Although I like an Aromatic from time to time, I don't smoke them exclusively. So what eventually happens is that a few of these tobaccos get a few years of age on them. Knowing that age on aromatics isn't necessarily a great thing, it becomes an experiment to see which ones hold up and which ones end up getting dumped.
So far I've dumped McBaren Plumcake, GH&CoGrasmere Flake, and GH&Co Scotch Flake. They deteriorated in their aromatic flavor as well as had dreaded the cardboard note. To be honest this suprised me with GH&Co. I figured these blends would've at least held on to some life because of the tobacco quality.
Three blends that I've discovered that do hold up and end up changing for the better is C&D Autumn Evening, C&D Golden Days of Yore, and GH&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake. Looking at these threee separately, I'll report my findings.
C&D Autumn Evening:
A fresh tin offers that wonderful Maple Syrup smell that completely translates to the taste. A jar dated 2015, still offers up that maple aroma, but with a coffee/cohocolate note that melds well with a muted brown sugar note from the red Virginia cavendish. The smoke begins a little sour, slightly off putting as memory searches for that fresh tin flavor. After a few more sips(the magic of the sip is crucial here) a wonderful Virginia flavor wrapped in notes of coffee and morsels of chocolate evelope the palate. This stays steady to the end of the smoke. The mouth feel is soft and delicate. I like this stuff fresh but it's more nuanced with age. A wonderful morning smoke with a cup of Coffee.
C&D Golden Days of Yore:
The fresh tin has notes of Rum/Chocolate/Christmas spices. Egg Nogg does come to mind, with a chocolate twist. Smell does translate to the first half of the bowl, but the Katerini Dark fired and bready Virginia's soon occupy the taste. In a two year old tin, the tin note is just as good, but the first bowl is "Where's my chocolate EggNogg?" After letting it sit in a jar for a few days the blend really opens up.. The top quality leaf reveals itself more with some age, allowing the topping to meld better with the tobacco. Less bite than a fresh tin. It becomes something a little different than it is at birth. Mesmerizing in a Katerini/darkfired Christmas spice tobacco cocktail kind of way.
Bob's Chocolate Flake:
2014 Bulk, fresh, its a powdery Chocolate/vanilla floral Lakeland burley, Virginia, and 5% Latakia tour de force. With age, it's covered in sugar crystals and soft to the touch. Upon lighting, the chocolate/vanilla Lakeland essence plays a minor supporting role in an All Star cast of burley, Virginia, and that smidge of Latakia. As the role call is made and the cast line up, they play to a script very different than their younger selves. Notes of soft, velvety Chinese Keemun tea drift to the nose. Tea softly touched with powdery chocolate and vanilla notes. The floral essence is barley there. No Latakia ever is noticed until the bottom of the bowl. There, it offers a soft oriental spice, with nuances of velvety Keemun tea. . Simply exquisite. A soft sip is needed throughout the experience, or a lot of the flavor is lost.
Well that wraps it up. I like these blends fresh. I like an aromatic in the morning, as a first smoke, with coffee or tea. The two aged C&D blends fall into the coffee/morning routine. The aged GH&Co offering I like more with a glass of water and time spent in amazement that tobacco can taste of tea.
So far I've dumped McBaren Plumcake, GH&CoGrasmere Flake, and GH&Co Scotch Flake. They deteriorated in their aromatic flavor as well as had dreaded the cardboard note. To be honest this suprised me with GH&Co. I figured these blends would've at least held on to some life because of the tobacco quality.
Three blends that I've discovered that do hold up and end up changing for the better is C&D Autumn Evening, C&D Golden Days of Yore, and GH&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake. Looking at these threee separately, I'll report my findings.
C&D Autumn Evening:
A fresh tin offers that wonderful Maple Syrup smell that completely translates to the taste. A jar dated 2015, still offers up that maple aroma, but with a coffee/cohocolate note that melds well with a muted brown sugar note from the red Virginia cavendish. The smoke begins a little sour, slightly off putting as memory searches for that fresh tin flavor. After a few more sips(the magic of the sip is crucial here) a wonderful Virginia flavor wrapped in notes of coffee and morsels of chocolate evelope the palate. This stays steady to the end of the smoke. The mouth feel is soft and delicate. I like this stuff fresh but it's more nuanced with age. A wonderful morning smoke with a cup of Coffee.
C&D Golden Days of Yore:
The fresh tin has notes of Rum/Chocolate/Christmas spices. Egg Nogg does come to mind, with a chocolate twist. Smell does translate to the first half of the bowl, but the Katerini Dark fired and bready Virginia's soon occupy the taste. In a two year old tin, the tin note is just as good, but the first bowl is "Where's my chocolate EggNogg?" After letting it sit in a jar for a few days the blend really opens up.. The top quality leaf reveals itself more with some age, allowing the topping to meld better with the tobacco. Less bite than a fresh tin. It becomes something a little different than it is at birth. Mesmerizing in a Katerini/darkfired Christmas spice tobacco cocktail kind of way.
Bob's Chocolate Flake:
2014 Bulk, fresh, its a powdery Chocolate/vanilla floral Lakeland burley, Virginia, and 5% Latakia tour de force. With age, it's covered in sugar crystals and soft to the touch. Upon lighting, the chocolate/vanilla Lakeland essence plays a minor supporting role in an All Star cast of burley, Virginia, and that smidge of Latakia. As the role call is made and the cast line up, they play to a script very different than their younger selves. Notes of soft, velvety Chinese Keemun tea drift to the nose. Tea softly touched with powdery chocolate and vanilla notes. The floral essence is barley there. No Latakia ever is noticed until the bottom of the bowl. There, it offers a soft oriental spice, with nuances of velvety Keemun tea. . Simply exquisite. A soft sip is needed throughout the experience, or a lot of the flavor is lost.
Well that wraps it up. I like these blends fresh. I like an aromatic in the morning, as a first smoke, with coffee or tea. The two aged C&D blends fall into the coffee/morning routine. The aged GH&Co offering I like more with a glass of water and time spent in amazement that tobacco can taste of tea.