Current Favourite Blend
Posted by JD on Friday, 04-Nov-2005
After mixing and matching a bit, I finally settled on (at least for the past week) this blend:
40% Windsail Platinum
20% Two-Timer
15% Ramback
25% Penhooker Light
I blend the first three together first since they have a similar cut, then lightly toss with the Penhooker Light (a thicker, more coarse cut...sounds like I'm making a salad.) I like to blend a carton's worth at a time and keep it sealed at a *slightly* elevated moisture level for about a week and a half or two weeks before drying and stuffing into El Rey Lights (that's about how long it takes me to go through a carton). The flavours and aromas seem to meld together nicely this way, and it beats the snot outta the Marlboro Lights I wasted far too many years smoking. ;-)
Comments [ new ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by mikep on Wednesday, 22-Mar-2006
FYI, this blend is very much like a 1979 Marlboro, which is about 40% flue-cured virginias (about 8% of which is 'puffed'), 25% burley, 13% Turkish, the rest tasteless sheet and stem filler. The Penhooker Light as a filler seems like a good idea.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by JD on Wednesday, 22-Mar-2006
That's the closest I could come to an old-timey Marlboro Light (circa early-mid 70's as you say), and the El-Rey light tube seems to really smooth it out. I wouldn't even bother to attempt to replicate the crap they put out these days. ;-)
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by JD on Wednesday, 22-Mar-2006
Lately I've gravitated towards a blend of 60% London Export with 40% McClintock FF in an El-Rey light tube. The delicate maturity of the London Export is enhanced wonderfully by the slightly sweet, almost fruity quality of the McCLintock FF. Good stuff.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by mikep on Thursday, 23-Mar-2006
What's your take on the difference between Bali Red and London Export? Right this moment (ciggy hanging out of mouth just like my jazz playing days when you could play and smoke), I'm smoking 40% McClintock FF, 30% Bali Red, 30% American Spirit US Grown. Interesting...sweet with a bit of a growl (the AS US Grown).
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by JD on Thursday, 23-Mar-2006
The London Export, at least in my opinion, is fair milder with a far duskier aroma than the Bali Red. I buy a pouch of BR now and again to experiment with blends, but it never grabbed me much on it's own.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
- Re: Current Favourite Blend
- Posted by mikep on Thursday, 23-Mar-2006
Found some 'old-timey' blend info on tobaccodocuments.org; companies had to release internal blend/chemical analysis of cigs during lawsuit.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]
Interesting that many blends during the 70's had a 2-1 ratio of burley to turkish (not counting the bits and bobs in the rubbish). Lucky Strike was 23% domestic flue-cured virginia, 23% imported flue-cured virginia, 20% air-cured burley (5% domestic & 15% imported), 9% Turkish, the rest reconstituted rubbish.