Ever imagine what it would be like to have twelve fingers? Of course you have.
The default number system humans use is called base-10 and it works really well without paper because we have 10 fingers. One of the downsides of this numbering system is that it means blending more difficult. When we think in base 10, we lean towards blends that have 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent. What if we want our blend our blend to be one sixth perique because that ratio just seems right? In base ten, we’re looking at 16.66~ percent perique which is a non-round repeating number.
In base six, you just think ” i’ll mix together five pounds of the other stuff and one pound of perique”. This is also the best way to make a mixture with a traditional lighter perique ratio. If you think in base12 and imagine blending 1 pound of perique with 11 pounds of your other ingredients, you are having an easier time than working in base-10 and trying to figure out how to get 8.33~ percent. By zooming out, we can make working with threes much easier.
See blending (whether it is tobacco, a cocktail, or even cooking) as a problem where you can merely tilt your perspective to make things easier.
Cheers,
Ken