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Post by bigwoolie on Apr 15, 2019 18:11:10 GMT -5
Before I left Alaska, I frequented a B&M shop in Anchorage whenever I was in town. I was buying the same blend from the same shop, mixed by the same man that I bought 30 years ago. It was his own blend, and he had been mixing it and storing it in the same 5-gallon bucket for that same 30 years. He called it "Stony's Blend". I loved that blend. I can still contact him and have some shipped down from Anchorage, but it get's expensive after a while. I never did ask him for his recipe, it just seemed rude to do so. However, I would love to blend some up myself. Has anyone ever had any success breaking down and figuring out a blend for their self? Can you "reverse engineer" tobacco blends?
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Mac
Full Member
Posts: 834
First Name: John
Favorite Pipe: Ken Barnes Canted Billiard
Favorite Tobacco: Margate, Smyrna, Vintage Syrian
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Post by Mac on Apr 15, 2019 18:34:17 GMT -5
I can't but blenders such as Russ Ouellette, Joe Lankford, Greg Pease sure can.
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Post by slowroll on Apr 15, 2019 18:36:39 GMT -5
Greg Pease and Russ Oulette do it frequently. However, they are tobacco blenders by trade and use tweezers and microscopes to support their intuition. For the rest of us, it's a crapshoot and best guess. A SWAG, maybe a WAG.
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Post by bigwoolie on Apr 15, 2019 18:54:15 GMT -5
I was afraid of that
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Post by McWiggins on Apr 15, 2019 19:39:18 GMT -5
You may not be able to match it exactly but you might be able to come up with something close that scratches your itch.
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Post by addamsruspipe on Apr 15, 2019 20:17:39 GMT -5
I have come across some local tobacconist is my travels that I thought were pretty darn good at duplicating blends and coming up with their own blends. I would take some with you to different tobacconists when you have the chance and see what they can do for you.  |
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Post by daveinlax on Apr 15, 2019 20:27:50 GMT -5
It's probably whats called an after blend. My shops most popular hand blended tobacco is 1Q mixed with BCA.  |
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Post by trailboss on Apr 15, 2019 22:26:31 GMT -5
My first thought was Russ Oulette also.
Hearing Dan Johnson talk about how his partner Simon sent off an old bar of Warhorse Bar to an Israeli lab to analyze...and without telling Russ what the components and processes were as he smoked it, he nailed it.
At 30 years buying from that guy, he isn't getting any younger and with the trajectory the tobacco business is taking thanks to the regulators, I don't think it would be rude to ask him for the recipe for a personal consumption basis...worst case scenario, he says no.
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Post by unknownpipesmoker on Apr 15, 2019 22:32:13 GMT -5
Before I left Alaska, I frequented a B&M shop in Anchorage whenever I was in town. I was buying the same blend from the same shop, mixed by the same man that I bought 30 years ago. It was his own blend, and he had been mixing it and storing it in the same 5-gallon bucket for that same 30 years. He called it "Stony's Blend". I loved that blend. I can still contact him and have some shipped down from Anchorage, but it get's expensive after a while. I never did ask him for his recipe, it just seemed rude to do so. However, I would love to blend some up myself. Has anyone ever had any success breaking down and figuring out a blend for their self? Can you "reverse engineer" tobacco blends? A great guy to email about this would be Russ... Thats pretty much what Russ does. |
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Post by trailboss on Apr 15, 2019 22:42:43 GMT -5
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Post by kxg on Apr 16, 2019 12:28:23 GMT -5
Sounds like you need to bite the bullet and have him ship down a 5 gallon bucket full!
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Post by Stearmandriver on Apr 16, 2019 16:37:18 GMT -5
I'm in Anchorage often for work and have been curious about this place. It's a long walk from where we stay but a bus or Uber would be options. One main reason I like to visit different tobacconists is to try their house blends, but often anymore the house blends are just renamed bulk I could order. So this guy is the real deal? I might have to get over there... what is Stoney's blend, if I can ask?
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Post by bigwoolie on Apr 16, 2019 16:55:36 GMT -5
I'm in Anchorage often for work and have been curious about this place. It's a long walk from where we stay but a bus or Uber would be options. One main reason I like to visit different tobacconists is to try their house blends, but often anymore the house blends are just renamed bulk I could order. So this guy is the real deal? I might have to get over there... what is Stoney's blend, if I can ask? He does have some "blends" that are just re-named bulk. I know his "Point Barrow" is just Lane BCA. But the "Stoney's Blend" is one he's been mixing for years. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is. That's my problem. He says he's the only licensed tobacconist in the state. I dunno. |
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Post by sperrytops on Apr 16, 2019 17:01:00 GMT -5
I'm with Kelly. If you like it that much, bite the bullet and order 5 pounds from him. Should last you a while. Why take a chance on knock offs that'll probably disappoint? As for the tobacconist, I didn't know tobacconists were licensed? Is that an Alaska thing, or is there something I've totally missed about the industry?
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Post by Stearmandriver on Apr 16, 2019 17:59:32 GMT -5
I'm in Anchorage often for work and have been curious about this place. It's a long walk from where we stay but a bus or Uber would be options. One main reason I like to visit different tobacconists is to try their house blends, but often anymore the house blends are just renamed bulk I could order. So this guy is the real deal? I might have to get over there... what is Stoney's blend, if I can ask? He does have some "blends" that are just re-named bulk. I know his "Point Barrow" is just Lane BCA. But the "Stoney's Blend" is one he's been mixing for years. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is. That's my problem. He says he's the only licensed tobacconist in the state. I dunno. Thanks. I was just wondering if it's a Virginia, English, balkan etc.? |
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Post by Dramatwist on Apr 17, 2019 0:57:15 GMT -5
That's an interesting question, Dewayne, and I've often wondered the same myself. I've a similar story in my past and think it would be fascinating to somehow revisit the tobacco and see if it was as good as I recall.
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exchef
Junior Member
Posts: 292
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Post by exchef on Apr 17, 2019 5:56:39 GMT -5
If you have been buying from him this long, you can play to his ego and maybe he’ll share the blend recipe with you. All of us succumb to flattery no matter how curmudgeonly we appear. Failing that, start a contribution pool for us to chip in and have him ship you 10lbs to share with us! ExChef |
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