Mixing pipe tobaccos

ocpunk714 · February 2018

I’m browsing pipesandcigars.com and want to get some blending tobaccos. Thinking along the lines of something with Carolina Flake Cut, Long Virginia, Green River Cavendish. I kinda like Perique because of Haunted Bookshop.

Any suggestions would be most helpful

motie2 · February 2018

If you ever get into aromatics:

"Mrs. Hudson's 221B Bakery Blend" created by @ghostsofpompeii

The name is a reference to Sherlock Holmes' landlady. Since Holmes probably smoked a strong English blend naming a sweet aromatic after him would be inappropriate.

The blend consists of Sutliff bulk tobaccos blended together as follows:

Three parts (or 3 oz.) Sutliff Vanilla Custard
Two parts (or 2 oz.) Sutliff Chocolate Mousse
One part (or 1 oz.) Sutliff Crème Brulee

The original recipe by @ghostsofpompeii contained, “…a pinch or two of Sutliff Irish Creme." @ghostsofpompeii says its inclusion is optional.

One may substitute Sutliff Private Stock Molto Dolce for the Creme Brûlée, as the two are very similar, with the Molto Dolce being a bit sweeter.

Woodsman · February 2018

Every time I read that description I get a yearning for Run Raisin Ice Cream or fresh baked cookies.

Jskimbrough · February 2018

Mixing tobaccos is a fun experiment. One of the things I most enjoy about our hobby.

My first step is trying to decide what I want to smoke. A Va/Bur will take different ingredients than an English, so make sure you start with an idea of the final product.

Second, get the straightest version of the ingredients you can. Lane, Peter Stokkebye, Daughters and Ryan, and Mac Baren all have some great straight tobaccos that would be great for blending.

motie2 · February 2018

Our champion blender is @ghostsofpompeii -- Let's see if he'll weigh in on this discussion.

Charles · February 2018

http://christianpipesmokers.net/viewtopic.php?t=15272 Some interesting recipes within. Well worth the read.

ocpunk714 · February 2018

@Charles Appreciate the link! This is cool since I have been saved by Jesus and I am a pipe smoker.

motie2 · February 2018

@ocpunk714 --You should check out the two .pdf's on Pipe Smoking and Theology in the Free .pdf Library.

ocpunk714 · February 2018

@motie2 could you possibly link those up for me please?

motie2 · February 2018

Sure thing, @ocpunk714..... her ya go....

motie2 · February 2018

@PappyJoe, who has forgotten more about pipe smoking than most of us know, has a great article on his blog about the three kinds of folks who blend pipe tobaccos:
https://pappyjoesblog.com/blend-tobacco-not/

ghostsofpompeii · February 2018

I'm far from a Master Blender. I've conducted many experiments and the vast majority have been a failure. As they say - even a broken clock is right twice a day - and I've stumbled across a few winners, with Mrs. Hudson's 221B Bakery Blend being the best and only one I'm completely satisfied with. I still enjoy taking the cheapest OTC blends I can buy and them infusing them with flavor extracts to create blends like my Root Beer Float and Dreamsickle. But trying to duplicate the recipe is impossible because I'm always adding a bit more of this or that until I get it right. So it becomes hit or miss and each new batch taste different from the next - no consistency. One thing I really enjoy doing when it comes to mixing blends is simply stacking the bowl with two or three different existing blends. That way you get a quality blend created by a true master which then segues into the next quality blend, and the flavors infuse during the transition before the next blend once again dominates the flavor. So in essence three different blends in a bowl may actually provide the smoker with five or six different flavors during the course of the smoke. So with this method the flavor profile changes in mid-smoke whereas mixing the three blends together then packing the bowl won't provide the smoker with the same experience.

motie2 · February 2018

I wrote: <<Our champion blender is @ghostsofpompeii >>

Ghost, you are the TPL blending champ, even if you are not a "master blender"!!!

For Mrs. Hudson's alone you get into heaven......

ghostsofpompeii · February 2018

@motie2 That's good to know. As I'm getting up there in age it's good to know about that heaven thing. Since I've been a jackass most of my life I was pretty worried.

motie2 · February 2018

Getting up there in age? You're a young man.... relatively speaking.....

ocpunk714 · February 2018

Used up the rest of my Summer Breeze from The Country Squire and blended with the last of my Haunted Bookshop. Added a bit of Autumn Evening to get some mellow sweetness.

Breezy Bookshop. Lol.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029410/uploads/editor/a0/cb2zb12nhmif.jpeg

Jayhawk422 · February 2018

@ocpunk714 how did it smoke?

ocpunk714 · February 2018

It actually smoked really well. The peachy maple flavor helped tone down some of the spiciness in the Haunted Bookshop, but still kept the perique aftertaste on the tongue slightly @Jayhawk422

PappyJoe · February 2018

@ocpunk714 - Congratulations on the promotion to Master.

Jayhawk422 · February 2018

@ocpunk714. Glad it smoked well, as I have stated before I’m a non aromatic guy looking to be one. Last night I tinkered with London Dock and mixed it with some Five Brothers.
i got the sweetness smell I was looking for along with the heavy body I like.

motie2 · February 2018

I'm told Edward G. Robinson is a bridge between English blends and aromatics. I'll let y'all know when I've tried it, this time around being an aromatic smoker, unlike the English/VaPer fan I was, back in the day, approximately 1964 - 1986.

PappyJoe · February 2018

@motie2 - EGR is a light aromatic. I wouldn't consider it a bridge between English blends and aromatic myself because it doesn't contain any Virginia or Oriental tobaccos.

The recipe for EGR was first created in 1946 and the blending was done his direct supervision. It was originally manufactured by the Greenfield & Winther company. Sutliff bought the recipe from them and according to a pipe smoking friend of mine who has over 2,000 reviews on tobaccoreviews.com, it is virtually the same as the old blend - maybe just a little sweeter.

motie2 · February 2018

Well, @PappyJoe, we have a controversy here:

According to Paul Creasy, President of Sutliff, "There is no Cavendish or Black cavendish in this tobacco. This blend consists of Burley, Virginia, and a minute amount of Latakia (those are the tiny black flakes).

According to TobaccoReviews.com: "A mild aromatic with a light Burley nuttiness and flavored black cavendish taste. Fruity plum notes are given a slight flavor push from a hint of Latakia, and a very pleasing top note of liquor."

According to P&C: "..... an American English style mixture of Burley, Cavendish and Latakia, with a light, complimentary top note."

Who do you trust?

ocpunk714 · February 2018

@PappyJoe Thank you sir! I love this community. You are all so awesome and have been so kind to me. Being a pipe smoker has opened me up to a wonderful culture of education and friendships.

PappyJoe · February 2018

@motie2 - I have referred this question to one of my pipe tobacco sources who may have a definitive answer. He's both older than us and used to smoke the original Edward G. Robinson blend.

PappyJoe · February 2018

@motie2 - EGR was created by the Greenfield & Winther Company in 1946 under Robinson's supervision. Some time in the 1960s, G&W went out of business and sold EGR to Sutliff, who continued to use the same recipe. The burley and gold Va. are cavendish processed. There's a little BC and one percent latakia.

I got that from a friend who worked with Sutliff about 4 years ago when they decided to make EGR available in 1.5 oz. tins. Apparently there was an issue because the EGR in the 14 or 16 oz. containers didn't taste quite the same as what they put in the 1.5 oz. tins. Sutliff sent him samples to smoke and compare to the original blend to get the flavor right.

motie2 · February 2018

So who is right: your amigo or Paul Creasy? They appear to contradict each other.....

PappyJoe · February 2018

@motie2 - There can be no doubt that Greenfield & Winther Company created the blend.
As for what is in the blend now? Who knows? Sometimes recipes change.

motie2 · March 2018

Trying New Blends: Pipe Tobacco University

https://smokingjacketmagazine.com/2015/10/31/trying-new-blends-pipe-tobacco-university/

Mixing pipe tobaccos

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Trying New Blends: Pipe Tobacco University