Pebble Castle test

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Ozark Wizard

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So it seems, with my recently getting introduced to two great McClelland blends (Pebblecut and Tudor Castle), and finding out they may be in jeopardy of new legislation, I did some sincere taste testing and went to my cellar for components. A week pressed, no heat to speak of, and opened today to check the soup...





I have already played a bit, combining the Macedonian and Yenidji leaves from each of the original recipes, (one has one, the other, the other. Sounds funny, but it reads right!) My next test batch will be pressed then stored for a few weeks before checking. I feel very close to a match, but a problem is that the samples of each are several years old in the tins, so until I get a hold of younger/more current offerings, I'm not sure of my success. Time will tell. But at any rate I'm really enjoying the experiment!

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
 
The Wizard's Pebble Castle is so good it almost brought tears to my eyes. Not a joke. It's that good! :) :bounce: :cheers:

AJ
 
ajn27511":tniujppw said:
The Wizard's Pebble Castle is so good it almost brought tears to my eyes. Not a joke. It's that good! :)  :bounce:  :cheers:

AJ
If AJ likes it, then it must be pretty good. Nice work.
 
Cripes Wiz, if I've read that right you're banging out weed that's as good as McC and has passed AJ's scrutiny! Now that's impressive!

Well done mate.
 
If the Wiz ever decides he would like move up North a bit I'm sure he'd have a good future working with the boys in Kansas City. His Pebble Castle is actually better than 5 YO Tudor Castle because it's a tad sweeter and not quite as spicy as the TC. For me that's perfect. The burning qualities are spot on and the hard cake I received rubs out easily and is a joy to pack and smoke. My first bowl required a couple of relights because I packed it too tight but with a minor adjustment this problem went away and now when I light a bowl I can sit back and have one of the finest smokes a man has ever been privileged to have. There's a possibility that if someone looked into the Wiz's ancestry I wouldn't be surprised if they found the he and Merlin came from the same lineage. It's a shame the Feds aren't going to allow him to open his own tobacco house because with his insight and skills he would make some of the bigger companies tremble because they would be loosing so much business to the Wiz. I've got some other samples of his creations that I'll be trying soon and I think it's going to be an adventure to remember. If this appears that I'm blowing a lot of smoke then you'd be right. I'm blowing big clouds from one of the finest blends I've ever smoked and don't mind giving praise where praise is due. :)

AJ
 
Having had one of the Wizards other blends I can absolutely believe AJ when he says it's one of the best tobaccos he's ever had. The man is truly talented.

Jim
 
Thanks for the endorsements folks! I do enjoy playing with recipes, concoctions, potions... I have shared them with others so I can see where I'm at with my palette. Others get to sample just because I think it's good!:face:

Perhaps it's a good thing the Feds are doing whatever they are doing regarding the  new FDA stuff. I mean, c'mon, we don't really need another blender out there, peddling his wares, do we? (Though I would love to see what the Masters in Kansas City are up to in their house. Just sayin')

Perhaps if we can weather this regulation storm with minimal damage, I'll look into getting licensed as a full blown tobacconist. It was pretty reasonably priced a couple of years ago to manufacture a tobacco product, and, well, still is. BUT, with the new wave coming, I'll just be growin' mah home grown leaf and runnin' mah presses fo puhsonal use, eh, eh, eh............
 
Ozark Wizard":e962y55c said:
Thanks for the endorsements folks! I do enjoy playing with recipes, concoctions, potions... I have shared them with others so I can see where I'm at with my palette. Others get to sample just because I think it's good!:face:

Perhaps it's a good thing the Feds are doing whatever they are doing regarding the  new FDA stuff. I mean, c'mon, we don't really need another blender out there, peddling his wares, do we? (Though I would love to see what the Masters in Kansas City are up to in their house. Just sayin')

Perhaps if we can weather this regulation storm with minimal damage, I'll look into getting licensed as a full blown tobacconist. It was pretty reasonably priced a couple of years ago to manufacture a tobacco product, and, well, still is. BUT, with the new wave coming, I'll just be growin' mah home grown leaf and runnin' mah presses fo puhsonal use, eh, eh, eh............
Ozzie, I for one will be eager to see what you can do as the blends I've had from you can stand head to head with anything that's being currently produced in the respected blenders houses right now. Yup, they're that good!

I'm pretty interested to see what this new blend is all about. According to our friend AJ it's sublime. Never had Tudor Castle but the description sounds right in my wheel house.


Cheers,

RR
 
Blackhorse":l09vqv5l said:
Do you plan on publishing your final formula?
I haven't published much these days, though it's been a while since I've seriously written anything. I may.

Brewdude, if you can hold out a week or so, I'll be packing some of my blends with me to the PNW. I can meet you and drop some in your hand.
 
Hadn't thought about it really. I was just trying to figure out how to keep enjoying a flavor profile that may be either hard to get or out of my price range. There are a lot of products on the markets full of ingredients I would rather not consume. So, I will figure out to make said product without the junk, and often safe a few bucks. It works when I cook anyway....

As far as how to make this blend, there are many steps, a good half of them are very time consuming due to how I age my raw products. I figure when I want to use three year aged Virginia, I need to carefully store the Virginia for 1,100 days before I measure it into a blend. There are no good cheats for time. My flavoured burley Cavendish is steamed and pressed and flavoured with true pressed extracts. Stoved leaf has different temps and times, and that has to be done with a controlled ambient humidity. Hell, tossing the salad is the easy part. Growing and processing the ingredients of the salad is where the work lies.....

Does that make any sense? Maybe I got too long winded.

The list of ingredients are:

4 parts bale aged Dark Virginia, then pressed and heated, then Cavendish cut and stored for 3 years in sealed glass.

1 part equal mix of Basma, Samsun, and Izmir. Cube cut.

1 part Yenidji. Fine cut.

2 parts stoved Bright Canadian Virginia, grown east of St. Joseph, MO. I trade with the grower there. He swears by my llama poop for the best fertilizer. It is organic. (The poop too!) I pop it in the oven when SWMBO is out...........(Not the poop, the tobacco)

1 part home hybrid Maryland I grow. Fine cut.

2 parts of my home made "Perique". I hand chop that about the consistency of chopped fresh parsley. Not too fine though. I won't go into the process of making the "Perique" at this time..........................

Put all the parts together in a gallon ziplock bag and blow the bag into a pillow with some compressed air. I use the cans you get to blow out electronics. Seal the bag and shake it, roll it around whatever to mix the contents. When satisfied, pour out into a porcelain mixing bowl and toss it like a salad, just to make sure. Load the press like I made Timbo, in the way I wrote it out in the instruction manual, and press. Hold for a minimum of 7 days at 75-80 degrees F. Remove plug from press and put in sealed glass jars. Smoke what crumbles up or doesn't fit. Wait another week or so and it mellows out.

That is as far as the batch I sent AJ to sample progressed. This was my first attempt, so I had to pick some brains. He seems to really like Pebble Cut and especially Tudor Castle, and so he was the best choice to sample what I made in an effort to capture the essence and nuance each blend had to offer, and that may no longer be available. I respect his judgment and value his candor, so if I had missed the mark I could count on his input to correct my mistakes.

Though it sounds like it is different, it was not off-putting apparently. Yes, and I like it too! So there you have it.
 
Greatly appreciate your willingness to share Wiz. You are the kind of guy that gives me hope for humanity. Enjoy those blends in rude good health sir.

Jim
 
Ozark Wizard":i4pq0ddp said:
Blackhorse":i4pq0ddp said:
Do you plan on publishing your final formula?
I haven't published much these days, though it's been a while since I've seriously written anything. I may.

Brewdude, if you can hold out a week or so, I'll be packing some of my blends with me to the PNW. I can meet you and drop some in your hand.
That would be a treat Ozzie. Hope our schedules can connect. Keep me informed. And I'll have something for you in kind!

:D



Cheers,

RR
 
This is just incredible, O! I'm drooling looking at your pictures and reading these posts. I think this is just great that you are able to concoct these blends!
 
Got another batch done today, fresh out of the press. Three 100 gm jars of Pebble Castle, and a couple of rouge ounces of "crumblies". These jars are already spoken for, so I'll just keep the leftovers for 'tasting purposes' and 'quality control'......

So far, I have had to double the recipe two times from the original formula to produce 12 ounces at a time. The final product holds true despite volume variations. VERY happy with this stuff!





 
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