bur/VA/Cav/Lat/Or/Per would also be appropriate. I just came here to say how awesome the stuff is. One of my favorites. That is all.

 

[judcole]

The thing to recall is that terms like "American", "Balkan". "English" are all marketing terms, without a fixed definition.
The traditional blends made here in the US were burley/Virginia blends - the sort we refer to know as "codger burleys" - usually quite burley forward. Blends of that sort with some latakia added were often called "American English", or, for convenience sake, "American". That's what the term has commonly come to mean - here in the US, anyway.

 

[Perique]

I’ve never heard the term “American Blend” before reading this thread. But there is definitely a distinct “American English” classification that has been around for well over one hundred years. Basically, an English with burley and often a tad heavier than the norm (though still gentle) on the Cavendish.

 

[--dante--]

I’ve never heard the term “American Blend” before reading this thread. But there is definitely a distinct “American English” classification that has been around for well over one hundred years. Basically, an English with burley and often a tad heavier than the norm (though still gentle) on the Cavendish.

Yeah English with burley is what I saw for the nearly 200 active listings in tobbacoreviews.com (searching on 'American' blends only). There are number of English blends with some burley they didn't categorize as American...the common factor for American seemed to be that burley had to be a significant, if not the most forward, ingredient.

 

[Perique]

Yeah English with burley is what I saw for the nearly 200 active listings in tobbacoreviews.com (searching on 'American' blends only). There are number of English blends with some burley they didn't categorize as American...the common factor for American seemed to be that burley had to be a significant, if not the most forward, ingredient.

A few notable examples would be Wilke Bestmake, Peretti 7485, and Uhle’s Bishop’s Move.