Blending tobacco to come close to ASpirit blue tins.

[geomatic]

Hey guys newbie here.

So the price of a tin of American Spirit is pretty crazy right now in WA ($60/5.3oz) so I've decided to take the jump to leaf. I was curious about what kind of blend I should be making??
about my smoking habits:
Been rolling my own ciggies exclusively since the 90's, nothing fancy just my trusty old rizla rolling box, filter, smoke and paper. Strictly rollies, I have a 'store bought' cigarette (that someone offers me) about every 5 years or so just to remind myself how nasty they taste and smelly they are. This aversion I have includes 'store bought' American Spirits because... well they taste stale and nowhere as good as a rollie. So anyways the only thing the dark blue tin says is "US grown tobacco" and I think the light blue tin says "organic tobacco". Other than that I don't know much about it, but it's a very mellow smoke and doesn't smell bad or strong (so says the ex, who hates smokers). Oh and would my old tins that kept my tobacco before work to hold the shredded leaf?

I've perused the tobacco leaves and am wondering about the lemon? and what might be the difference between the 2019-2020? Any suggestions?


Thanks

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Scan through the topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads, which is linked in the menu bar. I'll depend on other members to address your cigarette-specific questions. You might also want to click on the Wiki link in the menu bar, and read through the section on Cigarettes.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

 

[Oldfella]

Hey guys newbie here.

So the price of a tin of American Spirit is pretty crazy right now in WA ($60/5.3oz) so I've decided to take the jump to leaf. I was curious about what kind of blend I should be making??
about my smoking habits:
Been rolling my own ciggies exclusively since the 90's, nothing fancy just my trusty old rizla rolling box, filter, smoke and paper. Strictly rollies, I have a 'store bought' cigarette (that someone offers me) about every 5 years or so just to remind myself how nasty they taste and smelly they are. This aversion I have includes 'store bought' American Spirits because... well they taste stale and nowhere as good as a rollie. So anyways the only thing the dark blue tin says is "US grown tobacco" and I think the light blue tin says "organic tobacco". Other than that I don't know much about it, but it's a very mellow smoke and doesn't smell bad or strong (so says the ex, who hates smokers). Oh and would my old tins that kept my tobacco before work to hold the shredded leaf?

I've perused the tobacco leaves and am wondering about the lemon? and what might be the difference between the 2019-2020? Any suggestions?


Thanks

Welcome from me in NZ. Are you looking at growing your own tobacco? If you are then I would suggest that you purchase some leaf from WLT (Whole Leaf Tobacco) through this site. Then you can see what you like as home grown is quite different. Much better once tried you'll never go back. Good luck with your new hobby and have fun while you're here, remember we're all here to help so ask questions and post some pics.
Cheers
Oldfella

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT. Have you considered to buy one of the “ready made” whole leaf blend from WLT? The Virginia blend should be close to your taste.

pier

 

[geomatic]

View attachment 40658

Thank you for this, although I do wonder how well it crosses over to the actual loose tobacco that they sell. I've smoked the light blue 'store manufactured' cigarettes and found them quite different tasting to the cigarettes that I have rolled with the American Spirit that comes in the light blue tin of shredded tobacco.

 

[geomatic]

Welcome to FTT. Have you considered to buy one of the “ready made” whole leaf blend from WLT? The Virginia blend should be close to your taste.

pier

I have looked at them and wondered, but would that also be the case with other American cigarettes such as Marlboro because I really don't like any 'manufactured' cigarette brands?

 

[geomatic]

Welcome from me in NZ. Are you looking at growing your own tobacco? If you are then I would suggest that you purchase some leaf from WLT (Whole Leaf Tobacco) through this site. Then you can see what you like as home grown is quite different. Much better once tried you'll never go back. Good luck with your new hobby and have fun while you're here, remember we're all here to help so ask questions and post some pics.
Cheers
Oldfella

Not looking to grow my own, just looking to cut out the middle man and buy/shred leaves.

 

[Oldfella]

Not looking to grow my own, just looking to cut out the middle man and buy/shred leaves.

Then you can get your leaves from WLT and be able to try different varieties until you get the right blend for your taste. Keep us posted on how it's all going.
Oldfella

 

[Knucklehead]

Not looking to grow my own, just looking to cut out the middle man and buy/shred leaves.

Part of the fun is coming up with your own blends that suit your tastes. I started with flue cured, burley, and oriental, then later added maryland and dark air to come up with my own personalized blend. My current cigarette blend also doubles as one of my favorite pipe blends:
45% flue cured
20% burley
20% maryland
5% dark air
10% oriental

Pick up a cheap missouri meershaum cob pipe to sample each variety individually so you will know what each one brings to the table. pH balance is important. Flue cured gives a tongue bite, burley gives a throat hit. Play around until it feels like you like it or what you are used to. If the blend burns your tongue, reduce the flue cured or add burley. Orientals are low in nicotine but bring a nice floral taste. I keep them down to 10-15% of the blend. Dark air has a strong flavor and pretty good nicotine kick. I started with 10% but reduced it down to 5% because it influenced the blend so much in the strength and flavor direction. Reducing the dark air 5% made a big difference. Since I don't use flavorings I chose more varieties as a way to add layers of flavor. Mix small amounts and keep track of your amounts so you don't lose your blend. I measure amounts by volume rather than by weight on a scale, its much faster and the results are repeatable enough for me. Good luck and keep us posted.