Sorry, this isn't a recipe for a horrid beverage. . .
A couple of weeks ago I bid on an eBay tin of A&C Petersen Caledonian Curly-Cut Melange #410, a delicious blend I first discovered in the mid-80s. It was being sold by a man who discovered his late father's stash of 28 tins, in their original boxes. (This blend has been out of production since the early 1990s.) I won the bidding.
You should know that this tobacco was a spun-cut VA/perique, with some kind of amazingly seductive top note added to it. You should also know that I've learned I simply can't smoke perique without a bad physical reaction. But I had enjoyed this blend so much -- it's near-mythical for me -- I was willing to suffer the consequences just to have another go.
I knew something was wrong the minute I opened the package. Rust spots on the tin. I opened it and discovered that the top note was completely gone, the tobacco completely dried out. It wasn't going to be the experience I'd hoped for.
I explained the situation to the seller, who offered to replace my tin with one showing no signs of rust. But I declined. After all -- even though we all wink at each other about it -- the eBay listing clearly states that the auction is for the tin, not the tobacco. And I believed the seller had no idea what a few tiny rust spots could do to a sealed tin. So I decided to keep the tin and rehydrate it. I'd never get that topping back. But maybe I could do something else with this "lemon."
Since I'm extremely sensitive to perique, I've decided to use this tin as a training tool. I'm filling my pipes nearly full of other blends, then topping them with either a coin or a pinch from the VA/per blend. Believe it or not, that small amount is still quite strong in my mouth. But I figure if I do this for a couple of weeks, I might be able to build up my tolerance for perique to the point where I might be able to smoke some blends I must now avoid.
Will it work? Who knows. But I know I've come to look forward to that hit of hot pepper spice in my bowl. And while the Melange #410 isn't the blend I'd hoped for, it might be the blend I really need right now to broaden my experience. (And, yes, I've since corresponded a bit with that eBay seller, encouraging him to mention and show any signs of rust on future tins he puts up for sale.)
Bob
A couple of weeks ago I bid on an eBay tin of A&C Petersen Caledonian Curly-Cut Melange #410, a delicious blend I first discovered in the mid-80s. It was being sold by a man who discovered his late father's stash of 28 tins, in their original boxes. (This blend has been out of production since the early 1990s.) I won the bidding.
You should know that this tobacco was a spun-cut VA/perique, with some kind of amazingly seductive top note added to it. You should also know that I've learned I simply can't smoke perique without a bad physical reaction. But I had enjoyed this blend so much -- it's near-mythical for me -- I was willing to suffer the consequences just to have another go.
I knew something was wrong the minute I opened the package. Rust spots on the tin. I opened it and discovered that the top note was completely gone, the tobacco completely dried out. It wasn't going to be the experience I'd hoped for.
I explained the situation to the seller, who offered to replace my tin with one showing no signs of rust. But I declined. After all -- even though we all wink at each other about it -- the eBay listing clearly states that the auction is for the tin, not the tobacco. And I believed the seller had no idea what a few tiny rust spots could do to a sealed tin. So I decided to keep the tin and rehydrate it. I'd never get that topping back. But maybe I could do something else with this "lemon."
Since I'm extremely sensitive to perique, I've decided to use this tin as a training tool. I'm filling my pipes nearly full of other blends, then topping them with either a coin or a pinch from the VA/per blend. Believe it or not, that small amount is still quite strong in my mouth. But I figure if I do this for a couple of weeks, I might be able to build up my tolerance for perique to the point where I might be able to smoke some blends I must now avoid.
Will it work? Who knows. But I know I've come to look forward to that hit of hot pepper spice in my bowl. And while the Melange #410 isn't the blend I'd hoped for, it might be the blend I really need right now to broaden my experience. (And, yes, I've since corresponded a bit with that eBay seller, encouraging him to mention and show any signs of rust on future tins he puts up for sale.)
Bob
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