Cornell & Diehl: Decanting

[Oddball]

I wanted to share one thing with folks. This is something that I have learned that I would have liked to have known when I got started.

I have noticed this more so with Cornell & Diehl blends then others. I have opened a few tins, both fresh and with some age, and many times that first bowl is plain or kind of meh. So much so on some blends that I have had supreme buyers remorse. The first that comes to mind is Sunday Picnic, an oriental forward blend that I thought would speak to my tastes. I opened a tin, within a year of the production date, smoked a bowl and just found it really awful. It was sour and flat... I put it in a jar, labeled it and forgot about it for 3-4 months.


On a whim, I think it was a warm night where I wanted something VA/OR to try, I loaded it back up and smoked a bowl.


It was divine. It had that C&D red Virginia thing going on, they all do right? This one though really got complex quick. I was enjoying the layers in the blend, getting hints of Black Walnut flavors, it was truly wonderful. I smoked the rest of the jar to ash exclusively for a week. I ordered more from my tobacco monger and can't want to pop that other one I had around February to enjoy on that first sunny warm day in April.

I had a similar experience with G.L. Pease Regents Flake. (C&D produced). First bowl wasn't for me, a few months in the jar and it became a favorite.


This works with as little time as one week in the jar as well. My first bowl of From Beyond was pretty plain. Piney English.... After a week of the tin being open, it's still got some piney English latakia flavors, but the rest of the leaf has woken up.

I've seen lots of folks encouraging new smokers to go back to blends they tried and didn't like, I really encourage you to try this method as well. I hope folks try it with some favorable results.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I decant everything, till bone dry. When I open a tin or jar, I set it on a candle/coffee cup warmer for a few hours to a day. For me, this beats drying from a tin one bowl at a time. I just prefer to load my pipe and go without all of the ceremony of drying and prepping.

 

[Oddball]

I jar them all as well, maybe not the day I open the tin, but within a week. I don't dry it or heat it before the pipe though. I may on some blends that get a little bitey to try it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's going to be tough getting this thread up off the ground without an opening question for folks to respond to. It helps if you asking a question or tell everyone whop disagrees to kiss you ass to drive in more views on a thread.
Maybe someone will come along and tell us all that we are assholes, and your thread will get kicked off to success. Ha ha.

 

[kg.legat0]

I cannot agree with the approach more...it feels counterintuitive to open up a fresh tin and just walk away, but I honestly find the longer the better. ..to be fair, I like my tobacco crispy.

Most recently, this year's iteration of Sun Bear ...I was eager and smoked a bowl as soon as I opened the tin, after a 20 minute drying time ..it was okay -put the stuff in a cabinet for a few weeks and forgot about it, the past few bowls have been sublime.

I need to do this with FVF ...I get glimpses of glory with this stuff, but I am often left with a 'this stuff is supposed to burn, right?' feeling.

 

[Oddball]

It's going to be tough getting this thread up off the ground without an opening question for folks to respond to. It helps if you asking a question or tell everyone whop disagrees to kiss you ass to drive in more views on a thread.
Maybe someone will come along and tell us all that we are assholes, and your thread will get kicked off to success. Ha ha.

I think assholes know who they are.


That being said, I was just providing a little advice based on my experience, which sounds like your first response. Something I will be trying, I don't dry as I said but may give that a try. I.e. thanks for the tip.

 

[Oddball]

I cannot agree with the approach more...it feels counterintuitive to open up a fresh tin and just walk away, but I honestly find the longer the better. ..to be fair, I like my tobacco crispy.

Most recently, this year's iteration of Sun Bear ...I was eager and smoked a bowl as soon as I opened the tin, after a 20 minute drying time ..it was okay -put the stuff in a cabinet for a few weeks and forgot about it, the past few bowls have been sublime.

I need to do this with FVF ...I get glimpses of glory with this stuff, but I am often left with a 'this stuff is supposed to burn, right?' feeling.

Sun bear is another one that fell into this category. My first bowl, I was shaking my head, there was some good puffs after the midway point.

Now the stuff is even better!


FVF is one I like to jar up as well, from bulk when I can get it. All those SG flakes are great from the tin or jar though...

 

[Tate]

Thanks! Going to give this a shot! Like all the blends so far but this might take it to the next level!

 

[LeafErikson]

I 100% have had this happen to me and, like you, it seems to happen most with the C&D virginia forward blends. Not all of the blends need the 'decanting' process but a few that taste better for it are Opening Night, Bayou Morning Flake, and GLP Montgomery (IMO). Oddly enough I prefer Windjammer fresh from the tin because the rum topping is more prevalent even though it's mostly Virginia (I think?).

 

[yanoJL]

Great post @Oddball thank you!
I go through phases where I don't want to be in the same zip code as Latakia. Then suddenly, I crave a Lat bomb. And when that happens, I often open a tin of Nightcap. Two weeks of jar time later, it's a different blend. "Settled" is a word that comes to mind.
As described, I'm going to explore this with C&D Virginias. Up to now, most of my experience with C&D has been with Burley blends. But i have a few of their Virginias tinned that it might be time to open.

And @LeafErikson I agree. I too appreciate Windjammer most when the tin in freshly opened.

 

[anotherbob]

I wanted to share one thing with folks. This is something that I have learned that I would have liked to have known when I got started.

I have noticed this more so with Cornell & Diehl blends then others. I have opened a few tins, both fresh and with some age, and many times that first bowl is plain or kind of meh. So much so on some blends that I have had supreme buyers remorse. The first that comes to mind is Sunday Picnic, an oriental forward blend that I thought would speak to my tastes. I opened a tin, within a year of the production date, smoked a bowl and just found it really awful. It was sour and flat... I put it in a jar, labeled it and forgot about it for 3-4 months.


On a whim, I think it was a warm night where I wanted something VA/OR to try, I loaded it back up and smoked a bowl.


It was divine. It had that C&D red Virginia thing going on, they all do right? This one though really got complex quick. I was enjoying the layers in the blend, getting hints of Black Walnut flavors, it was truly wonderful. I smoked the rest of the jar to ash exclusively for a week. I ordered more from my tobacco monger and can't want to pop that other one I had around February to enjoy on that first sunny warm day in April.

I had a similar experience with G.L. Pease Regents Flake. (C&D produced). First bowl wasn't for me, a few months in the jar and it became a favorite.


This works with as little time as one week in the jar as well. My first bowl of From Beyond was pretty plain. Piney English.... After a week of the tin being open, it's still got some piney English latakia flavors, but the rest of the leaf has woken up.

I've seen lots of folks encouraging new smokers to go back to blends they tried and didn't like, I really encourage you to try this method as well. I hope folks try it with some favorable results.

Frankly I get that effect with almost ever blend from almost every maker. I think the most extreme example I have experienced was actually Presbyterian. Which was just boring the first time.

 

[anotherbob]

It's going to be tough getting this thread up off the ground without an opening question for folks to respond to. It helps if you asking a question or tell everyone whop disagrees to kiss you ass to drive in more views on a thread.
Maybe someone will come along and tell us all that we are assholes, and your thread will get kicked off to success. Ha ha.

nah on the a-hole front it's just you, me, and that other guy.

 

[Lumbridge]

I experienced this with a tin of C&D Da Vinci. I smoked some straight out of the freshly opened tin, and it tasted flat and uninspired. A few weeks in a jar fixed it.

 

[Oddball]

I 100% have had this happen to me and, like you, it seems to happen most with the C&D virginia forward blends. Not all of the blends need the 'decanting' process but a few that taste better for it are Opening Night, Bayou Morning Flake, and GLP Montgomery (IMO). Oddly enough I prefer Windjammer fresh from the tin because the rum topping is more prevalent even though it's mostly Virginia (I think?).

I've had to let mine sit. That Rum on Windjammer was harsh for my tastes. That being said, Navigator was just right fresh so...

 

[Lumbridge]

I decant everything, till bone dry. When I open a tin or jar, I set it on a candle/coffee cup warmer for a few hours to a day. For me, this beats drying from a tin one bowl at a time. I just prefer to load my pipe and go without all of the ceremony of drying and prepping.

I thought about doing something similar to this with blends I that find to be too moist. I pondered putting jarred tobacco lid-off in the convection oven at a very low temperature (around 150 degrees) while checking on it and stirring the contents every couple of minutes until it's dried to my preference.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I thought about doing something similar to this with blends I that find to be too moist. I pondered putting jarred tobacco lid-off in the convection oven at a very low temperature (around 150 degrees) while checking on it and stirring the contents every couple of minutes until it's dried to my preference.

The nice thing about these coffee mug warmers is that you don't run the risk of cooking your tobacco. If left forgotten, worst thing that can happen is that it dries to bone dry, which is what i am usually shooting for.

 

[Lumbridge]

The nice thing about these coffee mug warmers is that you don't run the risk of cooking your tobacco. If left forgotten, worst thing that can happen is that it dries to bone dry, which is what i am usually shooting for.
View attachment 261130

Hmm, I may have to try one of those, then. Thanks!

 

[andrew]

I think this is oxygen being introduced and some kind of reaction happening, but it's the same with whisky, especially scotch where it really brings out flavours after opening and letting the bottle sit. McClellend Virginias were famous for this. Freshly cracked tin would be flat and boring, 2 weeks later you're smoking the best Virginia ever. I just crack a tin, slap the plastic cover on and leave it for at least a week, taking the lid off every day to introduce more oxygen. I remember a fellow here who would open a tin of McClellend's and let it sit with the lid on for a good 4 months before smoking a bowl. Dryness is a subjective thing I hate crispy dry tobacco, I like it to be plyable still.

 

[JJ_JJ_JJ_JJ]

This has been my exp as well. I just assume that any time I open a C+D tin that has VA in it, its at least a month before I touch it.

Open tin let it air for an hour or two, put it in mason jar and just walk away for a month

 

[FLDRD]

Common experience for me as well, most any blend although I can agree with VA & VAPer's being more so.
I find the middle 1/3 to be the best. If I'm going to have a tin freshly opened and take from it for 4-6 weeks (among other blends), I find that "middle" time frame to be the most pleasing.

So sorry I couldn't vociferously disagree and promote thread longevity...