Cause of Ketchup Smell in Some Blends???

[easterntraveler]

Not only have I read about this but I have experienced it with different blends. When jarring my Backwoods Reserve I smelt it. Also smelled it when jarring a tin of Mac Baren HH Vintage that was about 7 years old. Interestingly enough it is not there with new tins..

 

[thesmokindragon]

The aroma you are smelling is the fermenting Vs ;-) and I guess I'm crazy...but I LOVE IT :twisted:

 

[papipeguy]

I never really noticed it but then I probably have fried my olfactory senses with cigars and lat blends over 43 years.

 

[andrew]

Yes it's the smell of tobacco undergoing the fermentation process which is the key thing to successfully aging. I think when the smell dissapears the fermentation process is complete and you'll have some heavenly tobacco. I believe it takes probably about 10 years to complete.

Interestingly enough it is not there with new tins..

I found this as well with a tin of blackwoods flake from 2013, it was the first time trying blackwoods flake and I wasn't at all impressed. After popping the tin and letting it sit for about a month it's starting to happen and the flavour is really starting to get that tangy goodness.

 

[judcole]

The aroma you are smelling is the fermenting V

Yup. McC is noted for it with their Virginias.

 

[torque]

I guess I just have a different nose than most. I have smoked a lot of McC blends lately (consider them my favorite blender currently). I personally have never thought ketchup when smelling their product. It always reminds me of a store bought b-b-cue sauce, like KC Masterpiece, but never just straight up ketchup.

 

[salewis]

I agree with Rothnh. The "catsup" smell is unique to McClelland's Virginias and does not in any way transfer to the taste. McClelland is very well known for their high quality Virginias.

 

[cortezattic]

There must be microbes indigenous to the Kansas City area. I have smelled the odor in other brands, but not so strongly.

I read that San Francisco's sourdough bread is unique for similar reasons -- it's the water there, I think.

This is Dr. Boehm's field. I hope he adds his 2¢ to the conversation.

 

[cortezattic]

Bump for kashmir's sake. :lol:

 

[brewshooter]

Yeah, smells more like vinegar to me than catsup/ketchup...CATCH-UP!!! Anyway, I like vinegar. So it's all good!

 

[fitzy]

Roth hit the nail on the head. I even notice it in their oriental blends like Yenidje Highlander. (by the way I thought oriental wasn't a PC word anymore but that doesn't seem to be the case with pipe tobacco's)

 

[flyguy]

Does McClelland make a bad blend? I haven't found one yet!