Captain Black Grape - which I am currently smoking - is very, very, grape when it was fresh. I just opened a jar that has a bit of age on it and the grape is very muted. The moisture level we still there as it was when I jarred it - but muted it was. I find this to be the case with both Latakia and perique.
Well, that's not my universal experience. Germain's SLF has a comparatively muted lat fresh, but after some years it's front and center. Likewise with Cabbies, the virginias are in the lead fresh, after 5 years, the perique has elbowed them aside. These may be exceptions, though.
I wish that was the case for me. I picked up 5 pounds back 12 or so years ago. And, I still get that honey taste in the casing for it. I gave away most of it, but kept enough to see if 20 years makes more of a difference.
Ive got some 20+ year old stuff, it doesn't go away, it just gets more faint. I like the flavor, just prefer it with a bit less oomph.
Sounds like stocking up on Codgers or Aromatics is nearly a pointless exercise then, if taste mostly disappears with aging.
Only impossible if you just want to taste casing. For me, it makes cellaring the only way to smoke it.
Not always. Depends on the blend and what flavorings the manufacturer used. I’ve smoked decades old blends where the flavorings were still very much in evidence, though subtler.
