Quote Originally Posted by Bruck View Post
That's actually what got me into pipe smoking (again - I had tried it in the early 90s but gave it up as I didn't know what I was doing and quit in frustration).

You could shred tobacco leaves and smoke them straight in a pipe, which some people do, and it's not bad but a little one-dimensional in my opinion.

Another thing people do is steam the leaves to make a plausible pseudo-Cavendish. I've done this with some success. Straight, unflavored Cavendish is pretty bland, but takes flavoring well and is a good component in other blends.

What I usually do is add tobacco scraps to a Virginia-based flake. Happy to share my recipes if you're interested. Here are some threads on flake and rope technique:

http://www.cigarbum.com/forum/the-do...lake-4658.html

http://www.cigarbum.com/forum/the-do...wist-1566.html

http://www.cigarbum.com/forum/the-do...lake-1392.html

http://www.cigarbum.com/forum/the-do...-19-a-908.html

I realize that the flake setup is somewhat elaborate, but it works Others on this board have produced some pretty respectable krumble kakes with less elaborate press arrangements (weights, clamps, etc.).

Making a rope is more within reach regarding equipment, but the technique is more challenging.

& of course, you don't need to make flakes or ropes; you could just cut leaves into ribbons and blend them with other tobaccos.
Seems quite a bit more in depth than I'd likely want to go, especially at this point. Thinking I'm just going to have to try out cigarillos with the scraps first.