Your Blend Recipes

[ncrobb]

So press more than 24 hours?

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

[Mr Beardsley]

So press more than 24 hours?

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

Those look amazing. Twist/rope always seems to pack that happy punch for me

[ncrobb]

So press more than 24 hours?

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

Those look amazing. Twist/rope always seems to pack that happy punch for me

For the most part they turned out good. A couple guys on the board liked them. That one demanded respect! I need to make some more. I really liked them. somehow they got named “ncrobb’s rum soaked twist”. Haha. I’ll see if I can find a pick of it jarred.

Here it is:

[Ruffinogold]

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

Those look amazing. Twist/rope always seems to pack that happy punch for me

For the most part they turned out good. A couple guys on the board liked them. That one demanded respect! I need to make some more. I really liked them. somehow they got named “ncrobb’s rum soaked twist”. Haha. I’ll see if I can find a pick of it jarred.

Here it is:

I still have some of a batch you gave me years ago .... killer

[mrpipster]

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

Those look amazing. Twist/rope always seems to pack that happy punch for me

For the most part they turned out good. A couple guys on the board liked them. That one demanded respect! I need to make some more. I really liked them. somehow they got named “ncrobb’s rum soaked twist”. Haha. I’ll see if I can find a pick of it jarred.

Here it is:

Those look great.

[Mr Beardsley]

I would. It will give the flavors more chance to marry and settle in. Pressure and time is obviously up to you and how you want the end result to turn out. The first twist I made I turned it down as tight as I could and let it hang for a couple weeks until it started getting dry. The last one wasn’t as tight and I let it hang a week. The first one I could cut a few coins and smoke it. The last one needed some drying time after cut. There is no right or wrong. Only the fun of doing it yourself. I would say to turn out small batches. I made a twist one time that was so dang strong I could not smoke it straight. It’s taste was pure tobacco but I had to cut it with Carter Hall. Bad part was the twist was over a foot long.

Those look amazing. Twist/rope always seems to pack that happy punch for me

For the most part they turned out good. A couple guys on the board liked them. That one demanded respect! I need to make some more. I really liked them. somehow they got named “ncrobb’s rum soaked twist”. Haha. I’ll see if I can find a pick of it jarred.

Here it is:

Well now my mouth is watering and I'm going to have to go out and take a cigar cutter to some brown bogie or whiskey twist

[Houtenziel]

@mrpipster I’ve made twists in the past and had good luck with a rum based casing I added. According to my granddaddy brown sugar and rum/whiskey/white liquor go well together and work as a good treatment for a cough or sore throat. Lol. Anyway, a little bit of vinegar in your spritz will help keep mold away. I picked it up somewhere and it’s worked for me. YMMV.

I have wondered about a little vinegar.

Late to the game here, but apple cider vinegar has to be added when you start adding sugar heavy casings. It is also imperative that you use distilled water, and you boil your casing thoroughly. slightly moistening the tobacco and heating it first helps prevent the wad-o-bacco thing too.
It's worth noting that in my tinkering with casing, trying to get sweetness out of sugar based casings alone is fruitless and will almost always just cause the blend to bite hard. A better way to achieve sweetness in a blend is to add a small amount of a neutral sweet Virginia blend. Even something like 5-10% will really bump up the sweetness. Molasses + some variety of sweet VA is the key for a brown sugar like flavor, given that brown sugar is just plain sugar where they do not centrifuge out all the molasses.

[mrpipster]

Thanks for replying. So the brown sugar water mix is a no go? I am using SWR for the tobacco.

[Houtenziel]

Thanks for replying. So the brown sugar water mix is a no go? I am using SWR for the tobacco.

I would have replied earlier, but internet has been out for 6 days due to the pair of tornados that tore through Bowling Green. I live about 15 minutes northeast(directly in the path), and the funnel lifted just long enough for the supercell to pass directly over us before touching down again in Park City..

You can do it, but you definitely need vinegar in there to stop mold growth. I've posted the casing recipe I use below. I've found that white vinegar gives blends that sort of McClelland sharpness, and apple cider vinegar tends to produce a little sweeter/fruitier flavor. You can skip the molasses, and sub out the white sugar for 2 cups brown sugar instead. I would start at the 1oz/lb or 1.8ml/oz below and add more if it's not to your liking. If you want to add more, just heat the tobacco and spray some more on and let it cool and rest for 24 hours or so. Longer rest is better, but you should be able to get a good idea after 24 hours.

Casing recipe:
(Makes a Pint - you can reduce for smaller quantity).

2 Cups Water
2 Cups White Granulated Cane Sugar
1 1/2 TSP Molasses
1 1/2 TSP White Vinegar / apple cider vinegar

Simmer all ingredients for at least 10 minutes to ensure they are fully dissolved - also gives time to allow the sugar to invert to prevent re-crystalization.

Mist tobacco lightly with distilled water and heat it up, but not too hot to touch. *I got over weirdness about microwaving tobacco, so I just throw it in there for 10 seconds at a time until it's hot, but still cool enough to handle.
Spray 1 oz of casing per pound of tobacco mix(or ~1.8ml per oz of tobacco if you are doing small test batches). Mix by hand while you are spraying to make sure it's even.

[mrpipster]

Thanks. I made a simple wood press so I will use that after I do the casing.