okiescout, I just began smoking the Vanilla Creme Flake and I am really enjoying it with no bite. What shape and size pipe are you using? How tight are you packing? It needs no drying as my tins have come at the perfect humidity.
Cigarmaster, thank you for your interest. I respect your opinion very much.
My thoughts are it may be back to the PH thing. I have mostly quarter bents (consisting of a Dunn Hill, Poul Winslows, Mastro de Pajas, Savs , Petersons, Stanwells, Nordings, Nielsens, Charatans, Ardors, and about 1/2 dozen or so other makers. Most of them in medium to larger boles. I honestly cannot remember which ones I smoked it in as it has been at least a year or more ago. It was probably Mastro de pajas for the most part because I favor them and smoke them much more frequently in my rotations. They are primarily quarter bents with 3/4" diameter bored boles. When I first started smoking, my packing was a problem. Today I pack well enough that the blends which I enjoy, with the exception of pushing a VA occasionally, do not bite.
When an aromatic bites, and I have smoked aromatics primarily for years, I will let it air for a short time and try it again. Failing in this, I cellar and try it again 6 months or a year later. This can work wonders as guys who smoke aromatics frequently, and do this, are probably aware of. Some aromatics can generally be too wet as in the case of Molto Dolce, while some can come quite dried out (warehousing or shipping issues I am thinking).
While I enjoy some Mac VA and VaPer tobacco, I personally am not as big on their aromatics. Russ at H&H has many great aromatics along with, PS 6 Vanilla, Ole Shenandoah Barrel #76, CAO, Cult BRM, Scotty's, Lanes, Boswell's PA Dutch Treat , Raspberry Cream, and others are more than enough at this point. I will admit to a weakness for trying the latest new aromatic every now and then, but have concentrated on non aromatics primarily in order to build a cellar of these, that I like, as quickly as my smoking time and money allow.
My experience has been that any tobacco can come with a high or low moisture content depending on many things.I recently gained a good deal of experience in rehydrating and flavoring dried out leaf after receiving 8 lbs of terribly dried out bulk tobacco I ordered at discount. I have 20+ lbs of aromatics to burn through at this point and 98% of them I really like.
Generally my MO is to stay in for a pouch, after that if I still have problems with it I move on, just too damn many of them to worry too much over one
I have a ton of great tobacco cellard and since starting on Va and VaPers a couple of years ago I just don't worry about it. Besides it is amazing what a little time in the bag will do for an aromatic. Sometimes not so much though. This may be one of those. Not everyone will agree with this and that is as it fine and normal.
Personally I am interested at this point in learning more about VAs and VaPer tobacco smoking mostly those and learning from you and some of the others that have spent years smoking them. As I have stated often, I have learned a great deal here on the forum and wish I had been aware of it and in communication with many of you when I started smoking years ago.
My thought on packing is, if done poorly you will have problems smoking about anything. I do love the Mastro de Paja pipes I have purchased and they all smoke everything I have put in them well... if I do my job right. Packing, cadence, etc. While I do not use filtered pipes on non aromatics these days, I find filters come in very handy on over top dressed (to me) aromatics ie: Molto Dolce, and it is not a problem to use them in the instances I choose to smoke one. I do not have a problem with ghosting on most aromatics as long as I limit the too guppy ones to a couple of Vaughns.
