Any Blending Tips/Suggestions for SWR?

[jdlander]

I have a can of SWR and half a dozen pouches. I really don't care for it, especially since STG made it taste and smell like vinegar.

But I don't really want to just throw it out...

I'm considering trying my hand at some blending. Maybe create my own Half-and-Half with a Virginia. Or throw in some black cavendish, and a bit of perique. Or maybe some Dark Fired Kentucky and Latakia.

With over 20 oz of SWR, I could try a bunch of different custom blends... however, the end result might be that I ruin good tobacco by trying to blend it with the bad.... But I would like to try a few custom blends just to see what happens.

So ... do you have any suggestions on "recipes"?

I do have a postal scale, so I can get fairly precise with measurements.

I would probably mix up several one-ounce blends, jar them for a few weeks to let them marry, and then try them out. Then, if I really like any of them, I can blend the rest.

 

[jdlander]

Maybe the best route is just to sell it to someone for a really low price and be done with it...

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

I could try a bunch of different custom blends... however, the end result might be that I ruin good tobacco by trying to blend it with the bad

SWRV is vile stuff. I rarely throw tobacco away, but I threw out a seven ounce can without a second thought. Don’t ruin good tobacco with this junk. I would open the cans and pouches and take a sniff just in case you got lucky on a few. If it smells like vinegar chuck it. The previous version of SWR was good. It is a shame that they screwed it up.

 

[jdlander]

SWRV is vile stuff.

SWRV = Sir Walter Raleigh Vinegar? LOL.

You are right. I'm not going to waste my time, or good tobacco, trying to salvage this trash.

 

[Skyfall]

Just be glad you don’t have more

 

[Pipeandapencil]

I take a whiff of SWRV before a heavy deadlift or bench press. Works great. Really gets the adrenaline pumping.

 

[OverMountain]

I have a can of SWR and half a dozen pouches. I really don't care for it, especially since STG made it taste and smell like vinegar.

But I don't really want to just throw it out...

I'm considering trying my hand at some blending. Maybe create my own Half-and-Half with a Virginia. Or throw in some black cavendish, and a bit of perique. Or maybe some Dark Fired Kentucky and Latakia.

With over 20 oz of SWR, I could try a bunch of different custom blends... however, the end result might be that I ruin good tobacco by trying to blend it with the bad.... But I would like to try a few custom blends just to see what happens.

So ... do you have any suggestions on "recipes"?

I do have a postal scale, so I can get fairly precise with measurements.

I would probably mix up several one-ounce blends, jar them for a few weeks to let them marry, and then try them out. Then, if I really like any of them, I can blend the rest.

There is an earlier message on here where Briar Lee or someone that knows what they’re talking about said they got the old SWR flavor leaving the lid off the tub to let the vinegar smell out. Don’t chuck it just yet. What the hell were they thinking to change the process after 100 years of it being GOOD ENUF??

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

SWRV = Sir Walter Raleigh Vinegar?

That is correct

As apposed to SWRA which I hear is still good.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

There is an earlier message on here where Briar Lee or someone that knows what they’re talking about said they got the old SWR flavor leaving the lid off the tub to let the vinegar smell out. Don’t chuck it just yet. What the hell were they thinking to change the process after 100 years of it being GOOD ENUF??

It’s worth a try. I spread some out on a plate and aired it out but it still smelled heavily of vinegar. I had no desire to try smoking it. The previous version had absolutely no vinegar smell that I could detect.

 

[khiddy]

Airing out any tobacco is a good thing. It improves most blends, and vastly improves some. There are many, many blends that have terrible initial tin/jar notes that really improve with a little oxidation/off-gassing.

Throwing tobacco away is something I will NEVER understand. And some folks (even “well-respected” smokers around here) seem to take joy in it.

Those people are monsters, and no amount of self-justification can change that.

 

[OverMountain]

It’s worth a try. I spread some out on a plate and aired it out but it still smelled heavily of vinegar. I had no desire to try smoking it. The previous version had absolutely no vinegar smell that I could detect.

They left the lid off for weeks and it redeemed the tub. It’s not a 30 minute process. The thread is here somewhere.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

They left the lid off for weeks and it redeemed the tub. It’s not a 30 minute process. The thread is here somewhere.

I don’t remember exactly how long I aired it out. It may have been overnight. Weeks might do it.

 

[Hutch Piper]

I’ve aired a pouch out for 3 weeks and I still couldn’t smoke it. Fortunately, I stocked up on the old stuff which I very much enjoy.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

Throwing tobacco away is something I will NEVER understand.

I agree with you, I have thrown away very little tobacco. But, I do not consider SWRV to be tobacco. It is a vinegar soaked weed of some sort.

 

[MidTNPiper]

I put it to ya’ll this way, bought five 7oz tubs with mid 2023 date codes - I believe that is shortly after moving production? - one of which has been opened for 2.5 years now. It’s still not smokeable. Another accidebtly had a seal broken for about 12 months or so, same result.

Is it going to get better? Doubt it. I was burned trying to stock up on a fairly inexpensive OTC that has long shelf life I could keep in my insulated but no HVAC barn here in Tennessee. Unfortunately Grainger bites me too much. I may try to keep a PA out there to fit the bill; havent had new production of that either though.

For me, maybe HBS and Pegasus only.

Se la Vie…

 

[tartanphantom]

I put it to ya’ll this way, bought five 7oz tubs with mid 2023 date codes - I believe that is shortly after moving production? - one of which has been opened for 2.5 years now. It’s still not smokeable. Another accidebtly had a seal broken for about 12 months or so, same result.

Is it going to get better? Doubt it. I was burned trying to stock up on a fairly inexpensive OTC that has long shelf life I could keep in my insulated but no HVAC barn here in Tennessee. Unfortunately Grainger bites me too much. I may try to keep a PA out there to fit the bill; havent had new production of that either though.

For me, maybe HBS and Pegasus only.

Se la Vie…

I find the current Dominican Republic-made Carter Hall to still be quite enjoyable. I also enjoy the current iteration of Half & Half, not as much at the old Georgia-made version, but that's not a blend for everyone, and some folks just can't get on with the topnote. regardless of where it's made. Also, if Granger bites you, then H&H will most likely bite you for sure, unless you modify your smoking cadence.
But not Carter Hall. I can puff away on that blend like a runaway Big Boy Locomotive, and it's never bit me, not once.

I think SWR is pretty much dead at this point if the current production methods continue.

 

[elvishrunes]

I wasn’t in love with the aro American version, but still have a jar, especially now that it’s discontinued. But it was certainly smokable.

Yeah tobacco can keep for decades so I’d just jar it, never throw anything away Unless it’s absolutely disgusting, especially these days of uncertainty. Vinegar will ferment with the tobacco and change and disappear…. You could cut it with 50% to 75% Virginia or other to dilute it too, and jar.

I’d risk it and blend it.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

Airing out any tobacco is a good thing. It improves most blends, and vastly improves some. There are many, many blends that have terrible initial tin/jar notes that really improve with a little oxidation/off-gassing.

Throwing tobacco away is something I will NEVER understand. And some folks (even “well-respected” smokers around here) seem to take joy in it.

Those people are monsters, and no amount of self-justification can change that.

I agree with everything you say. I give my tobacco time in a jar, opening the jar occasionally, and it always improves. I am not too fussy and will smoke small quantities or give away tobacco I don’t like. I have heard the vinegar level is on a spectrum with the new SWR. The can I bought was as if someone had poured a cup of apple cider vinegar in the can. When I opened the can l stuck my nose in expecting that nice burley, cocoa aroma but I got punched in the face with vinegar. It burned my sinuses and made my eyes water. It’s no big deal for me because I have other blends I prefer. It’s just disappointing that STG chose to screw up a good thing for those who have enjoyed it for years. Have you tried the new SWR? What are your thoughts on it?

 

[OverMountain]

BEHOLD!
The link: Danish Sir Walter Raleigh :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/danish-sir-walter-raleigh.103570/page-6#post-37244402

Crack for 60 days.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

BEHOLD!
The link: Danish Sir Walter Raleigh :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/danish-sir-walter-raleigh.103570/page-6#post-37244402

Crack for 60 days.

I was in on that thread. It might become smokable, but I doubt it will taste the same as the previous version. Let us know how it turns out. It might be a good way to salvage what you have.