Why isn't home blending more popular?

[Brunello]

I've been searching the BoB archives for past threads on home blending. There seems to be the occasional flurry of activity on this topic - one of the best started by BlackHorse himself - then nothing for years. I've just been wondering why there isn't more sustained interest in the topic?

Fully one third of my absolute favorite blends are those that I've created myself. That doesn't require applause or mean that I'm more talented than the likes of Dunhill, Peretti or Pease, it just means that when they put together their commercial blends they didn't bother to ask how I'd like my eggs done. How rude! How inconsiderate!

Actually, many well-known blends started out as something that a tobacconist created for a customer who was looking for a particular flavor profile. But the more direct approach is to just do it yourself. Nobody knows your own palate better than you!

 

[Zeno Marx]

I think for a few reasons...

1) where to start? the idea can be overwhelming. A lot of time, too many options is not a good thing.
2) it can get pricey, depending on what you want to do (DUH)
3) it isn't easy. I know I've been surprised with how difficult it is. I've tried many times and failed horribly.
4) again, depending on what you see as integral to blending, it requires patience. It's a slow-moving monster if you want to include heat, pressing, etc.

As an aside, I was gifted a puck of a home blend. It was OK. I wondered what it could have been with another several days in a press and then with 6-12 months of aging. It seemed like it had good bones, but it needed TIME. But what do I know? I suck at this.

 

[kxg]

I've home pressed several home blends and had mostly decent results. My motivations for trying the home press/blend were: It sounded like fun - and it was. Low cost of entry - a Noodle Press and tobaccos I had on hand. Some of my on-hand blends seemed to need something extra to improve their smoking quality, at least for my palate. Perhaps some of my on-hand blends were meant more for blending?

While it is fun and interesting, home blending, at least for me, only yields results based on my knowledge, my "nose", and the leaf I have available. In other words, I'm not likely to concoct nearly as interesting blends as the pro's. But, it is fun playing around with it.

 

[Brunello]

Zeno's thoughtful responses always provide good food for thought, and some good quotes that stick in my mind: "slow moving monster" and, from another thread on coffee, "obsessively detailed hobby." It is always instructive to hear from others with different experiences or perspectives. When I made the post I thought home blending should be the natural progression of any experienced piper, as in "We hold these truths to be self-evident." But I've had to modify my position as I ponder why it wouldn't be something for everyone.

One the one hand we have Zeno who says (in a nutshell) that home home blending is a tedious chore and the results are not at all encouraging. Then we have kxg who says that it is something fun to do even if the results are not stellar. My perspective is that it is neither fun, nor tedious, but essential. Here's why I consider home blending, or at least home tweaking, essential:

My last major haul before the Covid crisis was an IPSD sale in February when I bought 23 new tobaccos to try. Only three proved to be 'keepers' and another three I 'salvaged' with some minor tweaks. The rest now sit in jars in the hope that they will miraculously develop into something more appealing to my taste. That's a terrible batting average considering how much time and effort to read descriptions and reviews before deciding what to try next. As of right now I have tasting notes on 442 commercial tobaccos with just forty of those showing up on my list of keepers. You can see that with so much unsatisfactory baccy on hand sheer frustration led me to tinker and tweak until I got some return on my investment. Like kxg said: "Some of my on-hand blends seemed to need something extra to improve their smoking qualities, at least to my palate."

But to Zeno's point on it all being a hassle. I think it takes a certain personality for this, and probably not an Alpha type who demands quick and decisive resolution. It also requires the luxury of time to indulge in tinkering, something more involved than just loading a pipe with a ready-made blend. So I can see now how this could very well be a nightmare for someone who is not inclined to this kind of methodical approach to a project (something that is considered 'normal' among my extended family who all have detail-oriented professions).

Therefore, I've come up with the following guidelines to help determine if home blending might be something for you to try:

Good Candidate for Home Blending:

If you've ever compared a French press with an AeroPress just to see which one is better. If you've ever tracked down hard-to-find spices like ground Tamarind powder for a recipe. If you actually enjoy comparing things like cars, wines, or audio systems before deciding which to buy.

Unlikely Candidate for Home Blending:

You smoke Velvet exclusively and are incredulous that anyone would need to try 442 different baccy blends. After sampling a flight of six beers at a micro-brew pub, you lick your chops and proclaim: "They're all good! Let's have another round!"

 

[Zeno Marx]

I'll go back to it being complicated. I consider myself a detailed person. I like studying details. I'm sure Pirsig had something interesting to say about this.* Bicycles. Audio equipment (though, the A/B/C comparing can almost get stressful). Music and the different masterings of albums (no small thing if you are a lover of music AND of sound, and my goodness can mastering make a HUGE difference). I'm done proving myself and point. I even love the chemistry of cooking. To be honest, because I find eating to be a tedious necessity, I find the chemistry of cooking to be the most interesting aspect, but for unexplainable reasons, that bit of science doesn't translate to tobacco blending. I worked in a real tobacconist as a young adult. I had access to a lot of tobacco. I tried my hand many times. I had mostly so-so results, but I had some pretty good ones too. None of them were as satisfying as what I was smoking out of tins though, and the joy, or satisfaction, never tipped the scales for me. That reward didn't alter the cost/benefit, and it understandably does for some. Not I.


*https://paragonroad.com/timeless-wisdom-classical-vs-romantic-understanding/

 

[Brunello]

I'll go back to it being complicated.  I consider myself a detailed person.  I like studying details.  I'm sure Pirsig had something interesting to say about this.*  Bicycles.  Audio equipment (though, the A/B/C comparing can almost get stressful).  Music and the different masterings of albums (no small thing if you are a lover of music AND of sound, and my goodness can mastering make a HUGE difference).  I'm done proving myself and point.  I even love the chemistry of cooking.  To be honest, because I find eating to be a tedious necessity, I find the chemistry of cooking to be the most interesting aspect, but for unexplainable reasons, that bit of science doesn't translate to tobacco blending.  I worked in a real  tobacconist as a young adult.  I had access to a lot of tobacco.  I tried my hand many times.  I had mostly so-so results, but I had some pretty good ones too.  None of them were as satisfying as what I was smoking out of tins though, and the joy, or satisfaction, never tipped the scales for me.  That reward didn't alter the cost/benefit, and it understandably does for some.  Not I.

Just when I thought I had everything wrapped up with a bow leave it Zeno to come back with a 'complicated' counter-punch! :lol:

Based on what you say about being a foodie I'm really quite surprised that you haven't had a more positive experience with your home blending. That is truly puzzling to me, and I'll be tossing and turning tonight pondering your sad predicament.

I can't believe I'm the only member here (aside from Ozark Wizard, of course) who has had positive results with home blending. I thought it was attention to detail, but maybe it's more dumb luck, or 'artistic' inspiration. For me it's not just tobacco, because I also do my own home coffee blending. I've tried 196 commercial coffee blends and just picking and pulling aspects that I liked from each I started combining single-source beans from Mexico, Brazili, and Panama until I got just the flavor profile I was after. I've shared the blend with visitors who have exclaimed how good it is. But part of that may be that their critical senses have been overcome by the wonder of knowing somebody crazy enough to do this kind of thing. Like, "You wouldn't believe I met this guy who blends his own coffee at home!" But the real point is that even if they had spit out in disgust, I've made the blend to appeal to my specific taste. That's the real motivation.

All I can say is that of 442 tobacco blends I've tried, only forty make my list of 'keepers' to buy again and always have on hand, and another 20 keepers are my own creations, that means that I have at least 20 of my own home blending creations that are (to my tastes) better than 402 commercial offerings from the likes of Dunhill, Pease, or Esoterica. That's what puzzled me when kxg said to "leave it to the pros."  

In all seriousness, when others have cried about the loss of Frog Morton, or Penzance, or Plum Pudding is out of stock again, I'm not crying because I have something better than those sitting right on my shelf.

Somebody please tell me I'm not alone on this, and some freaky savant or something.:face:

 

[RSteve]

I am also a home blender. I've primarily blended to salvage commercial blends that didn't suit my personal taste profile. I freely admit that as a result of my home blending, I've given away many pounds of tobacco, not because of their excellence, but rather because my tweaking didn't help the original blend.

edit: "In all seriousness, when others have cried about the loss of Frog Morton, or Penzance, or Plum Pudding is out of stock again, I'm not crying because I have something better than those sitting right on my shelf."

Per chance, if you have created a blend that is in close approximation to Penzance, will you please post the components?

This is a blend I smoke quite often. It's very inexpensive. If I weren't lazy, I'd present the components in percentages, but I'm reading off the container:
P.S.  313 Oriental              4 oz.
Sutliff Red Virginia Ribbon 10 oz.
P.S. 310 Black latakia       30 oz.
P.S. 311 Perique               4 oz.
P.S. 84  Turkish                4 oz.
P.S. 312 Toasted Burley    4 oz.
P.S. 314 Dark Fired          4 oz.

This is a simple blend that I stumbled upon in an attempt to create a pleasant room note when a tobacco blend is about half latakia.
Sutliff 515 RC-1 4 oz.
P.S. Black Latakia 8 oz.
Lane Ltd. Andullo 3.5 oz.

The Andullo, while not described as an aromatic, has a casing. The room note is such where you wouldn't know the blend is about half Latakia.

 

[Brunello]

I am also a home blender. I've primarily blended to salvage commercial blends that didn't suit my personal taste profile.

Per chance, if you have created a blend that is in close approximation to Penzance, will you please post the components?

This is a simple blend that I stumbled upon in an attempt to create a pleasant room note when a tobacco blend is about half latakia.
Sutliff 515 RC-1  4 oz.
P.S. Black Latakia 8 oz.
Lane Ltd. Andullo  3.5 oz.

The Andullo, while not described as an aromatic, has a casing. The room note is such where you wouldn't know the blend is about half Latakia.

Thanks for piping up to join the conversation, Aslan! Yes I know your photo predates C.S.Lewis' Narnia but at first glance I had to wonder... what would Aslan smoke? Three Nuns?

Couple of responses: first, as I'm developing my blends with anywhere from three to ten trial versions (more than that and I give up) I make small batches of no more than 20 grams each, otherwise I'd also have pounds of stuff that I didn't really want. I had to learn the hard way not to just add stuff to my entire supply of something because once done it can't be undone.

So, your recipe with the Andullo has me salivating, though I would try it in proportions of 4 grams, 4 grams, and 3 grams (a slight adjustment of your ratios). That gives me 2-3 bowls to make a determination. I'm already thinking about halving the 515 and using some 507 stoved which I really love. So I'll make two variations and see.

By the way, if you don't have a digital scale they are super cheap now (about $10 delivered) on eBay or Amazon, and easy to use.

Regarding Penzance, I did not attempt a match, but as with many, was looking to take that idea in a direction that I liked even more. Yes, I liked the original but it wasn't really the Holy Grail for me. I should also clarify that when I said I have stuff sitting on the shelf, that is true, probably enough to supply me for a couple more years. But that doesn't mean I could reproduce all of my blends on demand. In this case my blend (which I called Excalibur) used some McClelland product. If I were to try to replicate it today I'd probably look at some of the uncased leaf I bought from LeafOnly.com and WholeLeaf.com, specifically the Samsun, and the Cyprian Latakia - I've had good results with both of those. I believe the secret ingredient of Penzance (that "only two people in the world know") was toasted Marzipan or toasted Almondine, possibly a very slight Lakeland essence.

If you do have the components, this is what I used (pressed in a noodle press to make a loose crumble cake):
8 parts Estoreica Tilbury (spritzed with almond extract and stoved in a metal canister)
2 parts McClelland Cyprian Latakia
2 parts McClelland Cyprian Star
2 parts McClelland Blending Oriental (which I preferred to PS Turkish 84)
1 part Lane unflavored toasted black Cavendish
1 part SG Kendal Cream Flake (stoved with the Tilbury)

Thanks for the ideas!  :sunny:

 

[Brewdude]

Hey, it's an RSteve sighting!

Great to read you brother. Glad to know you're still vertical and active!

:rabbit:


Cheers,

RR

 

[RSteve]

Hey, it's an RSteve sighting! Great to read you brother. Glad to know you're still vertical and active! :rabbit:
Cheers,

RR

Even I wonder how I've managed to live this long. I've often told the story of "celebrating" my 23rd birthday in Army OD on my way to Vietnam, wondering if I'd make it to 24. Then, just before my 24th, when I expected to celebrate stateside, I was ordered to appear before the brigade commander. WTF?

I know you may find this disappointing, but I've looked over your record and decided to extend your tour for a minimum of 90 days.

So, instead of having a 74th birthday party, my daughters threw me a 50th anniversary party for the birthday party I missed.

If CV19 doesn't get me, I hope to hang around many more years. You may recall that my wife of 31 years passed away in 2008. About eight years ago, I decided to seek a female companion and I've been unequivocally unsuccessful.
I smoke a pipe and cigars, enjoy alcoholic beverages, snore at 100db, and don't want a wife or live-in. Plus, I prefer women a decade younger than me. It's a real dilemma. :lol:

The last woman I dated said I'm a self-centered, self-absorbed miscreant. I thanked her for the compliment.

And to stay on topic: I confess to buying 4 oz. sample packages of nicotiana rustica, which reportedly has nine times the nicotine of most smoking tobacco, and adding a couple of ounces to most of my blends. One might think that it smokes hot and bites, but the opposite is true. It's very mellow and really doesn't alter a blend's flavor. It just adds a considerable nicotine kick.
https://www.leafonly.com/search/rustica

 

[Brunello]

If CV19 doesn't get me, I hope to hang around many more years. You may recall that my wife of 31 years passed away in 2008. About eight years ago, I decided to seek a female companion and I've been unequivocally unsuccessful.

I smoke a pipe and cigars, enjoy alcoholic beverages, snore at 100db, and don't want a wife or live-in. Plus, I prefer women a decade younger than me. It's a real dilemma. :lol:

The last woman I dated said I'm a self-centered, self-absorbed miscreant. I thanked her for the compliment.


You sound like quite the character. Gives true meaning to the expression "Old Lion!" :king:

 

[Brewdude]

Hey, it's an RSteve sighting! Great to read you brother. Glad to know you're still vertical and active! :rabbit:
Cheers,

RR

Even I wonder how I've managed to live this long. I've often told the story of "celebrating" my 23rd birthday in Army OD on my way to Vietnam, wondering if I'd make it to 24. Then, just before my 24th, when I expected to celebrate stateside, I was ordered to appear before the brigade commander. WTF?

I know you may find this disappointing, but I've looked over your record and decided to extend your tour for a minimum of 90 days.

So, instead of having a 74th birthday party, my daughters threw me a 50th anniversary party for the birthday party I missed.

If CV19 doesn't get me, I hope to hang around many more years. You may recall that my wife of 31 years passed away in 2008. About eight years ago, I decided to seek a female companion and I've been unequivocally unsuccessful.
I smoke a pipe and cigars, enjoy alcoholic beverages, snore at 100db, and don't want a wife or live-in. Plus, I prefer women a decade younger than me. It's a real dilemma. :lol:

The last woman I dated said I'm a self-centered, self-absorbed miscreant. I thanked her for the compliment.

Ya I do remember most of that, including the sad news about your wife of many years as well as your dating (mis)adventures! Only happy to know you're still kickin' ass and taking names! Oh, and happy 74th and many more to come!  :sunny:

You sound like quite the character. Gives true meaning to the expression "Old Lion!"

Ya, RSteve is quite the character and one helluva good guy. He's a man of a thousand stories and I only wish he'd post more here. We know each other from another board that ceased to exist a while back.

:drunken:


OK, enough thread hijacking. Back to your regularly scheduled program.....


Cheers,

RR

 

[Timbo]

Another home blender here, I’ve posted some of my recipes previously but wouldn’t be surprised if you can’t find them as I find the search functionality on BoB to be not so helpful.

My last blend was an attempt at a HH Arcadian Perique match with a touch of latakia. Nice stuff.

10% Perique
20% Lemon Virginia
40% Red Virginia
25% Orientals
5% Latakia

Enjoy

Tim

 

[Brunello]

This is a blend I smoke quite often. It's very inexpensive. If I weren't lazy, I'd present the components in percentages, but I'm reading off the container:

P.S.  313 Oriental              4 oz.
Sutliff Red Virginia Ribbon 10 oz.
P.S. 310 Black latakia       30 oz.
P.S. 311 Perique               4 oz.
P.S. 84  Turkish                4 oz.
P.S. 312 Toasted Burley    4 oz.
P.S. 314 Dark Fired          4 oz.

This is a simple blend that I stumbled upon in an attempt to create a pleasant room note when a tobacco blend is about half latakia.
Sutliff 515 RC-1  4 oz.
P.S. Black Latakia 8 oz.
Lane Ltd. Andullo  3.5 oz.

The more complex of the two blends you posted has turned out to be a real masterpiece! Unless you already have a name for it I've called it Lion's Mane because of your avatar. I enjoyed it and two subsequent tweaks after dinner last night. I feel like a kid in a candy store making these blends. Maybe that's what they do at C&D all day long to come up with 300+ blends. Anyway, when the results are this good it is actually fun, as kxg suggested!  See more on this under new topic titled "Developing your own blend."

The Andullo recipe which I was initially more excited about has so far not hit the A+ mark. I tried your version, and my own tweak using 1/7 515, 1/7 507 stoved, 3/7 Lat, and 2/7 Andullo and that took things in a wrong direction. The 507 which has worked so well for in Virginia blends and my Darth VA-TUR blend (dark Virginias and Turkish) just doesn't play well with Latakia. Too monolithic and muted on the palate. Yours had better balance. I may try another version using one third each of 515, 310 and Andullo because I found the 1/2 Latakia just slightly drying on the back of the throat. I've always liked Andullo as an occasional treat, and felt it is underrated, just never thought of tweaking it. Verdict is still out.

Thanks for you contribution, the Lion is a real winner!

 

[Brunello]

Another home blender here, I’ve posted some of my recipes previously but wouldn’t be surprised if you can’t find them as I find the search functionality on BoB to be not so helpful.

My last blend was an attempt at a HH Arcadian Perique match with a touch of latakia. Nice stuff.

10% Perique
20% Lemon Virginia
40% Red Virginia
25% Orientals
5% Latakia

Enjoy

Tim

Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to have a go at it tonight. Don't reveal you actual choice of cmponents until I've had maybe a week to tinker, then we can compare results!

This does bring up a point though, and it is the reason why I didn't respond when JeSuisFlaneur posted a huge long list of recipes: successful blends aren't just two parts this and two parts that thrown together. I mean when he writes Virginia - what kind? - golden, red, stoved? I'm saying all this for the benefit of those new to home blending, as I'm sure this is old news to you, but all commercial offerings have had some sort of casing to balance the pH, maybe something that is neutral and essentially tasteless, but more than likely (to give their product a distinctive nuance) there are sugars and other flavor like orange peel or coriander, or what have you, in the casing solution. A newbie might randomly stumble upon products that work well together, like chocolate and nuts, but might as easily use ingredients that will clash, like chocolate and lemon. That one failed attempt may put them off ever trying again ("leave it to the pros").

That long list that JeSuisFlaneur posted was probably just shorthand for somebody who knew exactly what each of those components brought to the table. But as a working template for the home blender it is pretty much meaningless. Specific to your recipe which is more specific I still have to wonder which of my red Virginias I should select: McConnell's Red Virginia, C&D, Sutliff, or do I dip into the last remnants of my McClelland? They each have different flavor profiles because of the processing.

But don't say anything just yet, I'm sure your ratios are worked out, and the hint about it being inspired by HH Arcadian gives a good indication of which direction I should go. I'll report back when I have some results!  G'Day mate (do they still say that?)

 

[Timbo]

G’day mate, letting you know I didn’t case anything in that recipe but I did let it sit and meld in the jar for a month or so. Smoking the last of it right now and thinking I’ll need to make another batch as it is yum.

Let me know when your after more info on the ingredients.

 

[Brunello]

It should be apparent by now that I'm a huge advocate of home blending, but - just to play Devil's Advocate for a moment - I had another thought about why home blending isn't more popular. And it's a biggie.  :shock:

My line of thought went like this: As I pondered when my own TAD would come to an end I wondered why somebody like JimInks would find it necessary to try thousands of blends, 2,575 of which has has written reviews, when a couple dozen prime blending ingredients could create a shelf full of 4-star winners? Of course, we already went over some of that discussion with Zeno on how some people don't have the time, patience, or knack for it. But to write 2,575 expert reviews certainly indicates time and patience and a deep understanding of how each component of a blend affects the whole.

Community.  JimInks wouldn't be a household name if he just blended at home and kept his creations to himself. If everybody smoked their own custom blends then we wouldn't have any common denominator to relate to as a community. When a member talks about a certain blend others will likely know exactly what those flavors, aromas and burn characteristics are. If somebody reports that they are enjoying their own "Big Bear Blend" then none of us would have any frame of reference and therefore cannot be part of any meaningful conversation.

Bragging Rights. For some people there are "bragging rights" to be the first to review the latest limited release, or to mention in a post that you scored a 25-year-old tin of Penzance. Exclaiming that you just discovered the most awesome tweak doesn't generate the same level of excitement and may even be considered annoying and/or frivolous to some.

Verdict: there's probably a comfortable middle ground to be had. Some will be content with just a few favorites that they remain loyal to for the duration of their smoking years. For others, who like more variety, once one is familiar with what the community consensus considers as the fundamental "Gold Standard" blends, tinkering and tweaking can then be a fun pastime, and if you stumble upon some great combination you can share it with your Brothers here!

 

[Zeno Marx]

Patience. That's that the word that popped off that post for me. I think every Briar Blues youtube blending video includes something like, "I could have waited another day or two." I think this was part of my problem in the tobacco shop as well. Blend something up, try it, and then have little enthusiasm for it. Wonder why? I didn't have the time to give it in the shop, or I didn't allow it time. It was most likely the latter, because I could have tucked it in a corner, and nobody would have even known it was there. Whether under pressure, or pressure and heat, or none of the above, these things can really benefit from giving time to meld. JimInks can speak for himself, but I'm not sure he's a good example. Why would someone bother with home blending when tobacco houses are sending you trial blends and early edits of their blends to review and help develop, which ultimately involves you helping with their blend? You're already blending on some level if you are a core taster. On the other hand, we have GL Pease, who also helps develop blends, but he IS driven to blend and make his own line of tobaccos. I could be a fool, but I don't think these guys are driven by ego, as you suggest. If anything, they're driven by love and then by opportunity. Blenders sending trials is an opportunity not provided to many, but in the case of both of these names, they've earned that opportunity.

 

[Brunello]

Patience.  That's that the word that popped off that post for me.  I think every Briar Blues youtube blending video includes something like, "I could have waited another day or two."  I think this was part of my problem in the tobacco shop as well.  Blend something up, try it, and then have little enthusiasm for it.  Wonder why?  I didn't have the time to give it in the shop, or I didn't allow it time.  It was most likely the latter, because I could have tucked it in a corner, and nobody would have even known it was there.  Whether under pressure, or pressure and heat, or none of the above, these things can really benefit from giving time to meld.  JimInks can speak for himself, but I'm not sure he's a good example.  Why would someone bother with home blending when tobacco houses are sending you trial blends and early edits of their blends to review and help develop, which ultimately involves you helping with their blend?  You're already blending on some level if you are a core taster.  On the other hand, we have GL Pease, who also helps develop blends, but he IS driven to blend and make his own line of tobaccos.  I could be a fool, but I don't think these guys are driven by ego, as you suggest.  If anything, they're driven by love and then by opportunity.  Blenders sending trials is an opportunity not provided to many, but in the case of both of these names, they've earned that opportunity.

I suspect that in some remote bicameral sense Zeno is like an area of my brain that remains hidden, until suddenly ... I'm ducking from another zinger coming out of left field! I thought my major thrust was about a sense of community, but Zeno picks up on other points to ponder - all of which enrich the conversation. With Zeno I either chuckle, scratch my head, or duck from the zingers! As with tobacco blends, these ideas will take time to distill and meld into some kind of non-James-Joycean coherence!

Patience brothers, patience... you'll feel better in the morning! :drunken:

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I've thrown a few mixes together now and then.

They serve me.