Are C&D Bulks Not As Good?

[cosmicfolklore]

Does the tobacco really lose anything by being dried that long?

No, water being absent from tobacco doesn't hurt anything, but when it comes to drying down past losing essential oils of the leaf, then it starts to become tasteless. But, what causes tobaccos to lose these oils is more abstract. It's not just drying. A tobacco can be hydrated, but still lose oils.

99% of what guys think concerning dryness and staleness of their tobaccos is mostly psychological.

 

[crashthegrey]

I keep buying tins and bulk of the same blends, and while they definitely can seem different, I find no consistent better or worse between them, not so much that one can choose to buy a tin or bulk of any blend they have not tried both, in my opinion. YMMV.

 

[saltedplug]

As I understand it baled tobacco is in stasis, and thus loses little or nothing.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Baled tobaccos have to be stacked and restacked to rotate the middle to the inside to keep the fermenting even, usually weekly. But, I am not even talking about stacked tobaccos. Tobacco will hang in the barn through two sweats, which is yearly, and even then, sometimes the crop in more Northern areas will bury the crop if the prices aren't adventageous for that year. And, further South, they will just leave it in the barn.
Nice try though, Salted. ::

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I've recently tried and been smoking a number of C&D Blends, kind of a second chance. Glad I did. Some of their stuff just isn't for me. I've tried Billy Budd a few times and had to check to make sure someone hadn't switched it with some grass clippings from my lawn. However, lots of people seem to like it.
I am really enjoying (and will buy quite a bit more) of Opening Night, Redburn, Burley Flake #4 & #5. I like Black Frigate and Pirate Kake, need to smoke more to see if they warrant buying more. They're very good but Black Frigate for example competes with Westminster, Abingdon, Quiet Nights and several other superb blends.
As far as C&D Bulks go, if you like VA, Yorktown is a real find. That's an incredible bargain for the quality and flavor of that blend. C&D seems to have taken their own path with how they blend, case, top, etc. and the dryness level they ship with. It may take some getting used to but it would be a shame to write them off.

 

[haparnold]

+1 on Opening Night and Yorktown. Unless those of you reading this are planning to buy so much that it's hard for me to obtain. In which case, it's terrible.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

Yikes, so many I haven't tried. Never realized just how big this list is.
Yorktown is definitely on my list. Right now I'm just putting down stuff I know I can get in bulk, but I'll likely throw in a tin of this or that in which I can't get in bulk, like the Opening Night. Redburn is something I really want to try as well. So many good tobaccos to try.

 

[Chasing Embers]

More than half of my cellar is C&D bulk.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Matt, I know you like Maltese Falcon. Have you tried GLP Chelsea Morning? Lots of similarities, both superb.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I have not tried that one yet. I've heard a lot of people talk about it and like it, so I'm going to have to give it a shot too.

 

[blackadderlxx]

Okay, so I guess to check a few boxes, have you tried any of the following and what say you about them:
Bayou Morning

Derringer

Oriental Silk

Exclusive

Orion's Arrow

Yorktown
Those all look like pretty interesting VA blends that I have added to my list.

To be clear, I'm not saying they're bad or I hate their Virginia forward blends, I'm just saying they're not something I like. From this list here, I've tried Oriental Silk and Bayou Morning. They were both okay to me, but nothing I would order again. I've tried a few GLP blends that were Va forward and wasn't really a fan of those either, and GLP is my favorite blender.

Matt, I know you like Maltese Falcon. Have you tried GLP Chelsea Morning? Lots of similarities, both superb.

Man, so good...

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I see. Yeah, everyone has different tastes and that always makes a huge difference. Some guys can't stand one thing and love another, yet for someone else, it's the complete opposite. This is why it's so important to me to give anything a fair shake and give it a try. That's why I'm picking up a shit ton of 1 ounce bulks to give a try and see what I like and learn what I don't.
For far too long I've been all over the damn map. I start to go down one rabbit hole when out of no where "Rattray's just dropped a load!" or "Esoterica just landed!" knocks me off the road and I end up taking a detour. It's not been bad, mind you, but I need to structure myself a little more. Every time those one-off shipments hit, I never have enough dough to rack up 5 pounds of something I have never tried before simply because it possibly won't be back around for a while.
Hopefully this plan will pan out and I can focus on getting an actual cellar started finally.

 

[raevans]

Back in August I bought an 8oz tin because I read on the forums that the C&D tins are better then the bulk. Their right, I enjoyed the tin better then the bulk. It wasn't as harsh from the tin.

I wonder if adding some age to the bulk would take away the harshness?

 

[haparnold]

I start to go down one rabbit hole when out of no where "Rattray's just dropped a load!" or "Esoterica just landed!" knocks me off the road and I end up taking a detour. It's not been bad, mind you, but I need to structure myself a little more. Every time those one-off shipments hit, I never have enough dough to rack up 5 pounds of something I have never tried before simply because it possibly won't be back around for a while.

Yeah, I've been guilty of this in the past, but more disciplined cellaring has made me a happier man. I've realized that I could be totally content if I had just a couple treasured (but not rare) blends. To that end, I'm cellaring deeply on blends I could smoke forever, and rarely adding a new tin on occasion. It felt very freeing to find that Rattray's was available and to buy a pound of Three Friars instead. Cornell and Diehl bulks are, to me, the perfect balance of quality and price.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I wonder if adding some age to the bulk would take away the harshness?

I have no found a discernible difference. I would bet in a blind taste test, 90% or more could not consistently distinguish between the tin and the bulk. I have very, very few tins of stuff I can buy in bulk.

 

[ray47]

I wonder if adding some age to the bulk would take away the harshness?

Yes aging will help with the bulk. C&D blends are known to be rather harsh when fresh and I've found that letting it sit in a jar for about 2 months helps with alleviating the harshness.

 

[rdavid]

The "degradation" after the tin is open for a week or so is generally just a mellowing of the flavor characteristics anyhow. It's not like the tobacco changes drastically.

I've noticed with several tinned blends, that a freshly opened tin can taste raw or green? I almost always enjoy a tinned blend more so after it's been opened for a few days/weeks. Certainly moisture level is affected but the taste does seem to mellow or even out considerably.
The big draw for me towards readily available bulk blends is the ability to try a one ounce sample, then when I go back to order more it's still in stock! These "drops" are frustrating because I panic and might be spending good money on something I don't like due to the fact they're usually gone in hours or even minutes. The one saving grace is I might be able to trade it off if I need to. At this point, I do rely heavily on reviews both here and TR but I have to filter through the bullshit and read between the lines. So far, so good. Another huge plus is that I'm finally finding my own preferences with more experience and C&D burleys are most certainly at the top of my list.

 

[blackadderlxx]

I see. Yeah, everyone has different tastes and that always makes a huge difference. Some guys can't stand one thing and love another, yet for someone else, it's the complete opposite. This is why it's so important to me to give anything a fair shake and give it a try. That's why I'm picking up a shit ton of 1 ounce bulks to give a try and see what I like and learn what I don't.
For far too long I've been all over the damn map. I start to go down one rabbit hole when out of no where "Rattray's just dropped a load!" or "Esoterica just landed!" knocks me off the road and I end up taking a detour. It's not been bad, mind you, but I need to structure myself a little more. Every time those one-off shipments hit, I never have enough dough to rack up 5 pounds of something I have never tried before simply because it possibly won't be back around for a while.
Hopefully this plan will pan out and I can focus on getting an actual cellar started finally.

I hear that. I try desperately to stay away from the HTF blends.
Also, I commend the approach of looking for high quality and value in a blend. I'm doing the same thing myself, but I'm finding myself not as fond of the GLP/C&D virginia blends. But I do have something like 5 pounds of LBF, and a pound plus each of Anni Kake and LNF. I just like those Virginias better than C&D. I've also got some Arango Balkan Supreme which IMO is an amazing blend out there especially for bulk. And PS Proper English is another one. I think my big C&D blends are going to be Habana Daydream and Billy Budd. I do love their cigar leaf blends.

 

[derfargin]

C&D makes up most of my cellar, I'm a huge fan of the tins AND bulk. If I had to smoke C&D and Pease blends from here on out, I wouldn't be disappointed. I would miss Bengal Slices though, oh..and Condor
Some of my favorites that come in bulks are:
Mountain Camp

Billy Budd

Pegasus

Morley's Best

Orion's Arrow

Oriental Silk

Poplar Camp

Crooner

Epiphany

Old Joe Krantz(the original) I haven't had any of the other color label releases.
Tins:
5 O'Clock Shadow

Mississippi Mud

Star of the East Flake

Exhausted Rooster
By far I have more bulk than tins in the C&D line. I haven't made a comparison with tin versions vs. bulk but I dont have the time nor the desire to try to decide which is better, I'm ok with how things sit in my house.

 

[mso489]

I haven't done any careful comparisons between C&D tinned and bulk, but over years I've been entirely satisfied with C&D bulk. My first experience with Bayou Night in the old days when blending was in Morganton NC, the blend seemed harsh, but the recent bulk I ordered was delicious and polished off quickly for a glacially slow smoker. For me, C&D is for burley what McClellands was to Virginia blends, the standard setter for creative excellence. C&D just has a way with burley leaf.