Do you have a "personal" blend? One you make yourself?

[JCinPA]

When I was dabbling with the Codger Blends I was tempted to mix them, and @Columbo advised against that, and I think that was excellent advice. Those blends came about after many years of experience by master blenders, and they are classics. But, though I liked them, the wife did not like them so much, so I passed them on to Benzadmiral because when I'm outside I'd rather smoke an English. I love them, they just don't fit into my smoking environment.

But there are things the wife loves and that I enjoy smoking that I can smoke indoors, and I put together my own personal blend of available products that I really love. I would never think of mixing anything with Presbyterian Mixture, or Nightcap, or any of the classics. But this works for me very well, and the wife loves it.

• 8 oz Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut
• 2 oz Sutliff Creme Brulee

The wife never complains when I smoke it in the house, and visitors comment favorably on it, and I really enjoy it! I prefer my Englishes, but I'm off those until the spring for weather. But it got me to thinking this might be a good topic for a thread.

What is your personal "blend". Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[ylekot]

I would hate to see what kind of horrid concoctions I would come up with. It would be a waste of fine tobacco I'm sure.

 

[gewoon ik]

I have the tasting power of a brick. So I don't put any effort into that.
My wife tells me all I smoke stinks, some more than the other. So no use there as well.
I know some people who makes their own blends, but they just put latakia in everything. So yeah.

 

[Benzadmiral]

JC's Own Blend has a wonderful aroma and smokes easily. I dunno yet if Miss Linda likes or dislikes it. She usually isn't here when I smoke in the first place, and is not one to volunteer information easily in the second place. Perhaps she caught a whiff of it on my shirt or hair after I smoked it on Tuesday afternoon; further deponent sayeth not.

As for me as Master Blender: No, not really. I have mixed a bit of the old Tinder Box black Cavendish into other burley blends. A little of the mystery maple-chocolate blend I have left from the early 2000s, too, has gone into burley blends. Since Match Prince Albert and the white burley I have are too strong for me, I've been putting a tiny pinch of each as the middle load in with the real PA or with Carter Hall, which I imagine gives the leaf some strength. And before I learned the breath method of piping, I would mix the codgers, Granger with Carter Hall, for instance, to lessen the bite or heat I was giving myself. Never a problem, but I think you're right: The classics are master blends themselves and don't benefit from any more mixing.

 

[8 Track]

Currently I'm smoking a mix of equal parts 2013 McClelland #5100, Wessex Burley Slice and C&D Green River Cavendish. In the future I'll be using Watch City Simply Red for mixing purposes to conserve on the #5100 remaining in my cellar.

 

[RookieGuy]

Maybe this or next year I try blending. But for now, I satisfy myself with tweaking blends I don't care for on their own. A bit of cavendish in Bold Kentucky, burley in a heavier English.

 

[JCinPA]

Maybe this or next year I try blending. But for now, I satisfy myself with tweaking blends I don't care for on their own. A bit of cavendish in Bold Kentucky, burley in a heavier English.

That's really what I mean, tweaking. I'm not sitting around with a lot of raw tobacco trying to come up with something to take the world by storm.

I think if one does this, it's probably best to keep it simple, like my two ingredients. And they are related, linked by the vanilla casing. I liked Molto Dolce, but found Creme Brulee to be very similar, about a fifth of the price, and surprise, I think I prefer it. The War Department likes Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut very much. I find the Creme Brulee to be a bit much on its own, but I thought it might be nice mixed with the MB, and whaddya know? It's a hit with SWMBO and I just love it. Done like dinner!

@ylekot that's why I wouldn't worry about making a monstrosity. You don't mix an English with a cherry aromatic, that would be awful. You want stuff that is in the same neighborhood. I tried Sutliff Black Cordial and liked it, but not enough by itself to reload. But if I had a milder aromatic with a cherry casing, mixing it with SBC might really work nicely. See what I'm getting at?

I'm not really 'blending', as Rookieguy said, I'm merely 'tweaking'. But my blend is a winner, at least for me!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nothing elaborate here. I just have a one litre reject jar, and dump in it anything I don't particularly like. So long as the blends dumped are all dissimilar, the net result is usually better than the component parts.

 

[KellyG]

My KG Sutliff VaPer Blend.

40% 515-RC1 Matured Red Virginia
28% 507-C Virginia Slices
12% 507-S Stoved Virginia
12% T-20 Perique
8% RL Green River Black

I tried three or so versions of this blend and landed on this. I measure by weight. The last batch I mixed up was a bit over 8oz total. The guiding force on the blend is that the top two ingredients are well represented in the cellar and I need to smoke it on a more regular basis; in this blend, I will.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Twice now i've smoked some MacBaren Golden Extra with a pinch of the C & D Alpine Lodge cake that SP included with my new Peterson. Both are VaBurs, the first more burley and the second more Virginia (so I'm told, anyway). The mix makes a cool and flavorful smoke without being too strong.

 

[RookieGuy]

Twice now i've smoked some MacBaren Golden Extra with a pinch of the C & D Alpine Lodge cake that SP included with my new Peterson. Both are VaBurs, the first more burley and the second more Virginia (so I'm told, anyway). The mix makes a cool and flavorful smoke without being too strong.

Do you think the Alpine Lodge could benefit from doing time in the cellar? I haven't opened mine yet, and now I'm a little nervous.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Do you think the Alpine Lodge could benefit from doing time in the cellar? I haven't opened mine yet, and now I'm a little nervous.

RG, I'm more of a rookie than you when it comes to this stuff. My piping in the '80s and '90s was confined to Tinder Box blends for the most part, and nobody showed me how to sip the pipe or how to dry or age anything. So I'm still learning. When I shave some bits of the AL off to add to the MacBaren, it does feel a fraction moister than the MB stuff -- but that is pretty dry right out of the bag. I haven't had any tongue bite either time. No idea if aging it would help. Open up the can, take a whiff, and see if you like it. It's not heavily aromatic, but it's not an English either.

The AL seemed a little strong for me when I smoked a bit of it by itself on Xmas Day. That was why I kept the smoke short and have been using it as a mixer.

 

[RookieGuy]

Thank you. I think that might be the best way to do this. I have a vacuum sealer if it needs to mellow out some.

 

[FlightMedic]

2 parts BCA
1 part very cherry
1 part sutliff 1m vanilla

the above I stole from an unknown website awhile back, but I added my own spin by infusing it with a mixture of pure vanilla extract and Caribbean Rum. I then let it sit for about a month.

 

[JCinPA]

2 parts BCA
1 part very cherry
1 part sutliff 1m vanilla

the above I stole from an unknown website awhile back, but I added my own spin by infusing it with a mixture of pure vanilla extract and Caribbean Rum. I then let it sit for about a month.

Wow, that's complex, your own casing? Cool. What is BCA, please? I'm not so good with the tobacco acronyms yet. Thanks!

 

[luvmysuper]

Wow, that's complex, your own casing? Cool. What is BCA, please? I'm not so good with the tobacco acronyms yet. Thanks!

BCA
I believe it stands for Black Cavendish Aromatic

Lane Limited BCA Pipe Tobacco

For a large selection of Aromatic tobaccos, including the Lane Limited BCA blend, a Cavendish tobacco with Vanilla flavor, visit TobaccoPipes.com and order today!

www.tobaccopipes.com

I believe it is similar to Sutliff B20

Sutliff B20 Black Cavendish Pipe Tobacco

Sutliff B20 Black Cavendish Pipe Tobacco gives it all away in the name. No flavor toppings added, simply Cavendish tobacco.

www.tobaccopipes.com

 

[JCinPA]

That Bari I cleaned up with 2-1 mix of Mac Baren Vanilla Roll Cake and Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake. The birth of a home blend goes like this. I love LTF. Mama, not as much. No complaints, but doesn't love it. She loves VRC, as do I. So I says to myself, I say, "How bout I mix those two and see what SWMBO thinks??"

Worked a charm! rubbed them both out filled that big bowl, War Department happy, I'm loving it!

My 'blends' like this tend to be very simple. Usually only 2 ingredients, something mama loves and I'm OK with, and something I love, but she's iffy about.

 

[Isaac]

2 parts BCA
1 part very cherry
1 part sutliff 1m vanilla

the above I stole from an unknown website awhile back, but I added my own spin by infusing it with a mixture of pure vanilla extract and Caribbean Rum. I then let it sit for about a month.

Believe that is the recipe for Hobbit’s Weed

 

[Rooster FPV]

Currently I'm smoking a mix of equal parts 2013 McClelland #5100, Wessex Burley Slice and C&D Green River Cavendish. In the future I'll be using Watch City Simply Red for mixing purposes to conserve on the #5100 remaining in my cellar.

I dont see a simply red from watch city, looked twice. I wanted to try some of these blends you guys post.

 

[8 Track]

I dont see a simply red from watch city, looked twice. I wanted to try some of these blends you guys post.

I didn't see it either. It sells out fast. I'd recommend signing up for their alerts if you want in on WC action.