First 5 star

Recipes and techniques for blending tobacco - wether home-grown or otherwise.
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kbadkar
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First 5 star

Post by kbadkar »

Tastes: I like English, VaPer, and straight Virgina blends, some burley... don't smoke aromatics.

Over 3 years ago or so, I got tired of my old regular tinned tobaccos and started to experiment with blending my own. First, I mixed tins, a little of this and a little of that. Then I bought bulk and straight blending tobaccos to experiment with. Now, I'm rarely satisfied with anything straight out of the tin. My tobacco shelf always has around 10 opened mason jars of various tobaccos.

Methodology: Everyday, I toss the day's worth of tobacco into a little 50g tin. Often I top yesterdays left overs in the tin with one of my own blends or another's and might sprinkle a little condiment tobacco on top, according to that morning's whimsical taste. If I stumble upon a mix that really works, I jot down some notes and rate it with adjectives. About 3 times a year, I place a large bulk order for canning. Then I blend a bunch of piles of tobacco based on my notes or what I have left and what "smells right" together. Then I seal up the mason jars for 1-2 years of aging. After smoking a newly opened jar for a couple weeks, I rate the blend on a 1-5 "star" scale with some description.

A couple weeks ago, I opened my first 5 star jar that had aged for 2 years:

3 parts - Fribourg & Treyer Golden Mixture (bright flavor, quick burning Virginia ribbon, tongue biter)
3 parts - McClelland Blackwoods Flake (earthy red & stoved Virginia flake, tangy yet semi-sweet, rub out before blending)
2 parts - Latakia from Cypress
1 part - St. James Perique

The parts are by weight, not volume!
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