Bulking up the Cellar

[aro222]

Thanks cosmic that helps explain a lot

Whatever it is that I’m tasting is new and for whatever reason

It really appeals to me. This blend is definitely something to try

If you haven’t yet. Strange but in a really good way.

 

[npod]

So that's were all the online tins went! Wink/Nudge.
I love Bob's Chocolate flake. It has "almost" no detectable Lakeland Essence other than a faint whiff here and there. It goes GREAT with Port wine. I recently bought 2 pounds in bulk and jarred it all up is batches to supplement my tins. This is one of my apocalypse blends that I couldn't live without, so it's cellered very deep.
It is one of my favorites to smoke when doing a deep cleaning session. I posted this picture the other day on the what are you smoking section. The Tupitsyn bulldog is loaded up with BCF!

 

[sablebrush52]

It you like that chocolate Malawi Burley, another great blend to try is HU Makhuwa. It's like a smokable chocolate milkshake.

 

[aro222]

Where can I order some of that makhuwa

I’d love to try some

 

[aro222]

 

[aro222]

I FIGURED IT OUT !!!!!

Wow if this isn’t a sign of old age I don’t know what is...

 

[seacaptain]

I don't think you can cellar aros for very many years.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't think you can cellar aros for very many years.

That must have come from people who don't understand tobacco. There is a bunch of bullcrap being passed around by newbies on the webs. Aros age very well, so do burleys. They just don't age as well as Virginias. See, these binary thinking troglodytes hear that something doesn't age as well, and they think, they suck with age.

Now, some aros wouldn't be worth aging, such as many Sutliff and Lane goopy gooeys. They may get slightly better, but as the topping dissipates, they might suck. But, there are many other quality aromatics that are not goopy, nor gooey. And, as the tobacco flavors mature and socialize, they improve overall. Lakelands are in the range that I think they would benefit very well from aging, and I have many ropes and flakes in this genre set back.

YMMV

 

[npod]

Bob's Chocolate Flake is not an Aro. Tobacco Reviews.com calls it such, but I say nay. It's one of those "none detected" blends. It ages extremely well.
And ... It does not taste like chocolate. It has a sense of it, sure, but more from the tabaccos. Think Padron Nicaraguan cigars. Reviewers always talk about an espresso and chocolate flavor, but it is pure tobacco. It's a profile you get, not a goopy Aro.

 

[maker]

Sorry I can't read Australian.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I don't think you can cellar aros for very many years.

I have some from various brands nearing a decade old in jars, and taste like they did when I bought them.

 

[seacaptain]

Now, some aros wouldn't be worth aging, such as many Sutliff and Lane goopy gooeys.

That's generally what I've heard people referring to when they say aros don't age well (goopy stuff).
I don't know anything about the OP's blend. I just assumed anything "chocolate" must fall into that category.

 

[aro222]

Good to know that this blend ages well

Otherwise I would be smoking my brains out for the next year lol

Either way I’m glad I was able to cellar some of these tins

Before the axe drops

 

[pipesticks]

On aging aros, I've heard so many different stories. Some guys claim there is no discernible difference and they will last for years. Others I've heard say that the toppings are chemical and they age differently in that the chemicals themselves don't age well. I guess it depends on the topping. I imagine if it's natural, like rum or honey, it will age just fine. Then, there is Scott from Aristocob that did a video on aging Lane 1Q for like 5 years. Now, Scott could easily be called a 1Q expert as that is practically all he smokes regularly, and he said it wasn't as good as fresh 1Q. Personally, I have a bag of Lane HGL in front of me and it has to be 7-8 years old. I didn't even bother to jar the stuff and it still hasn't dried out LOL. To me, it seems to have lost some of that latakia punch it had when new, but it just tastes a bit more like RLP-6 now, since HGL is just RLP-6 with latakia added, or so I've read. It's still an enjoyable smoke to me.

 

[npod]

7 year old Bob's Chocolate Flake. It ages beautifully. YUM! Now I have to smoke a bowl of the aged stuff.
Images shot with Nikon 100mm macro, handheld, natural light, no post editing.

 

[aro222]

Wow that 7 year old flake looks delicious

I

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Well, when I hear aromatic, Lane and Sutliff aren't the first things to come to mind. I think of great aromatics like Solani Mango Flakes and Vanilla Cream Flakes which age very well, IMO, becoming more of a balance between tobacco taste and the toppings, with more notable sweetness and just better flavors. I mix up some Holger Danske Mango Vanilla and blend with a PS Dark Fired and jar them up, and they are fantastic. Lane and Sutliff are just candies, IMO. No notable nicotine nor real tobacco flavors in their aromatics. Some guys love it, so who am I to say, but I just have others that I love more.

It's just a shame that these two companies are what jumps to mind when people mention aromatics on here. I am not sure that does a worthy service to our hobby. Sure, sure, both companies make some decent non-aros (I know someone will mention that, ha ha.) We even give the Lane rep that comes in to The Briary a good ribbing, and he even does a better job than us at making fun of his product, so surely we aren't the only ones out there that thinks this. And, as said, 95% of all pipe tobaccos sold are these aromatics... take it for what it's worth.

 

[smokeyweb]

I have some 1Q that is at least 5 yrs. old that I occasionally pull from when in the mood. To my palate it tastes great!

 

[lazar]

And ... It does not taste like chocolate. It has a sense of it, sure, but more from the tabaccos. Think Padron Nicaraguan cigars. Reviewers always talk about an espresso and chocolate flavor, but it is pure tobacco. It's a profile you get, not a goopy Aro.

I know what you mean, but I don't think this is 100% accurate. It definitely has some chocolate or cocoa added to it - so it's not just "pure tobacco" that happens to have a choco-overtone. But it is more like a dusting of unsweetened dark cocoa powder than a wollop of milk chocolate.
But whatever, combined with the wisp of "Lakeland" and the barely detectable pinch of Latakia, it's really unique blend.

 

[npod]

It definitely has some chocolate or cocoa added to it - so it's not just "pure tobacco" that happens to have a choco-overtone. But it is more like a dusting of unsweetened dark cocoa powder than a wollop of milk chocolate.

That is a more accurate description. However, I still consider it, in my mind at least, as none detected. It just works. I guess I was trying to describe to those new to the blend that it does not come across as a goopy Aro full

of chocolate flavoring.