G.L. Pease Barbary Coast.......WTF!!!

[northernpipeshed]

Having smoked quite a few lbs of Barbary Coast over the last 5 years (but not in the last 12 months) I thought I would chuck a tin in with the last tobacco order. I have a pound in the cellar but thought I would open the fresh tin (dated 06/2020)

Instead of the usual cube cut with a strong smell of Brandy, this tin smelled of virtually nothing! There was some ultra small cubes but the rest was quite fine broken flake with 5 or 6, 1" x 1/4" to1/8" moist pieces of Cavandish or Perique (something dark!). Quite dry apart from these moist pieces.

On second whiff I get a very very feint smell of something that "could" resemble the standard BC smell.
On lighting, the smoke is virtually like the tin......not much at all! I get an after taste of something spicy....almost a chemical taste and not much else. Still very Burley based but tastes more like an OTC. Mouth feel is very dry similar to smoking a turkish. The first quarter did have a very feint taste of dried fruit possibly Apricot.

I'm hoping this is a one off tin/batch.........................please don't tell me they have changed it!

 

[ofafeather]

Having smoked quite a few lbs of Barbary Coast over the last 5 years (but not in the last 12 months) I thought I would chuck a tin in with the last tobacco order. I have a pound in the cellar but thought I would open the fresh tin (dated 06/2020)

Instead of the usual cube cut with a strong smell of Brandy, this tin smelled of virtually nothing! There was some ultra small cubes but the rest was quite fine broken flake with 5 or 6, 1" x 1/4" to1/8" moist pieces of Cavandish or Perique (something dark!). Quite dry apart from these moist pieces.

On second whiff I get a very very feint smell of something that "could" resemble the standard BC smell.
On lighting, the smoke is virtually like the tin......not much at all! I get an after taste of something spicy....almost a chemical taste and not much else. Still very Burley based but tastes more like an OTC. Mouth feel is very dry similar to smoking a turkish. The first quarter did have a very feint taste of dried fruit possibly Apricot.

I'm hoping this is a one off tin/batch.........................please don't tell me they have changed it!

You might want to PM @jeremyreeves
I’ve found he’s very responsive.

 

[Inspired Idler]

I wonder if the tin had a pinhole leak or something. Sounds like it could be the case given it is dry and less odorous than normal.

 

[northernpipeshed]

I wonder if the tin had a pinhole leak or something. Sounds like it could be the case given it is dry and less odorous than normal.

That's a good point because there was no sound/feel when I opened the tin!....but what about the cut.....apart from the tiny cubes the rest was very different.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I haven't had BC in a long time, but I know that C&Ds cube cuts are so tiny it is more like course sand than a cube cut. I think this may be a new thing for them. Seems like I remember larger cubes in the past.

 

[ofafeather]

I haven't had BC in a long time, but I know that C&Ds cube cuts are so tiny it is more like course sand than a cube cut. I think this may be a new thing for them. Seems like I remember larger cubes in the past.

It’s been a while since I’ve smoke BC but I do remember the cubes to be bigger and fairly uniform and that it was on the moist side.

 

[ofafeather]

there was no sound/feel when I opened the tin!

On fresher tins you may not have that. I don’t believe they are vaccuum sealed so the sound from pressure change would only come from pressure building up inside from fermentation, which may not have happened in a short time. Also not sure how much BC ferments with age.

 

[northernpipeshed]

I haven't had BC in a long time, but I know that C&Ds cube cuts are so tiny it is more like course sand than a cube cut. I think this may be a new thing for them. Seems like I remember larger cubes in the past.

yeah that describes the cut of the Burley in this one....god knows what the larger pieces are though...didn't even have any smell....I hope this isn't a standard tin of present day BC....very disappointing.
The remainder was a nearly ribbon cut....couldn't gravity fill!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

yeah that describes the cut of the Burley in this one....god knows what the larger pieces are though...didn't even have any smell....I hope this isn't a standard tin of present day BC....very disappointing.
The remainder was a nearly ribbon cut....couldn't gravity fill!

That is disappointing. I would definitely let Jeremy know. And, I'll bet this isn't making Greg happy either. But, that is my assumption.

 

[kcghost]

I haven't had Barbary Coast in ages but one thing I do remember is the rich brandy smell that it had. Looks like another fine blend has been ruined by someone who was going to make it "better".

 

[northernpipeshed]

I haven't had Barbary Coast in ages but one thing I do remember is the rich brandy smell that it had. Looks like another fine blend has been ruined by someone who was going to make it "better".

Yep the first thing that used to hit me was the smell..................this one....very very little.

Now after chopping the 1" pieces and mixing in I have smoked a few more bowls and have noted the following:

There is quite a spice to it.....but its a very dry ....not the usual Perique type of spice.
There is a very feint tin note of the usual Brandy sauce....not in the smoke though.
Sweetness...........there just isn't any! Now I am a confirmed Burley chap........but this is a walnut type of taste that is so sharp and dry.........so I'm not sure what happened to the red VA.....

Its proving to be an "interesting smoke, now that I have overcome the "expected taste", I am quite enjoying discovering what's in the tin!.....