Pipe Blend Challenge - Spring 2020

[deluxestogie]

Pipe Blend Challenge - Spring 2020

Now that some of us have a little more time on our hands, kick your imaginations into gear, and come up with a suitable pipe blend. My contribution is a blend label, and a name: Truck Stop.

Consider that retail venue. You've been driving for hours. You remembered to bring your pipe, but somehow forgot to bring tobacco. What pipe tobacco blend would you like to see at the truck stop.

Each participant should post only one blend recipe in this thread. Take your time, and test it well, before posting it. We'll start voting on the proposed blends at the start of May. There will be a winner. The winner and each of the participants will get a pdf of the participation (or winner) certificate. (You'll have to print it.)

Gentlemen (and ladies), start your truck engines!

Bob

 

[leverhead]

... and if you buy 100 gallons, you can take a shower.

 

[deluxestogie]

So far, two weeks into this exciting competition, it's really hard to pick a winner.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Just needed a reminder!

 

[tullius]

Take your time, and test it well, before posting it.

Participants were encouraged by the organizer to take their time. So, they did.

Here's my go, all tobaccos WLT:

​

24g red flue cured virginia (red border)​

7g turkish (prilep here, unshredded)​

4g cavendish (very black and commercial, unsolicited gift from WLT, use whatever you got, you're at a truck stop)​

4g latakia, for diesel smoke​

​

Derib the red virginia into half leaves (4 half leaves in this case), lay them out overlapping on the table like you're going to roll a cigar with scrap and fill with the turkish, cavendish and latakia. Roll up into a carotte and slice with a knife or tuck cutter at your preferred shred width until you have exactly 18 wheels. Lay out the wheels on paper and draw a picture of a Peterbuilt around the wheels. Continue slicing until the carotte is gone. Rub all the wheels out, blend as inconsistently as smokies' log book enforcement, and enjoy.​

​

Just about anybody would enjoy this blend: smokes tasty and well.

 

[tullius]

*Peterbilt* damn autocorrect

 

[deluxestogie]

use whatever you got, you're at a truck stop

Just a side note: @GreenDragon suggested repeated washing of the PG laced, commercial Cavendish. I dumped a bunch in a quart jar, let it soak, then drained. I repeated this a bunch of times. I then allowed it to thoroughly dry. After blending with it, and allowing the blend to just sit in a tin, and dry out some more (a couple of months), I found it to be "not too bad". If you're accustomed to many commercial blends, then you may not mind the PG as much as I do.

Thanks for the delightful post and the promising blend.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Having made many, many trips across the US I decided to pull from my memories the things that come to mind as I reflect back on walking into a truck stop on those many occasions.

Sweets/ candy everywhere along with salty snacks. That iconic maelstrom of smells made up of coffee, cheap donuts, and “hotdogs”. The hint of cigarette smoke, even though smoking inside has been banned for years. And a slight tang of barnyard seeping out from under the restroom doors.

You would not find any fancy pipe tobaccos there! If you could find any at all, you were lucky. It should smoke well without much attention; you’re driving after all. So, truck stop:

Ca. Lemon Virginia. (5)
Maryland Cavendish (3)
Burley (2)
Dark Fire Cured (1)

For ambiance a casing consisting of:
Rum
Instant coffee crystals
Couple drops of Loranne Bavarian Cream flavoring
Shot of vanilla extract

Mix all together, press for a few hours to meld, dry and smoke. Pouch aroma is earily familiar. Easy to keep lit, no relights required. Can get a hint of the flavorings in the retrohale.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I was hitchhiking south down hwy 97 from a truck stop west of Moses Lk. WA, and caught a ride with Jerry Garcia, (several months after he quote, "died").

 

[deluxestogie]

Last week for submissions.

Bob

 

[tullius]

"buy 100g, get a free shower"

(apologies to @leverhead)

 

[deluxestogie]

Truck Stop Challenge Spring 2020 Submissions

@tullius

• 24g flue cured Virginia red 24/39 (~62%) [roughly 10 parts per 16]
• 7g Oriental (prilep here) 7/39 (~18%) [roughly 3 parts per 16]
• 4g Cavendish (whatever you got) 4/39 (~10%) [roughly 1½ parts per 16]
• 4g Latakia 4/39 (~10%) [roughly 1½ parts per 16]

**********
@GreenDragon

• Canadian Lemon Virginia 5/11 (~45%) [roughly 7 parts per 16]
• Maryland Cavendish 3/11 (~27%) [roughly 4½ parts per 16]
• Burley 2/11 (~18%) [roughly 3 parts per 16]
• Dark Fire-Cured 1/11 (~10%) [roughly 1½ parts per 16]
• CASING: Rum; Instant coffee crystals; LorAnn Bavarian Cream; Vanilla extract

No further posts allowed.

 

[deluxestogie]

Truck Stop Blend Challenge Results

I would like to thank @GreenDragon and @tullius for submitting blend recipes, as well as members who took the time to read through the recipes and cast a vote.

With two submissions, the vote differed by only 1 vote between them. @tullius came out ahead.

I have created two Truck Stop blend labels, representing the two submissions.

Download 3½" Truck Stop high-res blend labels (both) as pdf.

Bob

 

[tullius]

Thanks Bob for organizing the challenge and providing the labels: a nice diversion at this time.

 

[Knucklehead]

Thanks Bob for organizing the challenge and providing the labels: a nice diversion at this time.

Congratulations tullius

 

[Charly]

Congratulations @tullius
And thanks @GreenDragon

 

[Knucklehead]

Congratulations @tullius
And thanks @GreenDragon

Absolutely. Thank you @GreenDragon .

 

[deluxestogie]

I have not tried it, and usually avoid casings altogether, but @GreenDragon's casing likely smells and tastes like Kahlua. (His recipe also caused me to look up how to make easy Bavarian cream: any flavor Jell-o, blended with Cool Whip! The real deal is a cooked, egg and cream custard blended with unflavored gelatin.)

Bob

 

[tullius]

@GreenDragon's blend was right on target: good VA base, plenty of vitamin N from the maryland & burley (my blend was missing this necessary big rig cig nic kick), diesel smoke from the fire cured, and finally laced with creme stick doughnut dipped in cheap coffee.

Nicely done frater, congrats in order as well.