Why do all McClelland's Blends Smell Like Ketchup?Catsup?
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It's been discussed a bit here before. I've also read several theories. Soem speculate it's vinegar to perhaps prevent mold or off set alakaline tongue bit.
Some say it's a natural fermentation.
I'm not sure anyone but the folks at McClelland really know.
I'm not sure it's ketchup, or as some say Heinz 57 or Worcestershire. Whatever it is it is there. I can smell it in other blends. Some of the Hearth and Home stuff clearly has McClelland components in it. Frenchy's Suzabitches comes immediately to mind.
Interesting that this aroma is sort of to McCl what the "soapy" essence is to Gawtih stuff more so G&H than Sam. Even their ropes and heavy shags have a hint of that smell. It makes me salivate like a Pavlovian pooch.
Maybe one of our esteemed correspondents can ferret out an answer if they do a piece on McCl.
Some say it's a natural fermentation.
I'm not sure anyone but the folks at McClelland really know.
I'm not sure it's ketchup, or as some say Heinz 57 or Worcestershire. Whatever it is it is there. I can smell it in other blends. Some of the Hearth and Home stuff clearly has McClelland components in it. Frenchy's Suzabitches comes immediately to mind.
Interesting that this aroma is sort of to McCl what the "soapy" essence is to Gawtih stuff more so G&H than Sam. Even their ropes and heavy shags have a hint of that smell. It makes me salivate like a Pavlovian pooch.
Maybe one of our esteemed correspondents can ferret out an answer if they do a piece on McCl.
I haven't had the opportunity to ask McClelland directly, but after traveling through South Carolina and North Carolina interviewing several people in the business about tobacco production, I feel confident that it is vinegar used in the production.
(I am in Raleigh, NC right now. I've been on the road since Thursday. I get home Saturday.)
(I am in Raleigh, NC right now. I've been on the road since Thursday. I get home Saturday.)
I think Rick nailed it with the "acetic acid used to offset the alkalinity" theory, which, BTW, is alluded to somewhere in Greg Pease's blog -- though I don't think he admits to doing it himself.
This is a frequently discussed issue. Tad Gage, of P&T magazine has commented that this is the natural fermentation note of unstoved Virginias that are aged in cakes.
To me, it doesn't influence the taste of the blend, while others report that it does. I generally groom a blend prior to smoking it, which has me empty a tin or spread out a bulk, in order to do so. Sometimes, if it's wet I'll let it air overnight. Blenders prefer to ship tobacco wet, and I'd rather deal with marginal losses in weight than open a bag or tin and find dust that the tobacco was reduced to during shipping. Very often, doing this will allow this fermentation note to fade dramatically.
To me, it doesn't influence the taste of the blend, while others report that it does. I generally groom a blend prior to smoking it, which has me empty a tin or spread out a bulk, in order to do so. Sometimes, if it's wet I'll let it air overnight. Blenders prefer to ship tobacco wet, and I'd rather deal with marginal losses in weight than open a bag or tin and find dust that the tobacco was reduced to during shipping. Very often, doing this will allow this fermentation note to fade dramatically.
I think I would have difficulty with any blend that smelled of Catsup.
I can consume it when it is in a recipe, e.g. Bar-B-Que sauce.
But, even on fries I have mustard.
I just can't get past that smell.
I can consume it when it is in a recipe, e.g. Bar-B-Que sauce.
But, even on fries I have mustard.
I just can't get past that smell.
I'm not going to open an new thread on this because there are like 20. But, I just got around to trying some of their VAs. Interestingly enough, FMC smells like BBQ to me. But Holy Cow! The VAs smell like ketchup! I was wondering if anyone has truly gotten to the bottom of this yet.
There definitely are some McClelland components in a number of Hearth & Home blends, but Frenchy's Sunzabitches isn't one of them. That blend is a Va/Per/Bur with a topping of Bourbon, and the tobaccos come from other companies.
Russ
Russ
And really? Mustard on fries. I've heard of Mayonaisse, but mustard? That is just weird unusual.
I love the ketsup smell on the tobacco. Just kinda works. Does not translate to the smoke.
P.S. Honey mustard is crazy good on fires. BBQ, Honey, Ketsup(with a lot of pepper), tartar sauce, I can't think of anything else... but potatoes go with damn near everything.
P.S. Honey mustard is crazy good on fires. BBQ, Honey, Ketsup(with a lot of pepper), tartar sauce, I can't think of anything else... but potatoes go with damn near everything.
I don't particularly enjoy that smell, but I do fine the tobaccos to be enjoyable.
The last two nights I've been smoking Blackwoods Flake, and while I'm not a huge fan of the smell, my goodness....that is the first Virginia I've smoked where I really got the natural sweetness. Like, mouth-watering sweet at times. Sometimes just liking my lips was like I had sugar on them.
So, I can get past the smell for that kind of smoke.
Chris
The last two nights I've been smoking Blackwoods Flake, and while I'm not a huge fan of the smell, my goodness....that is the first Virginia I've smoked where I really got the natural sweetness. Like, mouth-watering sweet at times. Sometimes just liking my lips was like I had sugar on them.
So, I can get past the smell for that kind of smoke.
Chris
Perhaps it's decades of smoking that has dulled my taste and sense of smell, but I don't detect hints of leather, chocolate, et al in my cigars and have never detected ketchup in pipe tobacco, whether McClelland or any other.
Oddly enough, I cook a great deal and my sense of smell and taste function quite well in so doing ... I have no idea what to make of any of this, but I DO enjoy both my pipes and cigars.
Oddly enough, I cook a great deal and my sense of smell and taste function quite well in so doing ... I have no idea what to make of any of this, but I DO enjoy both my pipes and cigars.
To me, it doesn't smell so much like ketchup as it does like Chinese red vinegar ("hong su"). But I've never tasted it in the tobacco, so it's a non-issue.
I've smelled that vinegar-ketchup reek in many tins from McClelland, but I've never tasted it in the smoke, not even a hint of it, so I really don't care why it's present.
I've always found the tin note of a blend to be largely irrelevant, anyway; I've opened tins that had ambrosial aromas only to discover that the tobacco tasted like crud, and I've smoked tobaccos with bland aromas that tasted heavenly, and everything in between. I will shove my snoot into a tin of unfamiliar tobacco out of curiosity, and I suppose that the aroma can help to confirm the presence of a suspected condiment leaf in a blend, but I never expect what I smell to translate into what I taste once I light up and start puffing.
I've always found the tin note of a blend to be largely irrelevant, anyway; I've opened tins that had ambrosial aromas only to discover that the tobacco tasted like crud, and I've smoked tobaccos with bland aromas that tasted heavenly, and everything in between. I will shove my snoot into a tin of unfamiliar tobacco out of curiosity, and I suppose that the aroma can help to confirm the presence of a suspected condiment leaf in a blend, but I never expect what I smell to translate into what I taste once I light up and start puffing.
Whenever I smell that scent in other things, during my day to day, I'm always pavlovian-like "Time for some McClellands!"
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