Drying vs not drying

[bluegrasspipe]

G.L., thanks for answering. I know that with all of the blends in the past they have been almost perfect. What are you shooting for in the tin note on this one, and also is something added before it is sealed possibly? I will have to buy another and see what it is like. It's definitely not wax but looks like wax, and certainly doesn't feel like it.
(Jay) I threw it in what you might call the rubbish can yesterday and can't find it mixed in with used tea bags in my office.. That would have been a good idea though.

 

[glpease]

Nothing is added prior to sealing. My guess is that something was carried over on the lid of the tin prior to being affixed. Maybe. Or something else. The tin note should be fairly typical of a natural VA/perique mixture. After a few years of age, you should be getting plummy, slightly sweet notes, perhaps just a tiny bit boozy. If you're getting vinegary aromas, it's a sign of fermentation having taken the wrong turn at some point. Nothing harmful, mind you, but not necessarily optimal flavors. Airing it a bit allows the volatile acidity to dissipate, as you've noted.

 

[bluegrasspipe]

(G.L.) Also, thanks for the link, we could have used that at the beginning of this thread.. It's been fun though. :lol:

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've linked to that page more than once, but not in this thread.... Sorry.
Is it the same color as the sealant on the inside of the lid? If so, it suggests to me that it is some sealant that was misapplied, on that lid or another, stuck to the inside top of the lid, and.... We need forensics!

 

[bluegrasspipe]

(JP) Ha ha, I wondered if it could be something like that from the inside of the lid. As (G.L.) said above, and you, the lid theory would definitely make sense. Whether it was sealant or a piece of bread soaked in oil and vinegar the world may never know.. If not forensics, at least a taste test.. :puffpipe:

I wish I would have kept it, but alas I threw it out. I did dig through the small amount of trash looking for it and wasn't able to find it.

 

[toobfreak]

Well I took my experiments one step further last night, taking the leftover aro mix from the day before and adding in some of my english mix. If I remember right, the english mix is made up of Voodoo Queen, Star of the East, some Best of the Rest and I'm not sure what else. Real good stuff.
It ended up about 25% aromix and about 75% the english stuff! Mixed them together to make a stout pipeful and put them in a plastic capsule to sit and marry for a while and dry a little.
Wow! Was this stuff good! I could sell this stuff! Made up of ten different blends mixed together, I am almost tempted to send some of this to someone to try, but I have too little left and first I'll need to see if I can ever recreate it.

 

[mawnansmiff]

^^^And the point being ???
Regards,
Jay.

 

[toobfreak]

Just made up another batch. Hope it is close to last nights. Roughly about 25% my aro mix, which was really a 50/50 of my aro mix and my virginia mix. The aro mix is all aros, those crappy, gooey aros people like to beat on (though some of them can be pretty good when dried right), the "virginias mix" really just some St. James Flake and Conniston Cut Plug and some other stuff I had made up all with a lot of aged virginia. The other 75% is more english types, Star of the East, Voodoo Queen and two kinds of BotR that I would consider quality OTC.
Have you ever used one of those products like hair coloring where they give you a little plastic egg to hold a pair of cheap gloves in to keep your hands from staining? About the size of a 35mm film canister. I have one of those I use to throw my oversupply in when I take out more than the pipe will hold; good for a day or weekend's travel too. I just made up another batch of Blend X I will call 'Nemesis;' I only have enough of the raw blends to make maybe an ounce of Nemesis and I just whipped up what I hope is a close copy of last night's mix--- enough for maybe 3-4 bowls and I crammed it all into the plastic egg to hold ready for smoking.
That egg keeps stuff fresh for a few days while allowing it to gently breathe, and it will be nice to keep trying this stuff at the ready over the weekend. It tasted (last night) oh so very good, very rich tobacco flavorful like a good english blend, but with just the right amount of a little fruity / plummy flavor and sweet aroma in the background, with maybe threads of a little bread and citrus notes intertwined amongst it as you smoked it. Very smooth, complex, cool smoking, well-balanced, relaxing, delightfully flavorful and ever-changing. Probably beats the crap out of 80% of the blends people clamor for here at high prices like Esoterica. I will look forward to another bowl tonight.
But it is a total win-win. If my impression is as good as last night, I may just mix up the largest batch I can make--- all of the remaining English mix to about 25% volume of the remaining aro/virginia mix I have to make. That will use up most of the frankenblends I have left over, some of which have elements of tobaccos going back ten years, and when this stuff runs out, I will miss it, but then I can go down and crack open some new tins and jars from my cellar which I am greatly looking forward to! I have many things down there I am greatly looking forward to trying and twice a year I like to look in on everything else to check on its aging progress.

 

[jpmcwjr]

What's the moisture content?

 

[toobfreak]

Dry enough. My finger is my dial.

 

[deathmetal]

Anytime I get a new plug, I nail it to a cross and let it dry for three days.
Works perfect, plus extra iron.

 

[unkleyoda]

I nail it to a cross and let it dry for three days.

After the third day does is rise again? :rofl: