Drying vs not drying

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jpmcwjr

Lifer
May 12, 2015
26,273
30,307
Carmel Valley, CA
"Raspberry & Cream, Sutliff Creme Brulee, Rum Raisin, and Strawberry Delight"
I hope at least those are separate entries! Yes, could be Baskin-Robbins "31 flavors" or something Ben and Jerry's is test marketing!
One good thing about ice cream is it needs zero drying time....

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Good god man, that sounds more like something dolloped up at the local MacDonald outlet
You'd be surprised, Jay. A little of this and a little of that. A lot less difference between a lot of aros out there than their names imply! It's all in the blending and melding. Actually really good stuff now (for an aro). Way better than any of the original blends alone.
And the fact that there is so little difference in a lot of them is probably why a lot of us get tired of aros!
PS: Don't forget the RLP-6 and Blood Red Moon. :mrgreen:
The funny thing is that with a lot of aros, blending flavors doesn't always give you MORE flavor or a muddied flavor--- a lot of times one flavor kind of nullifies or cancels out the other to produce something quite new.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,700
8,328
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"Actually really good stuff..."
I'll take your word for it Toob.
I'll stick to FVF if it's alright with you...bloody raspberry and cream...I ask you...pah :crazy:
Regards,
Jay.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
..bloody raspberry and cream...I ask you..
Yes but it was just a very small part of the total mix. Food of the God's, man! Manna from heaven. But I only have about a half ounce left. Once it is gone, it is gone.
Come to think of it, I have another frankenblend made out of mostly Conniston Plug and St. James Woods. Maybe I'll try mixing those two together. :mrgreen:

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
mmmMMMMMMMmmmm!
I just mixed it up, Jay. A big helping of the RLP-6/Raspberry Creme/Rum Raisin/Creme Brulee/Strawberry/BRM aro with another big helping of the St. James Woods/Conniston Plug blend!
Oooooooo! It smells really good. Make your toes curl up. Filled a nice big 27mm bowl of it. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. My mouth is already watering.
p1010072-1-600x450.jpg

I'll let her sit now so those big flakes of tobacco can spend some time marrying and getting to know each other while I go eat my dinner. I'll let you know how it turns out! I think it is going to be good!

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Well I smoked that big ass bowl last night and I have to say it was very interesting. Left it sit in the pipe a few hours because I fell asleep and when I went to get it, it was just about right. Not like anything else I've ever smoked. Enjoyable and educational. Interestingly enough, there was no taste of raspberry, cherry, raisin, strawberry or any of the other aforementioned flavors! It was just good. Very nice room note. Slow burning, flavorful, but with a noticeable tobacco flavor as well. Rich, dark, earthy, with a complex and ever-changing palette. I have some left over so tonight I think I'll add in some of my english mix! Just using up a few jars of my leftover frankenblends and having a lot of fun doing it!
The funny thing was that while smoking it, I realized that if I took the stuff and put it in a fancy tin with a catchy name like maybe 'Remembrance' and sold it for a stiff price, most people on this forum would probably like it! At least those with an open mind and palette. Of course, they would never believe me if I told them what went into making it! Of course few people really know what went into making what they are smoking anyway, so always best to judge a blend by what you actually taste of it rather than to judge it without empirical experience at all.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Paul, I've never met a tobacco that couldn't stand at least 10 minutes airing with no harm and very likely an improvement. Ya'know, its funny, I read posts here slamming this aro mix I threw together trying to use up scraps and you'd think reading some of the replies that all I smoked was goopy aros and had never tasted a plain Scottish blend in my life!
Even most English types can usually take a little drying, though odds are that they will smoke better out of the can, but it always gets me people knocking something they have not even tasted themselves. I might never buy any of these again, they were mostly all stuff I just tried to try them, but at least I tried them, and some of them like BRM is considered one of the best cherry blends out there, not to mention St. James Woods a very nice blend and Conniston Plug an excellent Lakeland.
But the Raspberry Creme actually doesn't have that strong a flavor, and while some turn their nose up at it, one of the most respected people on this forum advocates a Vanilla Creme. Truth is, IMO at least, the best way to use a lot of these aros is to just add a hint of their flavor to an already good mix for a little added dimension. I love a lot of diversity while some others are content to smoke an OTC 99% of the time.

 

bluegrasspipe

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2017
624
236
G.L. Pease Stratford, drowned rat wet..

Cheers guys, this thread has really gone south. :laughat: Anyway, I am a noob, have trolled for a year and not said much. I am not sure how or where to post this, so please go easy on me, and help!!

I bought a can of stratford at a B&M by my house, and the tin note was awful.. I love VaPers and this smelled like nothing I have ever opened. It is hard to describe, but super tangy strong vinegar was over taking everything. I wondered if this was a topping to keep it moist in the tin, or if anyone knows what I am talking about? It has been a couple of weeks in the tin, and I hoped it would mellow out.. Still wet and still pretty strong smelling, but much better. It smokes ok after about 45 minutes of drying, the paper is wet still, like beyond moist towelette.

Yesterday I was laying some out to dry for my drive home from work, and I noticed something in the leaf. It was sort of waxy, white, and moist.. Any idea what it is?

stratford_zpsp7chqt8x.jpg
[/URL]

 

bluegrasspipe

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2017
624
236
It was dated 9/16/12. I found two small pieces. I almost thought it was like a piece of bread that had soaked in a lot of moisture at first, but then doubted that.

I am sure the store would take it back, the owner is very nice, but I was going to keep drying it and smoking it. It tastes pretty good to smoke, but the vinegar tin note is shocking to your nose. The noise recoils like horseradish ha ha.

I haven't had stratford before and wasn't sure what to expect anyway.. I love his other latakia blends that I have had.

 

bluegrasspipe

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2017
624
236
IMG_2188_zpsg28oeihq.jpg
[/URL]

Here's another pic after I squished it down a bit. It's a first for me, I have opened a ton of tins.

 

glpease

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 17, 2010
239
96
California
First, Stratford should certainly not have arrived "drowned rat wet." Rest assured that we, the factory and I, have had many conversations, and are always moving in the direction of ever improved quality control, which includes setting the moisture I have specified prior to packaging. But, I'm sorry your experience with this tin of Stratford from 2012 is less than stellar. After a few years of aging, it really should be delicious from the go. I'm sure some of the "off" notes you comment on in the aroma are because it was too damp when packaged.
Second, I haven't a clue what that inclusion might be; I've never seen anything like it in a tin. If it's waxy, it's possible that it's actually wax, but I can't imagine where it might have come from. Strange.
Third, there's a lot to discuss regarding proper moisture. Enough so, in fact, that I wrote an article for this very magazine on the subject. Here's a link:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/dust-in-the-wind-a-primer-on-tobacco-moisture/

 
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