Which Tobaccos/Blends Have You Pressed?

[Country Bladesmith]

For those of you that have experimented with pressing tobacco into cakes or plugs, what blends have been winners for you?

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a Balkan crumble cake/plug-like object. Just wondering what kind of results y’all are getting, for those are playing with this.

 

[F4RM3R]

I've done a few crumble cakes and plugs with whole leaf. My favourite Balkan style which is one of my.most recent blends is : latakia, oriental(basma), Kentucky, Virginia(lightly stoved and black stoved) and perique.

Similar to Bill baileys Balkan(plus black stoved) or Ashton artisan( plus kentucky). I also add some maple syrup, licorice root soaked in bourbon and Tonka beans soaked in bourbon and spray that on before pressing. To smooth it out more you can bake the cake in foil and press it again, but I don't find it really necessary.

I've done others too, like some Kentucky/VA plug(which was nice to bake the plug after) and a other English with latakia, Kentucky and black stoved va. I spray these down with a little maple syrup bourbon mix before pressing, sometimes spray with the Tonka extract after.

 

[davek]

I've done a few crumble cakes and plugs with whole leaf. My favourite Balkan style which is one of my.most recent blends is : latakia, oriental(basma), Kentucky, Virginia(lightly stoved and black stoved) and perique.

Similar to Bill baileys Balkan(plus black stoved) or Ashton artisan( plus kentucky). I also add some maple syrup, licorice root soaked in bourbon and Tonka beans soaked in bourbon and spray that on before pressing. To smooth it out more you can bake the cake in foil and press it again, but I don't find it really necessary.

I've done others too, like some Kentucky/VA plug(which was nice to bake the plug after) and a other English with latakia, Kentucky and black stoved va. I spray these down with a little maple syrup bourbon mix before pressing, sometimes spray with the Tonka extract after.

Whole leaf guy here as well, with simpler more plebeian tastes maybe. I smoke mostly Burley, but often with a little Bright Leaf (Virginia, flue cured), always with some honey, occasionally other types of leaf with a little Perique.

I press everything for a day or three. Whole leaf molds more easily since it has no additives and I kind of look at it as a perishable product like meat or sumpin' . I'm always mixing up my next batch, and I press it to hurry the melding process. It works quite well for that.

Anyway, not to hijack into whole leaf territory. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I’m assuming y’all are growing your own if you’re doing whole leaf. I have enough land to grow, but don’t have a way to cure yet. I might work up to that at some point, but I’ll probably just make some cakes with ingredients/blends that are available online.

 

[mso489]

I use pipe smoking as down time. I'm retired and expected to have to fill hours with long strolls and many books, but so far it hasn't happened. The pace has picked up considerably. But the growing, pressing, ovening, and blending at home is always interesting to read about. I have a lovely sample of home grown Semois from a Forums member I am looking forward to grating and smoking, so I participate ... a little.

 

[jeff540]

I just opened and fired up my first press today, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So, my first attempt was a great success (to me).

A few months ago I bought a pound of Sutliff 507s (Stoved Virginia) based on rave reviews, and the loss of a cherished blend (Dark Star). I did not enjoy the 507s as-is. Not only did it look like large flakes of fish food, but it even smelled like something you'd sprinkle in the aquarium.

I mixed half a pound of 507s with another a few ounces of MacBaren VA#1 I had laying around. Made a liquid with 1/2 tsp of spiced rum, 1/4 tsp of bourbon, and 1/4 tsp of red wine vinegar. I swished this liquid around the inside of a large bowl to coat, added the tobacco, mixed well, then started packing it into my home made press.

After two weeks under pressure, it's a very hard hockey puck that cuts out into nice slices that form a crumble cake when rubbed out. Not as loose as Penzance, but similar geometric results.

Tasting - much improvement! The fish food overtone was gone, and the main flavor profiles are dark raisins and sweet leather. A small bowl also smokes slow for an hour or more.

 

[F4RM3R]

Whole leaf guy here as well, with simpler more plebeian tastes maybe. I smoke mostly Burley, but often with a little Bright Leaf (Virginia, flue cured), always with some honey, occasionally other types of leaf with a little Perique.

I press everything for a day or three. Whole leaf molds more easily since it has no additives and I kind of look at it as a perishable product like meat or sumpin' . I'm always mixing up my next batch, and I press it to hurry the melding process. It works quite well for that.

Anyway, not to hijack into whole leaf territory. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Have you tried stoving your Virginia? I'm a huge fan of it. Can get a range of different results with just some time in the oven. I made a thread about here: Tobacco Experiments: Stoved Virginia :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/tobacco-experiments-stoved-virginia.76266/

 

[F4RM3R]

I’m assuming y’all are growing your own if you’re doing whole leaf. I have enough land to grow, but don’t have a way to cure yet. I might work up to that at some point, but I’ll probably just make some cakes with ingredients/blends that are available online.

I am back to growing this year(took last year off from it) but there are lots of companies that sell cured raw whole leaf. I use wholeleaftobacco.com

 

[Country Bladesmith]

there are lots of companies that sell cured raw whole leaf. I use wholeleaftobacco.com

Was not aware of this. Thanks!