New Convert! Question about Marlboro Medium

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by Leehblanc on Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:36 am

Brand new convert here. A friend at work told me about the Top starter kit for $8 at our local smoke shop, so I gave it a try. The smokes weren't half bad, easily more smokable than the cheap ($4.50 is cheap in NJ) brands that cost about 4x as much. Well, exactly one week, many hours and a couple of blisters later, I did some math. A Top-O-Matic Machine, a pound of tobacco and 3 boxes of tubes would make me 3 cartons of cigs. Even with the $50 for the Top-O-Matic, I would still be cutting my cost of those 3 cartons in half. In fact, it would cost just as much as driving to Delaware. It was a no brainer. This wonderful machine paid for itself already! I was reading some posts on this site the other night, and almost immediately ran into a problem I had read about...undersized tubes. I sanded the tip of the Top-O-Matic down a little (as I had read) and voila! Now I am going to ask to tap everyones considerable MYO knowledge. I am a Marlboro Medium smoker. My original Idea was to buy light tobacco and a full flavor (Premier) tube. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly it. So I went to a light tube (Zig Zag) and full flavor tobacco, and wasn't happy at all! The perforations in the light tubes actually make them seem more like ULTRA lights to my fiance and I. I think on my next batch, I will switch back to light tobacco and full flavor tubes. Any suggestions on a good mix to approximate a Marlboro Medium or Camel Light? Oh, and thanks to everyone who has posted their tips in the past. These forums are a GREAT read!

Leehblanc

Newbie Joined: Jan 27, 2007 Posts: 1

by Custom Blends on Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:15 am

Leehblanc wrote:

Any suggestions on a good mix to approximate a Marlboro Medium or Camel Light? Oh, and thanks to everyone who has posted their tips in the past. These forums are a GREAT read!

I'd try a sample of cb select blend #17. Yep, it's our blend (customblends.com), but it makes a smoke in that range. The 1 oz samples only run 2.25, so it's a cheap way to try several blends.

Custom Blends Newbie

Newbie Joined: May 03, 2007 Posts: 9

by alist on Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:39 pm

Leehblanc wrote:

Any suggestions on a good mix to approximate a Marlboro Medium

Vengeur, by D & R is supposed to be very close to Marlboro, to the point where someone on the SYO Forums stated "Maybe change the name from Vengeur to "Barlmoro", and take it from there... LOL" D & R also has Vengeur Light.

Leehblanc wrote:

or Camel Light?

2 parts Sagamore Light from here, although you could probably use some other light tobacco as well.
1 part Ultralight (Stokers #2 or Rave or Golden Harvest)
1 part Ramback from D & R

NOTE: This is NOT a duplicate of Camel Lights. Any who smoke it will forget ENTIRELY that Camel Lights exist. At least, that's been my experience with my two friends who are Camel Light smokers. Shove it an 3 Castles Mild tube for heavier flavor or in an El-Ray light for a lighter flavor. You could also probably just do 3/4 light tobacco and a 1/4 D & R Ramback shoved into an El-Ray tube. It's not the formula that makes the taste, it's the Ramback, which is 100% Izmir Turkish. Blows anything labelled 'Camel' right out of the water.

alist

Puffer Joined: Sep 01, 2007 Posts: 73

by nemo31 on Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:27 pm

I converted my brother to MYOs a few weeks ago. He converted a fellow worker with more being interested.

nemo31

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: Dec 01, 2006 Posts: 205 Location: nw pa

by dumpstermcnuggets on Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:58 pm

alist wrote:

Leehblanc wrote:

Any suggestions on a good mix to approximate a Marlboro Medium

Leehblanc wrote:

or Camel Light?

It's interesting that your post finally made me think about RYO tobacco in a way that no other post has made me think of it in before. Guess it was b/c of how very well you described certain RYO tobacco brands to be the most similar to certain pre-made cigs.

BTW, do you know of any RYO tobacco brands that would make a good substitute for traditional menthol cigs? Know this question is right up Jay's alley, but I hope there are others here also knowledgeable enough to answer my question about RYO menthol tobacco. Finally, just so I don't get accidentally stereotyped, I go back and forth between regular and menthol cigs, so I'm not just an exclusive menthol smoker.

dumpstermcnuggets Enthusiastic Smoker

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: Nov 06, 2006 Posts: 208 Location: Health Fascism Capital of the Midwest, Illinois

by alist on Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:46 pm

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:

It's interesting that your post finally made me think about RYO tobacco in a way that no other post has made me think of it in before.

Keep in mind, everything I have stated here is purely hearsay. I have smoked ultralight for 24 of the past 27 years, so I have no personal experience with these tobaccos. What I do is try to find the right blends or tobaccos for smokers of certain brands. The feedback they provide is the source of my information. For instance, I have no clue what a Marlboro Light tastes like. I will be getting some of the Vengeur Light at Christmas and have two friends in mind, both of whom smoke Marlboro Lights, who will sample it. In the case of the Vengeur Light, however, numerous people on the SYO forums, who used to smoke Marlboro Lights, swear by it.

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:

BTW, do you know of any RYO tobacco brands that would make a good substitute for traditional menthol cigs?

Ok, the first thing I have so far learned in matching RYO menthol tobaccos to menthol premade brands, is don't even go there unless you have menthol tubes. As far as my personal experiences with two menthol smoking friends (FF), I learned the following;

If they like Newport FF Menthol, they will REALLY like the Gambler Menthol. (This surprised me since I find Gambler, at least the ultralight, to be wholly nasty!)

If they smoke Kools, they will really like the Kite menthol. In both of these cases, the tobaccos were stuffed straight, into Gizeh MenthoTip tubes. Both friends tried each of the Kite and Gambler Menthol at a recent dinner party and these were their preferences.

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:

Know this question is right up Jay's alley, but I hope there are others here also knowledgeable enough to answer my question about RYO menthol tobacco.

I would check the "Menthol" Topic in the SYO forums, which can be found here. That page is a goldmine, as the following quotes show;

1. "I came up with a combo for one of my friends that smokes camel and marlboro menthol lights... she liked it alot. Gizeh Charbon tubes with D&R's Wingate Light. Very smooth with a nice amount of menthol. " Link

2. "I used to smoke Newport Light. I have found that Rave Menthol Light, to be to my liking. It is similar to D&R Wingate Light but can usually be found locally and is much cheaper. I also use Gizeh Silver Tip Charbon tubes. I find that this combo gives me a pretty good smoke." Link

3. "The blend I use now (and this is after experimenting) is (using a myweigh scale):

4 parts Rowland Light {This is a D & R brand, supposedly heavily chocolate flavored - Alist}
1 part Wingate Light
1 part McClintock Menthol

I’m not saying that ‘tastes’ like a Salem UL – it’s much better… but if your tastes happen to agree with the above, or were a Salem UL smoker," Link

The three entries above cover Camel & Marlboro Menthol Lights, Newport Lights and Salem Ultralights. I am sure you will find many more equivalents on that one page.

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:

Finally, just so I don't get accidentally stereotyped, I go back and forth between regular and menthol cigs, so I'm not just an exclusive menthol smoker.

I am not an exclusive menthol smoker either. I don't even smoke one menthol per day. Had I not gotten into SYO, I doubt I would be messing with menthol at all right now, although I did smoke menthol lights for 3 of the past 27 years.

In addition to the above information, you might also wish to sample McClintock Menthol. I haven't yet tried it myself, although I do have plans to purchase a can in the future, for three reasons. Number one, McClintock Light totally blew me away. I can't help but believe their menthol will do the same. Second, it comes highly recommended by numerous menthol smokers. Many who recommend McClintock Menthol suggest it be blended with other non-menthol tobaccos to cut the overwhelming menthol flavor. Thirdly, McClintock is made by the same company which produces Bali Shag, which should give you a good idea of the quality to expect from their menthol.

Another menthol mix you might wish to try is found here, although I did alter it slightly for my lighter tastes. The poster recommends mixing the following;

"Another good mix is Wingate with PenHooker 2 to 1."

I changed it to 2 parts Wingate Light with one part Penhooker Light, stuffed into a Gizeh MenthoTip tube. (Yes, that's the only menthol tube I had on hand at the time.) It made for a VERY smooth menthol smoke. I found this recipe terribly odd when I first ran across it. If you have tasted either of Penhooker or Penhooker light (or any other Canadian bright leaf blend for that matter) it is hard to imagine it blended into a menthol. Such a mix would NEVER have occurred to me. Having tasted it, it makes me now think they were MADE to be blended together. Both the Wingate and Penhooker, in full flavor and light versions, can be purchased from D & R. If you smoke menthol and non-menthol, you won't be disappointed in these purchases either. I didn't personally know what to make of the Penhooker Light at first, having never tasted a Canadian Virginia blend. The flavor has definitely grown on me since, becoming yet another of my favorites.

Finally, I don't know if you smoke menthol ultralight or not, but I HIGHLY recommend the People's True Taste menthol ultralight, stuffed into a Gizeh MenthoTip tube. It's a very flavorful menthol, as well as a true ultralight. I liked it so much I am seriously thinking of smoking it exclusively for a month or two. (Keep in mind, however, I am now highly biased in favor of People's Pride, who manufacture the People's True Taste tobaccos. Since I refuse to purchase pounds of tobaccos I haven't sampled, I called the company in Kentucky to order samples of the PP Light, Ultralight and Menthol Ultralight. It turned out, they are not authorized to sell in my state of residence. Instead, they sent 2 oz. samples of each FREE, which totalled 6 oz of tobacco for which they paid the shipping! I can't help but be favorably inclined towards a company that KNOWS how to treat a potential customer! And yes, their ultralight is my daily smoke now, once I finish smoking the various other ultralights I have on hand!)

alist

Puffer Joined: Sep 01, 2007 Posts: 73

by toekuttr on Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:45 am

I think alist is dead on w/ the vengeur suggestion. That tobacco coupled w/ 20-23mm filteted tubes will closely approximate the strength of marlboro mediums. I think light tubes would be too light. Ramback prestige tubes are 20mm, most full flavor tubes are 15mm, so you get a bit more filter, similiar to marlboro meds. The taste wont be exact, but the vengeur is an american blend, just like marlboro, it contains Va, burley and oriental. As for the recon your on your own, and never apply the ammonia directly to the tobacco, (infuse in a sealed container, I wouldnt recommend this step). Rounding it w/ an all round bug spray should get you really close. Good luck, and again, be very careful w/ the ammonia!

toekuttr

Puffer Joined: Jan 20, 2008 Posts: 53

by Jay on Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:31 am

Smoking a menthol cig I made myself is like me having Listerine or a Breath mint in my mouth. I like that cool feeling.

Seems like some smokers can't handle menthols, and I respect that. I guess menthols were meant for certain smoker groups indeed....like if menthols neva existed, I wouldn't be smoking at all. But I wouldn't be a f'ked up anti eitha....since I understand why people enjoy smoking.

At least with making your own cigs, you can make a cig with reg and menthol tobacco combined in it. But yeah, if you like tasting pure tobacco, making your own REGS is your best bet. But I'd have to avoid smoking for a whole month before I grab a regular.

Jay

Enthusiastic Smoker Joined: Jun 10, 2003 Posts: 461 Location: Chicago

by alist on Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:54 am

toekuttr wrote:

I think alist is dead on w/ the vengeur suggestion.

I received a can of Vengeur Light for Xmas. I shoved some into a Zen Light tube and passed it to a Marlboro Light smoking friend. I asked him how it was and if it tasted like a Marlboro light. He replied, "It tastes BETTER (his emphasis) than a Marlboro light.

You can also use the Vengeur Light to please Virginia Slim smokers. Mix

1 part of D & R Windsail Light (which is 100% Virginia done British style)
3 parts of Vengeur light

I passed this blend to a Virginia Slim smoker and she said, "now this tastes very nice." Honestly, I think this blend is probably closer to the Marlboro Virginia Blend than to a Virginia Slim Light. What I learned from this experience is to not assume Virginia Slim smokers (and probably Marlboro Virginia Blend smokers) are actually Virginia aficionados. Although the Virginia Slim Light smoker did like the above blend, she absolutely DID NOT LIKE Penhooker Light, which is a 100% Virginia done Canadian style. I took this to mean that those who smoke premades with 'Virginia' on the label, will not necessarily like pure Virginia, but will instead prefer a hint of Virginia in an American blend. (How can anyone not like Penhooker Light anyway?)

toekuttr wrote:

That tobacco coupled w/ 20-23mm filteted tubes will closely approximate the strength of marlboro mediums.

I agree with this. The Vengeur Light in a Zen light tube, to me, appeared to be a bit on the strong side, nicotine-hit wise.

toekuttr wrote:

I think light tubes would be too light.

The Ramback Elite tubes stuffed with the VL comes closest to Marlboro lights, in my opinion.

toekuttr wrote:

Ramback prestige tubes are 20mm, most full flavor tubes are 15mm, so you get a bit more filter, similiar to marlboro meds.

Don't forget how filter density plays into this. As an example, the Vera Cruz Midnight (the new black tubes) have 22mm filters, while the Zen light are 17mm (if I remember correctly). Yet, I can't smoke ANY tobacco in the Vera Cruz Midnight tubes because the low density filter leaves a smoke way too strong for me. Even though the Zen filters are shorter, they filter more, due to a higher density filter than the Vera Cruz Midnight.

toekuttr wrote:

As for the recon your on your own, and never apply the ammonia directly to the tobacco, (infuse in a sealed container, I wouldnt recommend this step). Rounding it w/ an all round bug spray should get you really close. Good luck, and again, be very careful w/ the ammonia!

HA! I haven't treated any tobaccos with ammonia, although I did treat both Top Light and Smokers Outlet ultralight with acidic rinses to lighten the nicotine load. In addition to removing some nicotine, the acidic rinses also considerably lightened the flavor, leaving a much milder taste in place.

alist

Puffer Joined: Sep 01, 2007 Posts: 73

by alist on Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:57 am

Jay wrote:

Smoking a menthol cig I made myself is like me having Listerine or a Breath mint in my mouth. I like that cool feeling.

See, I HATE winter and I HATE the cold. Smoking menthol during winter chills me to the bone, although I did do it for 3 years straight.

Jay wrote:

Seems like some smokers can't handle menthols, and I respect that.

I agree with that, although at the same time, I wonder if those who can't handle menthols haven't actually hit on the correct blend for them as of yet.

alist

Puffer Joined: Sep 01, 2007 Posts: 73

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