Where Do I Go from Here?

[Bullman]

Well, I went by the pipe shop in Blacksburg today and picked up some tobacco, I learned something from the proprietor that I really wasn't aware of and that is that a lot of the big commercial brands out there now apparently are using paper as a filler in there tobaccos now. He said that aromatics are especially guilty here as the top coat turns the paper brown and you really can't tell the difference.

Anyway, being an Aro smoker thus far, he showed me several bulks that he had, one of which was called Captain Blacksburg and let me just say, WOW. The blend I would say is very similar to Capt. Black but it is so much better. It was a drier smoke and much more aromatic and it didn't leave that ashy after taste in my mouth that Capt. Black tends to do. I also picked up a large quantity of a honey blend that smelled rather nice. He also hooked me up with about a bowl full of Virginia, and an English blend of Virginia, Latikia and Perique. I will be sampling those later and I will let you all know what I think. I may have found my new go to blend though with the Captain Blacksburg, that stuff was awesome. Also bought me another cheap briar to add to the rotation and some spare tampers. Enjoying my adventure so far. I may blend some of my Blacksburg into the Mason jars of Captain Black that I have in the cellar to see if I can improve what I have at this point.

 

[Casual]

I learned something from the proprietor that I really wasn't aware of and that is that a lot of the big commercial brands out there now apparently are using paper as a filler in there tobaccos now. He said that aromatics are especially guilty here as the top coat turns the paper brown and you really can't tell the difference.

What? This needs some investigation! Could be the sort of idle chatter we used to count as wisdom before the internet came along. Any idea where he got this idea?

 

[hauntedmyst]

Captain Blacksburg is in all likelihood Lane Ltd. 1Q, now STG 1Q. They are they same company that makes Captain Black. It's the most popular bulk tobacco in the world by an wide margin,typically outselling all other bills in the store combined. I doubt they are using paper in either Captain Black or 1Q, or in most pipe tobacco. Paper and other fillers have long been known to be in cigarettes and cheap cigars but I have yet to hear it cross over into pipe tobacco, even the cheapest blends.

 

[Bullman]

Well, it was news to me, but I wouldn't be in the know about such things.

 

[rushx9]

I don't believe pipe tobacco has paper in it... at least not quality pipe tobacco. Cigars with "pipe tobacco" filler (blunts/black&milds), maybe. Chances are, dude knows nothing about pipe tobacco (most tobacconists are cigar-centric these days, so that's not an exaggeration) and was regurgitating something he heard about cheap flavored cigars/blunts with pipe filler. Also, I agree with Hauntedmyst that "Captain Blacksburg" was a shop rebranding of Lane 1-Q or possibly RLP-6 which are the bulk versions of CB Royal and CB White with less propylene glycol.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Black and Milds have an extra wrapper that is made of paper and around that is a homogenized wrapper made of cavendish like tobacco. The filler is an aromatic pipe tobacco, no paper in there. Cigar "guts" even from Swisher Sweets or Pom Poms is actual tobacco. There was a time when I found myself with a surplus of that and even mixed it into my ryo menthol for cigarettes. I seriously doubt that paper is being included in the cheap cigar filler, or any pipe tobacco blends. Even the ryo stuff is actual tobacco. Paper may be used in the homogenized wrapper of cheap cigars. The pack says the cigars are made of tobacco with some non tobacco ingredients added. That may be the source of this, and may refer to the flavoring.

 

[Bullman]

The other Aro blend that I got was called Honey Smoke. It is pretty mild and not a whole lot of taste to it. I have more of that one than the other but it should smoke okay, it is a lot cooler smoke than the Captain Black that I have. Do any of you ever blend aromatics to see what you end up with or leave it alone?

 

[rushx9]

The other Aro blend that I got was called Honey Smoke. It is pretty mild and not a whole lot of taste to it. I have more of that one than the other but it should smoke okay, it is a lot cooler smoke than the Captain Black that I have. Do any of you ever blend aromatics to see what you end up with or leave it alone?

I have a big can full of a mixture of aromatics I didn't love. I find that they are better combined than they were alone.

 

[rushx9]

Combining stronger aromatics with mellow ones such as Prince Albert or Carter Hall, or with a non-aro straight Virginia to tone them down is a fairly common practice here

 

[chopper]

The other Aro blend that I got was called Honey Smoke. It is pretty mild and not a whole lot of taste to it. I have more of that one than the other but it should smoke okay, it is a lot cooler smoke than the Captain Black that I have. Do any of you ever blend aromatics to see what you end up with or leave it alone?

Mixing mini-blends is a lot of fun.
When I turned off aromatics for a while I mixed them 50/50 with Windsail Virginia which made a great smoke. Windsail comes rather dry so it works very well when blended with a moist aro.

Blending an English blend with an aromatic also makes a rather tasty blend that gives a nice change of pace.

Just experiment by mixing a few bowls worth to start. Not all experiments work out so don't go mixing ounces at a time.
Once you find a mix that you like, leave it for at least a few days for them to meld together and it will taste much better.

Buy yourself some blending tobaccos like straight perique, oriental/turkish and latakia so that you can tweak blends to your tastes. Just 10% of any of these can make a big difference to a blend.

 

[chopper]

Well, I went by the pipe shop in Blacksburg today and picked up some tobacco, I learned something from the proprietor that I really wasn't aware of and that is that a lot of the big commercial brands out there now apparently are using paper as a filler in there tobaccos now. He said that aromatics are especially guilty here as the top coat turns the paper brown and you really can't tell the difference.

No I don't believe that. The proprietor either is repeating nonsense he heard from a joker or he wants to push his premium blends.

Think of it this way; tobacco is not expensive to purchase in very large amounts. Why would any blender risk his reputation to add paper as a filler when tobacco would be easier to prepare and cheap to purchase? They'd use a lower quality tobacco before they resorted to using paper as a filler.
It just wouldn't make any sense unless tobacco was scarce and really expensive.