The Story of My "Three Wise Men" Home Blend Disaster

[ScienceSmoker]

Of the countless experiments, treatments, and weird blendings I've done... only 5 blends turned out really good. Most were "meh", some were "bleh", and a few were "oh dear god what have I done?!" This is one of the last ones.

I wanted to make a light aromatic with the scent of myrrh and/or frankincense, and call it "Three Wise Men" for Christmas of last year. I like those smells and thought they could be good in a blend, the problem was - how to add them? Can't use the essential oils and I found it difficult making an alcohol tincture of them... so I figured I'd burn them and try to infuse the tobacco with their smoke.

I made a blend of cavendish, bright Virginia, and some Izmir, and then I laid it out on a large, flat kitchen strainer. I made a whole setup where the frankincense and myrrh were in the middle on the burning charcoal, the strainer with the tobacco was set right above them, and a huge salad bowl was on top of everything, set on 3 small bits of wood so air could get in.

Well... I think I left it there too long and/or used too much frankincense and myrrh... because when it was all said and done, it was totally unsmokable. It was like smoking pure incense. My mouth was numb for an hour after, and I only took a few puffs. The thing is, though... it smelled kind of nice. I think if I would have used less frankincense and myrrh, for less time, it probably would have been pretty good. I had planned to try again this year, but with all my other weird experiments plus all the money spent on Christmas, I just never got around to it. I hope to try again one day though.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am most perplexed by guys who want to blend, and then they end up making aromatics. But... I also see folks on wine making forums asking about adding artificial flavors, or making wines from Jolly Ranchers, so... what the hell do I know?

I can just say that having NOT attempted to make an aromatic, that I have never made a blend that I thought sucked. Although, I am still working out my rustica, perique, cigar blend. I think it could use a dash of diesel fuel, ha ha.

At least you tried. I can tolerate incense smells to a small degree, but they wreak havoc on my sinuses. I don't even allow scented candles in my house.

Keep on trying. I love reading about stuff like this. If you are trying, you are at least doing way better than someone who doesn't even try, or makes stupid excuses. I have way more respect for you for trying.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Send it to @condorlover1 marked as RB plug….

have you tried using it as a blending component and adding to something else? Just a bowls worth

 

[ScienceSmoker]

I am most perplexed by guys who want to blend, and then they end up making aromatics. But... I also see folks on wine making forums asking about adding artificial flavors, or making wines from Jolly Ranchers, so... what the hell do I know?

I can just say that having NOT attempted to make an aromatic, that I have never made a blend that I thought sucked. Although, I am still working out my rustica, perique, cigar blend. I think it could use a dash of diesel fuel, ha ha.

At least you tried. I can tolerate incense smells to a small degree, but they wreak havoc on my sinuses. I don't even allow scented candles in my house.

Keep on trying. I love reading about stuff like this. If you are trying, you are at least doing way better than someone who doesn't even try, or makes stupid excuses. I have way more respect for you for trying.

Thanks!
Also, it was intended to be very mild, something that a professional blender wouldn't even consider n "aromatic"... just a mildly flavored Virginia/Oriental. No matter what they say... *all* blends have some manner of topping on them, even if it's just a tiny spritz of sugar alcohol. Some of my best blends (IMO of course) have small amounts of "flavoring". My blend Elfreth's Alley has some dried elderflowers, and I have a Virginia, Smyrna, and cigar leaf blend I call Old CIty has a small amount of rose flavor, which I actually added as an afterthought. I think it makes the blend 10x better. But then again, I like blends like that. My favorite, Presbyterian, has some mysterious, clove maybe, addition. And Essenza Cipriota is another one of my favs.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

*all* blends have some manner of topping on them,

I think you mean "casing." and not all casings have flavors.
None of my blends after the first few years of growing have been cased, and I prefer them this way. Totally unnecessary.
But, if you like adding flavors, then do what your heart desires.

 

[STP]

You’re missing the gold?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My favorite, Presbyterian, has some mysterious, clove maybe,

Some orientals, once combined make a clove taste. Also, Japan8 is an oriental that adds a licorice flavor. Sometimes the tobacco deceives us.

 

[ScienceSmoker]

You’re missing the gold?

That's what the bright Virginia was for! lol

 

[ScienceSmoker]

I think you mean "casing." and not all casings have flavors.
None of my blends after the first few years of growing have been cased, and I prefer them this way. Totally unnecessary.
But, if you like adding flavors, then do what your heart desires.

Latakia is basically a "flavored" tobacco, in fact, it's flavored in the same way I tried to use frankincense and myrrh (both just wood sap)... whereas the makers of latakia use various other hardwoods. Same with DFK. It's just that we're all used to those flavors... but they're no more "natural" than any other flavored tobacco.

 

[brooklynpipeclub]

Good for you for trying. I chase that incense note in tobacco blends and do find it from time to time in ones that contain latakia and orientals. I applaud your effort.

How much of it did you make? As @Ahi Ka suggested above, perhaps you can use your concoction in small doses to a larger blend of the same component tobaccos to get the result you want.

 

[mso489]

Burning random herbs will turn up something irritating if not downright toxic sooner or later. There's a reason burning poison ivy can make people really sick. And there are a number of ordinary indigenous plants that are toxic. Few people ever burned tobacco strictly as a room fragrance, and likewise few people every smoked incense. So I'd say, stick with real tobacco leaf, and maybe a few established flavorings if you must, and moderate the tobacco too. However, the image of your fumigating set-up was priceless. Lucille Ball or Buster Keaton could have worked with that. My just doing some laundry has some comedy potential.

 

[condorlover1]

RB Plug has cheviot in it as a flavoring. I suppose it could be described as a 'Heavy dose of Midnight Mass' or 'Father Nikolai's Revenge' since it has that overwhelming smell that you associate with either Mass or Confession depending if your take your religion in the Orthodox manner or straight from Rome! Cheviot shows up in a couple Gawith blends and has a mixed following in the Rose Geranium/Sniffing Auntie Mabels Laundry basket pipe smoking community. My personal opinion is it works very well as a flavoring for plugs but not so well on flakes for some unknown reason. In contrast Rose Geranium works brilliantly on things like Grassmere, Broken Flake #7 and Bosuns Plug but it is all a matter of personal taste and tolerance.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

RB Plug has cheviot in it as a flavoring. I suppose it could be described as a 'Heavy dose of Midnight Mass' or 'Father Nikolai's Revenge' since it has that overwhelming smell that you associate with either Mass or Confession depending if your take your religion in the Orthodox manner or straight from Rome! Cheviot shows up in a couple Gawith blends and has a mixed following in the Rose Geranium/Sniffing Auntie Mabels Laundry basket pipe smoking community. My personal opinion is it works very well as a flavoring for plugs but not so well on flakes for some unknown reason. In contrast Rose Geranium works brilliantly on things like Grassmere, Broken Flake #7 and Bosuns Plug but it is all a matter of personal taste and tolerance.

What is cheviot?

 

[Ahi Ka]

What is cheviot?

Is it similar to lanolin?

 

[ScienceSmoker]

What is cheviot?

I'm curious too. I can't find any information about it online.

 

[ScienceSmoker]

Burning random herbs will turn up something irritating if not downright toxic sooner or later. There's a reason burning poison ivy can make people really sick. And there are a number of ordinary indigenous plants that are toxic. Few people ever burned tobacco strictly as a room fragrance, and likewise few people every smoked incense. So I'd say, stick with real tobacco leaf, and maybe a few established flavorings if you must, and moderate the tobacco too. However, the image of your fumigating set-up was priceless. Lucille Ball or Buster Keaton could have worked with that. My just doing some laundry has some comedy potential.

Latakia and Dark Fired Kentucky are both flavored in the same way.

 

[ScienceSmoker]

Good for you for trying. I chase that incense note in tobacco blends and do find it from time to time in ones that contain latakia and orientals. I applaud your effort.

How much of it did you make? As @Ahi Ka suggested above, perhaps you can use your concoction in small doses to a larger blend of the same component tobaccos to get the result you want.

I tried adding bits to Cairo and to some straight Virginia... it seemed to make it bitter. I think the frankincense was responsible for that. I kept it jarred for a few months actually, since I hate throwing out tobacco, but eventually I did toss it.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Leave blending to the tobacconist

 

[Ahi Ka]

Leave blending to the tobacconist

Bro, is this a joke or are you serious? Just so I can choose the appropriate emoji response ??

 

[condorlover1]

Cheviot is something Samual Gawith uses - I have not a fecking clue what the stuff is but I would assume it is related to this plant Helianthemum 'Cheviot' - Xera Plants - https://xeraplants.com/plants/helianthemum-cheviot/ which seems to be of a similar breed to heliotrope which is used in War Horse Bar. Heliotrope is also known as the Cherry Pie plant is a very old flavor used to cover up the worst excesses of cheap and nasty Empire Grown leaf.