Homemade Cigar-Leaf Mixture....Mild and Mellow...L Ltd."HGL"

[BriarPipeNYC]

My first posting:

So, I decided to try mixing up a batch of my own Cigar-Leaf blend. I had some sample packets of various tobaccos which I used. The major component of this blend is Lane Ltd. "HGL" which is nothing more than "Captain Black" with the addition of a small amount of Latakia. "HGL"..."RLP-6"...and Captain Black are all basically similar, but the "HGL" has just a little Latakia leaf in it for condimental interest. "HGL" is a really mild-med. aromatic-English type blend. The Latakia is in the background and not overpowering. Room note is very aromatic, and slightly piney-smokey...very slightly. Smoked straight, I think it's great...but I wanted some other tobaccos mixed into it for added complexity.

'PLEASANT MOMENTS"

Base:

1 - ounce, mild Cigar-Leaf (Maduro)
1 - ounce, Stokkebye's Cube Cut Burley #41
1 - ounce, match "Elizabethan" -Sutliff

***********************************

To this base blend... add an equal VOLUME MEASURE of Lane Ltd. "HGL", or, slightly more "HGL" if the Cigar-Leaf is too strong for your taste. Thick, creamy clouds of mellow smoke, slightly sweet, not harsh, easy smoking with no tongue bite. Aroma is very nice, and Cigar-leaf adds interest but is not prominent.....but, it's there in the background. Latakia adds to the exotic aromas. Sweetness comes form the Virginias, and Toasted Black Cavendish, but is not cloying. Basically, an amped-up version on "HGL" with much more flavor and better aroma.

Enjoy!


Frank

 

[Corncobcon]

Sounds pretty good. Have you ever tried John Patton's Dark & Stormy?  It is burley, latakia, and cigar tobacco blend.  Pretty good stuff.  I get it from 4Noggins.com.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

corncobcon....et al.

I recently learned about those Patton mixtures.  I'm gonna order a sample of "Storm Front" / "Dark and Stormy" from 4 Noggins and try them out, as well as a few other blends.  I like a little cigar-leaf mixed into pipe tobacco. It adds some creaminess, and thickens the smoke feel in the mouth...and, without adding too much cigar flavor, if the proportions are kept low.  

I do not smoke cigars, and don't care much for Lat-bomb blends...and mixed up "Pleasant Moments" on a whim. Honestly, I expected that I would have to throw out my experiment, or give it away.  But the "PM" mixture turned out to be a great smoke!  The cigar leaf definitely adds more complexity to the  "HGL" and cuts the sweetness down a notch,  The extra Burley and Virginias add nuttiness and some herbal sweetness.  The very small addition of Latakia mixed into the "HGL" goes almost unnoticed, but once in a while when the glowing embers reach the Latakia leaf, you get a piney whiff that floats around in the air and teases the nose.  This blend is no stinker....it has a great aroma.  The Sniffers tell me....hey, that pipe tobacco smells great!  What is that you're smoking"?..... Anyway, I like "PM".  Not because I made it, but because it's a good smoke.....for me.  I'm gonna try aging some for a few months just to see if it improves the flavor.

BTW, if the cigar leaf is too strong, just add a little BCA/Black Cavendish to thin out the mixture.

Thanks for noticing, your interest, and suggestions.  I'm ordering some Patton mixtures, today, for a comparison to "PM".  

Frank
NYC

 

[Corncobcon]

I think you will like the Patton blends. Another one to try in the near future would be Lane's Andullo. It has Dominican cigar leaf, black Cavendish, and some latakia.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

Conrad-

Yesterday, I ordered some J. Patton blends containing some cigar leaf, including "Dark and Stormy" + "Storm Front" as a comparison. Wonder how different these professionally blended mixes will smoke compared to my shot-in-the-dark efforts at blending with cigar leaf? I'll soon know.

I've been smoking a few bowls a day of "PM", and I thought the cigar-leaf would kill me when I smoked it....and expected that it would make a mixture that was way too strong. The small addition of some cigar leaf did not rasp my throat to a red pulp, but it did turn the "HG" into a much thicker and creamier smoke, without changing the original flavors, too much. I am well pleased with the "PM" blend that I came up with. I can live with it until something better comes along.

Can't wait for the Patton mixtures to arrive.

Frank
NYC

 

[Corncobcon]

I was curious about the differences of the Storm Front vs. the Dark & Stormy. I've tried both and I enjoy the D&S a bit more than the SF. But, that's probably because of the latakia in the D&S. I'm a latakia lover!

Let us know how you like the Patton blends and let us know about the similarities between both your blend and the Patton blends.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

Conrad....you read my mind. I do not have a discerning palate but I'll do my best when I smoke a few bowls of each. I think the strength of each blend will be easy for me to judge, but, who knows?

I will give you guys some comments about each of the cigar-leaf blends after I do some smoking.

Frank
NYC

 

[Corncobcon]

Question-

When you say "mild cigar leaf (maduro)", do you use the maduro wrapper off of a cigar? Or do you obtain fermented (maduro) cigar leaf? Just wondering, that's all.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Sounds like you are on to something quite enjoyable! Also, you get to play with the blends to directly suit your preferences, and learn how different components effect the total outcome.

Nice!

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

@ Conrad.....

I bought a few ounces of mild, cigar-leaf from a local shop that specializes in making hand-rolled cigars.  I asked the owner if he would sell me some "mild cigar leaf" and sold me trimmings from his mild, hand rolled Maduro cigars.  Not being a cigar smoker, I would imagine that he sold me some leaf that had a mix of both wrapper and filler.  The trimmings came off the ends of his premium cigars. I sniffed the bag with the loose trimmings and it did not smell like crap, so I used it. It worked out fine.

Wish I could be more specific.  Next time I blend a batch of "PM", I'll use commercially available Maduro cigar leaf. Pipes and Cigars sells cigar-leaf by the ounce, so I'll try it in my mixture and see how it smokes.

Hope this helps.


Frank
NYC

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

OK. Here we go.....

Smoked a few bowlfuls of both John Patton's "STORM FRONT" and "DARK & STORMY". I wanted to compare these two mixtures to my homemade cigar-leaf blend, "Pleasant Moments". It's interesting to smoke different blends for the purpose of making comparisons. I'll try my best to describe my thoughts.

"Storm Front" was my favorite of the two, yet both Patton blends are mixed from the same tobaccos. "Dark and Stormy" has some Latakia mixed into it, and the difference is noticeable. It's much stronger in flavor and I found it to be slightly harsh. It had a tendency to burn hot and would, I think, bite if carelessly smoked. It was also redolent of burnt leather, and room note was definitely "Englishy".... Not a blend that I would smoke with any frequency, and I had to force myself to finish the sample packet. I confirmed why I do not like Latakia.

"Storm Front" however, was a great smoke. Mild, sweet, and very pleasant on the tongue. The cigar-leaf was undetectable, and I would never have guessed that this blend had any cigar-leaf mixed into it. I'd recommend this mixture for any piper who wanted a mellow, aromatic, mixture without all the fake candy flavors. Flavor and aroma was very nice. This mixture...I would smoke, and be happy by the choice.

My cigar-leaf blend, "Pleasant Moments" comes closest to Storm Front when I originally mixed up a batch using Lane's RLP-6 as the major component, although PM has more of a cigar-leaf aroma and flavor. Both PM/RLP-6 and Storm Front are mild, and slightly sweet, easy-to-smoke, mixtures. But, PM using HGL as the major component has more complexity and some additional flavor/aroma interest from the piney, Latakia. I think Dark and Stormy is a stronger flavored mixture and probably has more Latakia than HGL. The aroma of Latakia is more of a major player in Dark and Stormy and pushes it closer to more of a English style tobacco. I didn't think it smoked anywhere near as mellow as the PM version when mixed with HGL.

Personally, I think PM when mixed with HGL is a much smoother, more mellow, less harsh smoke than Dark and Stormy. PM also has a little more cigar-leaf flavor and aroma. I could live with smoking PM, but, Dark and Stormy is not a mixture I would smoke, or buy, again.

Just my opinions....

Frank
NYC

 

[huffelpuff]

Sounds like you've found a mixture or two that suit you to a tee! Enjoy them brother.

Jim