Hey all, so I just noticed that one of my in-laws raided my Skandinavik Full Aroma pouch while I was away for the weekend, didn't seal it properly, and much of the casing is off of it...its a pleasant smoke, but I had an idea mid bowl. The short and skinny is that I'm going to get some Sambvca Black and infuse it...my question is, would I be better off letting the tobacco 'breathe' it in (tobacco spread out around a shot glass inside a tupperware container) or just saturating the tobacco and sealing it up until the 'baccy drinks it in?
A Flavoring Experiment...Help Welcome
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Pour the Sambuca in slowly, while mixing (I like to use a big ziploc bag and inflate it). If you have a spare plant mister, use that to apply the liquor. Let it sit for a few days, then re-dry (spreading out the tobacco on a cookie sheet) to the desired moisture level.
Enjoy, then report back!
Enjoy, then report back!
Well, here's a half kind of update. Before doing the SFA/Sambvca attempt, I decided to try my hand at method (spritz and dry or soak and dry) so I did half one way, and half the other with a 2:1 mix of Troost AC and PS 84 Turkish with Black Velvet whiskey. The spritz/mist and dry was a success in that it imparted flavor, but not to the degree I hoped. The batch that soaked up the whiskey and then aired the alcohol has a nicer, richer flavor, with the Troost flavorings still making their oh-so-subtle appearance under the whiskey, and the Turkish rounding it out by reminding you that you are indeed smoking tobacco. All in all, its a solid first effort and I'm confident now in my method, so the actual SFA and Black Sambvca will commence tonight.
Okay, so here's a new update. The SFA is still drinking in the black sambvca, apparently Skandinavik likes to savor its liquor. Saturday, I'm going to put a little Carter Hall in some Tribuno Vermouth, and then tinker with a Manhattan blend.... The Troost/Turkish/Black Velvet turned out fantastically, and a little bit ago I got inspired or maybe just crazy from the heat. I'll keep you guys posted!
Hey, I did that with some old bulk vanilla tobacco that I found too boring many years ago. I tossed it in a bowl with some Meyers Rum, and let it soak and dry out on a cookie sheet to let the alcohol evaporate and to get the right moisture content to smoke. I found it a pleasant surprise, better than the rum flavored tobaccos I'd bought in the past. I just might have to try it again with another flavor of booze. Thanks for the post reminding me of this idea. :
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Buy yourself a spray bottle and spread out the tobacco and apply the spray to it to your liking. Little spray bottles are available in the cosmetic area at most large grocery stores. Below is a picture of me applying the sauce to my blend. In my case, I am using a mixture of professional sauces. They cost upwards of $100 for a half gallon! However, you can use booze or select a flavor from the spice isle at your grocery store. Still, not as concentrated, but it does work. Have patience and experiment. That's how I got started. Good luck!
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Thanks for the tip captainbob, I actually already have a sprayer and the Black Velvet whiskey tasted better after the soak and dry method, to my tastes. The Tribuno is so light that I rather expect ol CH to take it up quickly. I did not expect SFA to take as long as it has with the Black Sambvca, but hey, anything worth doing is worth doing right, yes? I am thinking of utilizing the spray method for some denser things, I just found a number of candy-making oils (clove, butterscotch, horehound, etc) and I may cut those with neutral grain spirits and spray, as they are quite condensed and powerful. Its funny, I've had some bartender training, and have been a baker all my life (with almost 7 years professionally), so I feel like this tobacco flavoring experimentation is a sibling to the two of them. I have to say this has been a fun and exciting process! Thanks everyone for checking in, and as always more updates to come!
I got to thinking about this thread some more today, and realized I had a perfect opportunity to try something different. I had some coffee/cappuccino flavored tobacco I got about 5 months ago, and just couldn't find much flavor in it, so I pretty much ignored it. But I got to thinking, I had some fairly strong dark roast coffee left over in this mornings pot. So I got the tray that fits in our large toaster oven that has a convection oven built in, and spread the 1 1/2 oz or so of tobacco I had over it, and filled a small spray bottle with the coffee and got to spraying. Stirred it around a little and sprayed some more, until it was pretty well saturated. Put it in the oven at about 160 deg. for 10 min. Took it out and stirred it some more and gave it another 10 min. Put it in front of a fan for about 1 hr. stirring occasionally until the moisture was about right.
This evening our neighbors invited us over for a bonfire and hotdog cook out, so I loaded up a cob with the new coffee tobacco and it now tasted more like coffee now, but without masking the tobacco flavor. I let my neighbor smell the tobacco, and he said it smelled more like coffee cake than just coffee. Yeah maybe a little bit, but it was still better than it was before. Hmm, coffee cake and coffee, might be my new morning smoke for a while.... :lol:
This evening our neighbors invited us over for a bonfire and hotdog cook out, so I loaded up a cob with the new coffee tobacco and it now tasted more like coffee now, but without masking the tobacco flavor. I let my neighbor smell the tobacco, and he said it smelled more like coffee cake than just coffee. Yeah maybe a little bit, but it was still better than it was before. Hmm, coffee cake and coffee, might be my new morning smoke for a while.... :lol:
If you are attempting to "infuse" a flavor, spray it. If you are only attempting to re-hydrate it with flavor, spray only the inside of the lid of your humidor. If you need more advice, respond in this topic or send me a PM.
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Been away a bit, sorry guys. So here's where we are: the SFA black sambvca is quite nice, the black sambvca seems to have reinvigorated the original casing of the SFA while adding a nice anise top that makes me think of homemade biscotti and tropical fruit punch....not a traditional pairing but a surprisngly refreshing summer mix. The Black Velvet Turkish is still a rich and smooth one, and the Carter Hall indeed took to Tribuno like a duck's ass to water. The pair, lightly dusted with Drew Estate Heirloom Cherry and shaken vigorously for 5 minutes produced a fine Manhattan...the first few puffs of each bowl produce a fullness of flavor almost as if you took a big sip of a Manhattan. The flavor tapers off a bit by the bottom of the bowl, allowing the Turkish and CH to play main stage a while. It is a nice end of day smoke and goes well with its namesake beverage. I am very glad I undertook these experiments, the end results are very satisfying.
Just to revisit this and update. I let a quantity of these sit and age in a tin (properly sealed and all, thanks to a friend) and some to sit and age in the breathing jars until drier and mellowed more. The Manhattan blend has the flavors melded in a way that makes it more evenly distributed, providing a full flavor experience from beginning to end. The SFA-Sam has lightened in flavor slightly, but the aroma is more pleasing and the smoke much cleaner. A year later, I feel safe declaring these experiments a success.
Just an update on this old chestnut. I finished off the Skandinavik/Sambvca earlier today. After leaving about a half an ounce in the jar, I had forgotten any of it was left. 2 years of setting in a sealed jar in the back of the cabinet. It was a smooth, clean smoke. Tobacco retained flavor excellently. No goop, no bite, just a good morning smoke with a cup of black coffee. Took flame easily, tamped and did not need a relight until about 2/3 of the way through. Light grey ash, cleaned out without issue.
All in all, a good learning experience.
All in all, a good learning experience.
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