What Are You Smoking - December

King's Tobacco "King of Swords", courtesy of Gypo , in a Sasieni 4 Dot Ruff Root Light.

C&D Redburn in the Saturday cob.

Good morning.  Smoking Watch City Old Black Magic in a BBB and drinking coffee.  Looking forward to the sun's return today....

Late start so far, usual wifie needs. Walks done, company of Quorum 6x50 for company (to finish outside later). After usual Sunday brunch, Exotique in huge bowl Tinsky comm. blk/tan DrunkenPoker & finish the paper. Mostly indoor "chores" ahead

24, high 29, a few flurries throughout the day, nothing serious

Ed Duncan, Batavia, NY
pipe/cigar since '62

C&D Cube cut burley in an MM Mark Twain. Was watching Home Alone but got called out to join a crisis outage bridge for work.

Started the day with Haunted Bookshop in the Sunday cob. Switched to a Rossi Vittoria with more Haunted Bookshop and Big'n'Burley for my drive to/from trapshooting. Had some Orion's Arrow while there, also in the Rossi. Now, back at home with Three Friars in the Sunday cob.

December 19th.
The chill persists in the area but tolerable with the bright sunshine. We will be in the 60s for xmas so no white christmas for the midwest.
The interim has been remarked with a fun new mixture.
As some may have noticed I get taste fatigue fairly often. blends I am enjoying suddenly develop rough edges is my perspective. that moment when a rich flavor goes sour and every bowl after that has the sour note instead of that rich flavor I seek.
That effect leads me down some pretty odd roads.
Not being an actual blender nor possessing any equipment for toasting, pressing, etc... I am left with blending scraps of finished tobacco blends usually counterpoint blends to pitch away from what I dislike in the main component.
So in that spirit I tackled eight more ounces of c&d blockade runner I need to use up. the small issue is a growing bitterness at the bottom of a bowl with a general thin mild flavor. Overall it is a decent blend but to get through my holdings of over ten ounces I needed help.
First attempt used some very well aged lancer slices..the new attempt does as well mainly for a better bottom end with the VA and a bit of meaty smokey anise.
The Star is Sutliff 1849. It has a ton of flavor going on but a few rough edges especially midbowl.
So I got the giant fruit bowl off the kitchen counter, cleaned it, then dumped about six ounces of blockade runner with about half an ounce of lancers and a "2oz" tin of the sutliff.
softly finger mix until even.
The result gives the sutliff more room for the strong good flavors to "breathe" with a nice nut and bread soft tobacco core to carry a nice cinna berry hint until one the condiments arrive to tickle the senses. Mid bowl the heat is up but no bitter note as the comdiments slow the burn keeping the blockade runner base sweeter..
If I could press this into a plug and give a year or three to age it might a superb sweet blend on its own right.
As is, I find a good ad hoc mix that avoids the rough edges of two blends.
Waste not want not, scraps and castoff blends do not always work out but sometimes one finds a tasty treat!
Currently testing in both the X105 newgrange spigot and 107 ebony spigot from peterson.

Bengal Slices Single Barrel in a GBD Pub Mk 2. Iced tea on the side.

House blend Yosemite in Walt MM CG first smoke for me in most of a week been under the weather feeling better

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Ted. Three Friars in the Sunday cob.

Taste testing some new tobaccos in various MM Cobs:
Cornell & Diehl Sweet English
Wilke Balkan
Wilke Royal Scot

I often find myself doing that… makes a lot of sense.

2004 McC Rose of Latakia in my Johs bent Danish Apple.

Escudo in the MM Poker