by Kenneth Lieblich
About fifteen months ago, I wrote a blog post here on my first attempt at blending tobacco. From some online forum, I had learned of a “recipe” to recreate McClelland’s Frog Morton tobacco, and this mix was (appropriately) called the Ghost of Frog Morton. This consisted of a 50-50 mixture of Peter Stokkebye English Luxury PS 17 and Lane Limited HGL. I was mildly concerned about the volume of Lane Limited HGL, as I’m not a strong aromatic fan, but figured it was worth a shot. At the time, I committed to jarring the stuff for a year (to let flavours blend) before trying it out. More than a year on, I’ve had some requests for an update on how it turned out and this is that update.
Let’s have a closer look at the two tobaccos that make us Ghost of Frog Morton. First, Peter Stokkebye English Luxury PS 17 is made with Georgian Virginias, black cavendish, Mexican burleys and Cyprian Latakia. This is a milder English blend than I tend to smoke (which is ok) and it has a certain sweetness to it. I’m not sure if this is a topping or not, but it is noticeable. Second, Lane Limited HGL is an American blend (not usually my style) made with toasted black cavendish, Latakia, white burley and golden Virginia. It is quite sweet. Despite the four components of each tobacco being the same, they are quite different as mixtures.
I want to acknowledge that many sympathetic correspondents were correct in saying that this mixture bears little resemblance to the original Frog Morton. This has no bearing on whether the tobacco is enjoyable or not, but it’s worth noting that someone must have very odd tastebuds to think that Frog Morton and Ghost of Frog Morton were alike!
Upon opening a jar of the stuff a year on, I decided to try the tobacco in a corn cob for two reasons. First, I felt this would provide a neutral medium through which to try GoFM. Second, the blend smelled too “aromatic” for me and I didn’t want to ghost (pun intended) a briar with it, in case it wasn’t to my taste.
Ghost of Frog Morton is a decent blend for those wanting a hybrid between English and aromatic tobaccos. I don’t claim any great expertise in either tasting or blending, but this is a bit too aromatic for me. I’m glad I tried it, but it is not really my thing. I like the idea of having a slightly hybrid tobacco on occasion, but I would lean towards something even less aromatic than this. If I tried this again, I would alter the Stokkebye/Lane ratio from 1:1 to 3:1 or even 4:1. For those who enjoy hybrids, I would recommend trying this blend. The base tobaccos are quite inexpensive and it is easy to produce.
In the comments to my original post, Jack Gillespie suggested Sutliff’s Eastfarthing as a similar hybrid that suits him. I tried that too, and it was better than GoFM but still a bit too vanilla/aromatic for me. I guess I’m an inveterate English and Virginia man! I hope you enjoyed reading this brief review of Ghost of Frog Morton. If you are interested in my work, please follow me here on Steve’s website or email me directly at kenneth@knightsofthepipe.com. Thank you very much for reading and, as always, I welcome and encourage your comments.
rebornpipes 
Without a doubt, Frog Morton’s. This is the opinion of a great many pipe sippers. The cans are $200, if you can find em. I believe it’s worth allot more and will continue to go up in value.
Remember the original Balkan Sobraine? Yea. That kind of value. The last 2 cans were listed at $2,000 each. And yes, someone bought them. There are people out there with allot of money. Some of those people are pipe smokers.
If you want Frog Morton’s returned it’s not enough to learn the original recipe and proportions. You must learn the manufacturing process, step-by-step to the end. And you must have all the original equipment.
Considering the high quality of the tobacco and the prices after it’s discontinuation. It’s a slow hand made painstaking process to manufacture it. The end result is a perfect draw.
If you want Frog Morton’s back you must talk with the original owners, Mike and Mary. You must convince them to share the recipe and their manufacturing processes. At least convince them to leave it to the community in their estate will.
It can be continued under a the same or different name to honor the original creators.
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Nicely done, Kenneth! Would you say this hybrid was sweeter than Eastfarthing, less sweet, or about the same?
Thanks for the mention, by the way! I wasn’t expecting that.
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That’s a tricky question to answer, as I don’t have both to compare. I think they are probably similar in sweetness. What I would say, however, is that the GoFM seemed a bit “more aromatic” (if that makes sense) than Eastfarthing. Eastfarthing is quite good. I don’t think I’d have it all the time, personally, but it is better than GoFM.
Happy to mention you, as you inspired me to try Eastfarthing!
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Hi Ken, This is intriguing to me because my introduction into pipe smoking was at the tail end of Frog Morton run. Also it was one of the blend that I basically cut my teeth on. Lucky me, I know…😎 I still have a jar of each of the FM blends squirreled away, so I just might have to dig them out now after reading this. Also I’m going to try to mix up some using your recipe. This sounds like a great winter time project to do on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Thanks for sharing!
Dominic
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Thanks Dominic. Give the blend a try — and let me know if you like it!
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