Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

[istanbulin]

Even the cigars of Dunhill are approx. 86% tobacco.

 

[quo155]

Very useful thread here!

Right now, I am focused on only creating and rolling cigars...as I have more pipe tobacco than will last me MANY years. But, I'm assuming that once I smoke something I've created (or followed here)...I'll be hooked, otherwise!

Thanks fellers!

 

[Knucklehead]

...as I have more pipe tobacco than will last me MANY years. But, I'm assuming that once I smoke something I've created (or followed here)...I'll be hooked, otherwise!

Thanks fellers!

Don't be afraid to add some whole leaf to those blends. Play around and have some fun. You may find something you prefer that way. Use small amounts, weigh, and record what you're doing. It's a heart breaker to find the perfect blend and not be able to duplicate it.

 

[quo155]

Yes, I've caught on to the fact that everything MUST be written down and logged...otherwise you're right, I would never be able to duplicate it!

Thanks Knucklehead!

 

[holyRYO]

That is a useful link. By changing one of the dropdown selections, you can view the ingredients of each of the Dunhill pipe tobaccos. Many (e.g. Early Morning Pipe and Nightcap) have no added sweeteners or flavorings. But all of them are still only about 80% tobacco!

Bob

Even the cigars of Dunhill are approx. 86% tobacco.

Alot of the other % is water, but alot is not. The RYO tobacco even has filler. Good info from this link, thanks for posting jojjas.

 

[smokinghole]

I just have to say thanks to Deluxestogie for posting these recipe ratios. I followed Warspur as a base for a blend and it's fantastic using all WLT product. At a cost of less than $4 to make 100gr it sure beats paying $15 plus for additive laden, sugar soaked, vinegar sprayed, glycol soaked, goopy stuff that the major tobacco houses put out.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'm pleased that you found the recipes useful. My specified ratios are nothing more than a starting point for adjusting your own blends.

Bob

 

[Blender86]

Okay, I'm really bad with math, so I want to double check before I start throwing stuff together: According to the recipe below, I would use 4 parts VA, and 1 part Perique? Or would it be 3 parts VA, and 1 part Perique? I'm looking to see if this VA/Per ratio is a good rule of thumb to mix up and bag to have on stand-by to add to other blends...

deluxestogie's Simplified Jewel of Macedonia:
-Virginia bright-cured: 40%
-Oriental (as aromatic as available): 20%
-Latakia: 25%
-Perique pressure-cured: 10%
-Black Cavendish: 5%

 

[istanbulin]

Let's say that you're gonna prepare a total 100 g batch of this blend. You'll need 40 g VA Bright, 20 g Oriental, 25 g Latakia, 10 g Perique and 5 g Cavendish.
Universally, without certain units, 4 unit VA Bright, 2 unit Oriental, 2.5 unit Latakia, 1 unit Perique and 0.5 unit Cavendish.

 

[deluxestogie]

Okay, I'm really bad with math, so I want to double check before I start throwing stuff together: According to the recipe below, I would use 4 parts VA, and 1 part Perique? Or would it be 3 parts VA, and 1 part Perique? I'm looking to see if this VA/Per ratio is a good rule of thumb to mix up and bag to have on stand-by to add to other blends...

deluxestogie's Simplified Jewel of Macedonia:
-Virginia bright-cured: 40%
-Oriental (as aromatic as available): 20%
-Latakia: 25%
-Perique pressure-cured: 10%
-Black Cavendish: 5%

Yes. For Jewel of Macedonia:

• VA bright-cured: 4 parts
• Perique: 1 part

A fully acid-balanced Perique presence would be in the ballpark of:

• VA bright-cured: 4 parts
• Perique: 3 parts

Bob

 

[leverhead]

...A fully acid-balanced Perique presence would be in the ballpark of:

• VA bright-cured: 4 parts
• Perique: 3 parts

Bob

I may regret asking this question, I don't mean to be a stir stick. Is there an accepted method of measuring the pH of tobacco smoke?

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Yes there is and it is pretty easy to do. The equipment needed though costs several thousands of dollars.


edit: I should add that the pH of tobacco leaf is often times different that the tobacco smoke. When a leaf containing sucrosester burns, the sugars lower the pH of the smoke. That's why cigarette leaf is typically inhaled because the lower pH makes the nicotine less available.

 

[deluxestogie]

I may regret asking this question, I don't mean to be a stir stick. Is there an accepted method of measuring the pH of tobacco smoke?

The acidity (sour) of the smoke of straight flue-cured tobacco can be sensed on the tip of your tongue. Gradually increasing the proportion of Perique will cause the acid tongue bite to completely vanish (not necessarily what you want) at what I'm calling an acid-balanced point.

It's not pH = 7 (equality of protons and hydroxyl ions). It's a balanced taste. No instrumentation.

If you mix up some small samples:

• VA 4: Perique 0
• VA 4: Perique 1
• VA 4: Perique 2
• VA 4: Perique 3
• VA 4: Perique 4

...you can identify the ratio that you prefer. Gustatory art; not science.

Bob

 

[Blender86]

Thanks a ton!

 

[leverhead]

... Gustatory art; not science.

Bob

Thank you for taking it easy on me. I've found cigarette blends have no place in a pipe, but I've been too lazy to dive into blending for a pipe. I guess I need a "C" clamp and a Mason jar.

 

[deluxestogie]

...I need a "C" clamp and a Mason jar.

In the first post of this thread, have a look at Warspur and Rich Creek, and in post 6, Atacama. None of them use Perique, and I smoked about a half-pound of each of those blends this past winter.

Bob

 

[smokinghole]

I like the Warspur very much. As much of a fan of Latakia I am, I decided to see how this would smoke if I upped the Izmir and dark air a bit while decreasing the latakia. I will be pressing this to make an oriental flake. To be honest I love the storage capability of the plugs and freedom to cut a slice here and there. I plan on sealing large pieces of the plugs I've been making to age for a while and I will of course keep making more.

 

[deluxestogie]

Triple Orient Pipe Blend
(each component is home-grown and home-finished)

• VA Bright Leaf 2014 (flue-cured): 22.5%
• Cyprus Oriental mw 2014 (flue-cured): 22.5%
• Blue Ridge Latakia (made from Cyprus Latakia mw 2014): 30%
• Oriental blend Perique (made by istanbulin): 25%

Discussion here: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/4859-Attempt-to-make-Perique/page2#14

Simplified Triple Orient Pipe Blend
I don't think this blend is possible with purchased leaf. Although the VA Bright Leaf can be had easily enough, and sun-cured Izmir can be used in place of the flue-cured Cyprus Oriental mw, the other two Oriental components are too unique in their character to allow substitution. Blue Ridge Latakia is less floral, milder, and has more of a cedar edge than market Cyprus Latakia. Most other Periques are more intense than istanbulin's Oriental blend Perique. Below is a wild approximation:

• Bright Virginia (flue-cured): 30%
• Oriental: 30%
• market Cyprus Latakia: 20%
• Perique: 20%

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Re: Latakia samples will be in tomorrow

Latakia Sneak Peek

I am deeply embroiled in the process of creating a blending matrix (big chart) for Latakia pipe blends. The Latakia percentage starts at a timid 25%, and tops out at a generous 75%. While a handful of the nearly 20 blends are burley-based, all the rest are Virginia (lemon and red) and Turkish-based (Izmir and Prilep), supplemented with Dark Air. The goal is a blending matrix for use with WLT-available whole leaf tobacco.

I start with "paper" blends--blend ratios that seem like they ought to be nice. Then I actually make a small quantity, and smoke it in a pipe. I tweak each trial blend in the next mini-batch.

How do I adjust its:

• smokiness?
• floral quality?
• sourness?
• sweetness?
• fullness?
• strength?
• tongue bite?
• general balance?

My thoughts on these questions will be a part of the final matrix.

Here is a sneak peek of one final blend. It's the heaviest Latakia blend, at 75% Latakia. Ingredients are listed as parts per 16. Think ounces per pound, or teaspoons per total batch of 16 teaspoons. (I believe that greater theoretical accuracy is not likely or practical with tobacco pipe shred.) Notice the fairly broad pipe shred, which affects the burn rate (wider the shred, slower the burn) and smoke density (wider the shred, the cooler the ember and the fuller the smoke density--less thorough combustion). John Cotton "No. 1 and 2", a now extinct tobacco brand and blend, used this wide shred, and became my favorite shred width a long time ago.

Davy Jones

• Latakia: 12
• Prilep: 0
• Izmir: 1
• Lemon VA: 1
• VA Red: 2
• Dark Air: 0
• Toasted Burley: 0

Since Perique and Cavendish require home processing, they will not be a part of the Latakia blending matrix.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

The Search for Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture ("Balkan Sobranie White")

Despite this goal being a moving target--the manufacturer altered the blend numerous times over the years, I have been smoking myself blue in an attempt to approximate the BSW pipe blend from the early 1970s. I now have results, both good news and bad news.

These recipes are in parts per 16 (grams, teaspoons, bucket-loads, it doesn't matter much, so long as the shred is similar). All three of these are 37.5% Latakia. It needs a floral Oriental. Xanthi-Yaka is Yenidje, and is what was used in the original blend. Prilep is a reasonably close replacement for Xanthi, but is not quite as BSW-like as the Xanthi blend. Izmir does not have enough floral character to produce a blend even close to BSW.

The Xanthi-Yaka that I used is air-cured, and aged for 2 years. Its leaf aroma is magical right from the bag. The Prilep is from www.wholeleaftobacco.com (WLT), as are all the other ingredients.

These are English-style, Balkan blends. I use a coarse, hand shred.

Deluxestogie's Balkan White

• Latakia 6
• Xanthi 2
• Lemon VA 4
• VA Red 3
• Dark Air 1

All three of these blends appear the same, though their tastes are easily distinguishable.

Deluxestogie's Balkan Beige

• Latakia 6
• Prilep 2
• Lemon VA 4
• VA Red 3
• Dark Air 1

Deluxestogie's Towers of Antioch

• Latakia 6
• Izmir 2
• Lemon VA 4
• VA Red 3
• Dark Air 1

The good news is that the Prilep blend (Balkan Beige) is pretty damn close. The bad news is that WLT's supply of Prilep may be limited, and the Izmir just doesn't work as a replacement for approximating the Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture.

Bob