AJ
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- Mar 18, 2012
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I'm sure I'm not the only pipe smoker to take a few leftovers of tobacco and combine them into a mixture and then proceed to finish off the blends. It's not unusual for me to have 10-12 tins and jars opened at the same time and often I'll have a couple containers with a pinch or two of tobacco remaining. Sometimes I'll combine the two and smoke the results. Sometimes this wasn't the best idea but I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the results. It has happened that during this past week I had a number of different blends in containers that only had maybe a couple of pinches or maybe a bowlful or two left. Not knowing how it would turn out I decided to combine then all. I can't give the exact proportion but I'd say the average would be maybe a fairly good size billiard bowl plus a pinch or two of each blend would be in the ballpark. The blends used are, Half and Half, Sir Walter Raleigh, Heine's Mixture, Hal O' The Wind, McC 5100, Three Friars, Temple Bar, and Ozark Wizard's Pebble Castle. All of these blends went into a ten ounce jar and to the chagrin of James Bone not only was the mixtures stirred but it was also shaken. I allowed the jar to remain tightly closed for three days and then opened it and gave it a whiff. Wow! This smells really good. So I grabbed my Design Berlin Junior Billiard and filled the bowl. I packed the blend as I would any ribbon cut tobacco and gave it a light. Again I was surprised. There was a full tobacco taste that was rich, with a bit of stewed fruit sweetness, some spice, tanginess, and a fair amount of nicotine. I could definitely taste the Burley's as their nutty goodness was a major player. I tried to make it bite by pushing it until the bowl began to get hot. Not even a hint of tongue bite came through. I set the pipe aside and let it go out so the pipe could cool down. After about an hour I relight the pipe and the DGT was as good as any I've ever smoked. The last half of the bowl was a pleasant smoke that had a richness not usually found in each of the blends when smoked by themselves. I tried to identify each blend but my unsophisticated taste is not up to the task. However every so often it seemed like I could taste the sweetness of the Pebble Castle. It might have just been my imagination but something sweet would shine through making me wish this mixture had more of that component. It burned at a normal rate and never went out requiring any relights. When I reached the bottom of the bowl there was nothing but gray ash. No moisture and no dottle was left behind. Since the first bowl I've smoked probably 5-6 bowls and each one is like the first. I wish I had been more careful when mixing by recording the exact weight of each blend used so I could recreate this mixture and keep some on hand. Finding blends that have a natural sweetness with sufficient strength and without any harshness can be a difficult and expensive task. I made one out of scrap tobacco that scratched about every itch I have. This mixture is a Frankenstein because it was created from leftover parts (tobacco) and it's monstrously good but its also well behaved. Maybe Frankenstein is a misnomer here. Probably not much chance of me repeating this creation again but I suspect I'll give it a try. BTW I'd love hear about your creations and the results using this method good or bad.
AJ
AJ