What's Your Custom Blend Made Just For You?

[Sigmund]

I’m trying something new today and its tasty.

I got some wallace flake and there is just a bit too much burley for my taste. A little to earthy.

1/2 Wallace flake
1/2. Marlin flake
A sprinkle of blending latakia

Goes well with a glass of red

 

[Puffer of Pipes]

Years ago when I was just a college student, I picked up the pipe for myself. My childhood friend, Steve Metz, had started smoking a pipe, a Dr. Grabow. He loaded it with Captain Black and smoked it in the Student Lounge every day when we met. He complained about tongue bite and I shared with him a little about my dad's tobaccos and pipes. We went on over to John Dengler in Saint Charles, Missouri where we talked to John about pipes and tobaccos. I came home with a CAO Meerschaum and a basket pipe along with some tobacco John shared with us.

There was a Tinder Box near the college - heck, they were everywhere back then - and we both started smoking Crown Royal. It became our favorite. However, I disliked not purchasing my tobacco from John and I asked him to help me develop a similar blend that he could sell me. Little did we know that Crown Royal was really nothing more than Peter Stokkebye Vanilla Creme. Regardless, John worked and worked on several various custom blends for me - he did this for 1000s of customers (that number isn't made up).

We finally hit upon a blend that I thought was just right. It wasn't exactly Crown Royal but it was more subtle, drier, and less sweet.

Forty years later and I am still smoking that custom blend, purchasing it from John's son-in-law, Larry, who has taken over the business with his now deceased wife, John's daughter. Although I now know what constitutes that blend and am able to purchase the components directly for myself on line from other retailers, I don't. Steve's local Tinder Box doesn't carry Crown Royal so he now smokes their Sunset blend.

My question to everyone is this: Do you have a favorite custom blend of tobacco that is either made for you or is one that you have worked together that you have been smoking for years? What is it about that blend that you enjoy and how does it reflect. your own taste in pipe smoking?

I look forward to reading your replies.

Well I started just about the same way back in 1970 in SO California at college.
I walked into Poor Richards pipe shop and first smelled what I now know as Maltese Falcon. I bought a cheap pipe and tried some but it was just go strong so went to Cherry blend in the white box.
But now I like the Falcon because it brings back great memories & I like aromatic tobacco the best. I do a bit of mixing my own blends.

 

[Puffer of Pipes]

Years ago when I was just a college student, I picked up the pipe for myself. My childhood friend, Steve Metz, had started smoking a pipe, a Dr. Grabow. He loaded it with Captain Black and smoked it in the Student Lounge every day when we met. He complained about tongue bite and I shared with him a little about my dad's tobaccos and pipes. We went on over to John Dengler in Saint Charles, Missouri where we talked to John about pipes and tobaccos. I came home with a CAO Meerschaum and a basket pipe along with some tobacco John shared with us.

There was a Tinder Box near the college - heck, they were everywhere back then - and we both started smoking Crown Royal. It became our favorite. However, I disliked not purchasing my tobacco from John and I asked him to help me develop a similar blend that he could sell me. Little did we know that Crown Royal was really nothing more than Peter Stokkebye Vanilla Creme. Regardless, John worked and worked on several various custom blends for me - he did this for 1000s of customers (that number isn't made up).

We finally hit upon a blend that I thought was just right. It wasn't exactly Crown Royal but it was more subtle, drier, and less sweet.

Forty years later and I am still smoking that custom blend, purchasing it from John's son-in-law, Larry, who has taken over the business with his now deceased wife, John's daughter. Although I now know what constitutes that blend and am able to purchase the components directly for myself on line from other retailers, I don't. Steve's local Tinder Box doesn't carry Crown Royal so he now smokes their Sunset blend.

My question to everyone is this: Do you have a favorite custom blend of tobacco that is either made for you or is one that you have worked together that you have been smoking for years? What is it about that blend that you enjoy and how does it reflect. your own taste in pipe smoking?

I look forward to reading your replies.

Well I started just about the same way back in 1970 in SO California at college.
I walked into Poor Richards pipe shop and first smelled what I now know as Maltese Falcon. I bought a cheap pipe and tried some but it was just go strong so went to Cherry blend in the white box.
But now I like the Falcon because it brings back great memories & I like aromatic tobacco the best. I do a bit of mixing my own blends.

PS: I like a peanut butter, chocolate & cherry blend for my relaxing times!

 

[filmguerilla]

I'm extremely picky about Oriental tobaccos and used to mix my own Oriental/Latakia blend sourced from a few places, but thankfully I found Tashkent by L.J. Peretti and it's everything I wanted from such a blend, so now I don't feel inclined to blend any more. Their Oriental #40 is also fantastic if you want to skip on the latakia.

 

[Jahman7]

The Story Behind the Blends

Every year my extended family goes fishing at Caddo Lake in Texas (the only naturally formed lake in Texas) where we enjoy getting our lures caught in every tree root the lake has to offer in search of that big bass.

We have been doing this since I was 10. We camp, we enjoy company by a campfire, the adults smoke and drink (not in excess).

Before I took up pipe smoking as a hobby, this was one of two times a year I enjoyed tobacco (mostly Cigars).

Recently I got into processing my own whole Leaf Tobacco.

Several months ago I had the urge to create a tribute balkan blend that encapsulates the rustic wild lake with fond memories. I had the idea that it would be a smooth, earthy, smoky, subtle but complex smoke with a hint of wood, must, and nuttiness on the back end that also had a good nic hit for relaxation during the long hours of fishing while not catching that sometimes occur.

I didn't think I would take on this venture yet... However, I often just take some if my whole Leaf stuff and throw them together with some other stuff to try. I accidentally made a blend that hit this idea right on the nose.

At first, I couldn't remember exactly how I blended this - as it was by site and not by weight, so I had to go through 8 trials before I confirmed the one that worked.

I added some Rustica as a tribute to the Caddo people who the lake was named after. I got to learn details about these people when I took my son to Mission Tejas SP on our way to Caddo Lake. The rustica made it even more enjoyable, herbal, earthy, and complex.

In the process, I uncovered two more complimentary blends that I enjoyed and add to the overall experience of Caddo Lake.



TL;DR

Base Blend
2 parts flue cured virginia
1 part fire cured virginia
1 part Samsun oriental
1 part Rustica

*The first two blends below can be blended in 34-gram increments (34, 68, etc.).
**The last blend below can be blended in 32-gram increments (32, 64, etc.).

Caddo Lake Breakfast Blend
Reminds me of a warm campsite kitchen with fresh breakfast.

	Parts​
Base Blend	8.5​
Burley	2.5​
Smyrna Oriental	3.5​
Latakia	1.5​

Caddo Lake Fishing Blend
A good warm up to the final blend. Sweet earthy herbal notes, woody toasty undertones, balanced orientals lend a slight chocolate-y back end. Does not ruin the final blend but adds to it. An all-day, flavorful smoke that pairs well with the sensations of being on the rustic Caddo Lake.

	Parts​
Base Blend	8.5​
Burley	2.5​
Smyrna Oriental	3​
Latakia	2​

Caddo Lake Campfire Blend
This one represents THE blend I was looking for. The base blend takes a back step while the orientals take a bit more center stage. This lends the blend to flavors of toasted almond, roasted marshmallow, rustic woodiness. Will leave a great aftertaste for the night.

	Parts​
Base Blend	8​
Burley	2.5​
Smyrna Oriental	3.5​
Latakia	2​

If I had the funds or business acumen, certificates, etc... I would try and sell this blend to shops in and around Caddo Lake.

 

[Jahman7]

Forgot to mention something important:

The ideal rH for this blend is between 60-65.

It is a well-balanced smooth smoke experience with little to no bite.

 

[woodsroad]

Just a quick note:
The relative humidity is not a direct correlation to the water content of the tobacco. Different leaf absorbs at different rates. To measure water content you need an instrument that both heats and weighs the sample at the same time. I don’t have one of those, either, so I do what you do and store leaf and blends at 65%.

 

[kcghost]

I am very content to use whatever G.L. Pease produces. Not savvy enough to create one of my own.

 

[Jahman7]

In an effort to improve upon the Caddo Lake Campfire Blend (see a few posts above), I ended up discovering ANOTHER blend using these same tobaccos. It's amazing to me how slight differences seem to change the flavor/smell profiles enough to be considered a different blend altogether. This one just as enjoyable as the last three I have made. I guess slight differences make big differences when most of the eight varieties of tobacco takes up <15% of the blend.

Caddo Lake, Texas Blend
After blending and letting it sit for a bit, I opened the jar and noticed it was distinctly different than my other Caddo Lake blends. I couldn't place my finger on that familiar smell, so I turned to my wife and asked her to give it a sniff. She considered a moment and said, "Like rustic leather and campfire smoke". That was IT! I then packed a bowl and smoked it, and sure enough, it had an interesting balance of earthy sweetness, rustic woodiness, smoky mustiness, all working equally together in the foreground, while in the background there are hints of pepper, incense, and chocolate. So many flavors working cohesively into a single blend that can be compounded into one description: "Rustic leather and a campfire". This earned it the monicker, "Caddo Lake, TEXAS Blend". My 9th overall blend of these specific varietals.

	Parts​
Base Blend	8​
Burley	2.5​
Smyrna Oriental	3​
Latakia	2.5​

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

60% red virginia, 20% bright, 15% kentucky, 5% cigar leaf, with a splash of rum.