Home-Made Pipe Blends

[seabee1999]

That’s a nice hunk of crumble cake Looks like your press is working out quite nicely for you. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. I will be following this as I’m interested in your results.

Larry

I’m interested as well. Hope the component tobaccos meld together well.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I experiment all the time -- mostly to try to use up blends I don't like much, or can't handle the strength of, by themselves. Recently I mixed a pinch of the Cavendish-heavy Queen Anne's Revenge from my local pipe & cigar shop with Match Carter Hall. Nice, and the room note was too.

 

[Njguy1977]

I have a 4oz mason jar set up with remains of what won’t finish in a full bowl. It’s almost full and I have used it a couple of times to try it out. I’m going to be honest, it’s fun when you taste something and then try to guess what tin or house blend it came from.

Larry

 

[seabee1999]

Results of the above batch:

View attachment 1775582

Next batch of Red VA / DFK / Perique / Cav / Stoved VA & some Burley:

View attachment 1775583

So, I was able to smoke both of these blends relatively close to one another. Since an initial smoke, they’ve both been resting in a jar for several weeks. I can honestly say the are both quite wonderful blends. Sweet, mild and full of flavor. Both blends have a raisin bread type tin note. The second of the two blends is much sweeter. The first one, the one I’m smoking today, has a more subdued sweetness; I believe b/c I used more burley. I’d almost rather reach for these blends more than say one of my McClelland Virginia blends I have available in the cellar. I’d say these were a success

 

[PolishDawg]

I am about to buy some virginia and perique...I think when you buy the leafs and blend your own, then you find out just how little perique if any is in blends that claim to have perique...

Escudo...hardly any,luxury navy flake, hardly any...Orlick...hardly any. I'm not a perique freak but I do think it can be a good thing if spiced up beyound a touch or nothing or hardly any at all...

Its kind of like cooking with Saffron, a little goes a long way, but a little more won't hurt. I'm looking to try making my own hand rolled navy rolls because Escudo and Stokkybye are so full of binders, I'd rather have coins that unfurl than stay perfectly glued together from gum arabic...

I'll use a touch of molasses and honey as the binder, and I'm not decided on if there is a rum to use or try another spirit, was thinking maybe makers mark this time...but I do love a rum/virginia,perique combo.

 

[seabee1999]

This is for a friend who currently is overseas. In a few weeks my friend’s dad will visit him. I’ll be mailing this to his dad once it’s been pressed for 2 weeks.

Pretty much a red VA heavy blend with DFK, perique, stoved VA, bright burley, and cavendish.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Not a *blend* per se, but a mix of Match Carter Hall with a little Stirling Flake for a touch of strength. Since my palate has the sensitivity of a slab of liver, I'm not sure I've ever created something that was greater than its components. But it's fun to try and I can use up blends that are very strong or that I'm not wild about.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I need to do some more Mylar bagging up in the next few days, as my reject blend jar is now full. It started off with a few Latakia blend samples, then non-Latakia blends I wasn't enamoured with, got thrown in on top. Rattrays Dark Fragrant and Peterson Hyde Park were the last to be thrown in there. The seal on this jar isn't that great, so I have added a splash of chuckleberry vodka for extra hydration, and am just waiting for that to work through. I've been turning and lightly shaking the jar a few times a day, to help it along.

I'll just be labelling this "outdoor reject blend" as it may still have a bit too much Latakia in for smoking indoors. Not having much room to move around in the jar, it might not be evenly mixed either. When bagged, it will go into the (shallow) depths of the shoebox archives, and reside there as emergency rations, along with the Royal Yuck, the still sealed and ageing Lat infested blends, and everything I laid away as potential mixers to tone the Latakia down further.