Is There Such a Thing as a Bad Tin?

[EvertonFC]

I just cracked open a tin of C&D's Pennington Gap, that I purchased in April of 2020. It must be said, I've never had this blend before. The tin note can best be described as, "disgusting". I asked my wife to nose it, simply to make sure it wasn't just me. She replied, "It smells like spoiled milk."

I thought there was a chance that whatever "whiskey" topping they're using just isn't to my liking, so I went over to tobaccoreviews.com to see what others had to say. One reviewer wrote, "...when you pop the tin it's as though you twisted open the bottle of your favorite bourbon." As I'm currently closing in on 100 bottles of bourbon in my whiskey collection, I can verify that it smells nothing like my "favorite bottle of bourbon". Hell... it smells 10x worse than my least favorite bottle of bourbon.

With all that said, is it possible I simply got a bad tin? Perhaps it spoiled during shipping? It was purchased from SmokingPipes.com, so I imagine it has nothing to do with the way it was stored by them. Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Bad tins happen. Do you remember if the tin was sealed when you opened it? It could be a number of things, it is a hand made product using organic materials. Errors do occur.

 

[EvertonFC]

Bad tins happen. Do you remember if the tin was sealed when you opened it? It could be a number of things, it is a hand made product using organic materials. Errors do occur.

It felt sealed when I popped it. SmokingPipes tends to get stuff to me within days. And given it was shipped in April and currently has what seems like an appropriate moisture level, I wouldn't have guessed it was heat damaged. But your point is well taken. It is organic and no one's quality control is 100%. Thank you.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I just pooped one last week. It does smell of bourbon but also a dark dried fruit aroma as well.
I think it's just a bad tin as suggested.

 

[kcghost]

It is a rare occurence but it does happen. SP will make it right for you.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I just pooped one last week. It does smell of bourbon but also a dark dried fruit aroma as well.
I think it's just a bad tin as suggested.

You shouldn’t wonder why it smells like shit when you pooped it.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

You shouldn’t wonder why it smells like shit when you pooped it.

Good catch

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Good catch

Sorry, couldn’t resist. That spell ahead option sucks some times.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Sorry, couldn’t resist. That spell ahead option sucks some times.

No worries! I'm a good sport. Takes a lot to get me off my game.

 

[ofafeather]

It’s possible it’s a bad tin but also possible that the initial smell of fermentation is what made it smell like spoiled milk. Let it air a bit and sniff it again. As others have said, SP will stand behind it 100%. Also, the main folks there as well as C&D’s master blender are all active on this forums so we can get an answer quickly. @jeremyreeves

 

[anotherbob]

Sometimes they do go bad. I've had a few tins of snuff that went bad before opening (never pipe tobacco) and they kind of smelled like summer garbage.

 

[ofafeather]

Also look for evidence of mold or other growth. In the absence of that I would guess it’s just natural fermentation.

 

[anotherbob]

Also look for evidence of mold or other growth. In the absence of that I would guess it’s just natural fermentation.

some tobaccos smell off. One of my favorites smells like bad cheese tastes nothing like that in a pipe.

 

[ofafeather]

some tobaccos smell off. One of my favorites smells like bad cheese tastes nothing like that in a pipe.

Agreed but sometimes it’s hard to know in the first tin. Fermentation is such an amazing thing. When I was little the smell of aged cheese used to make me nauseous. I remember having to leave an Italian restaurant because it was so pervasive and really turned my stomach. It’s amazing the things we consume as adults that any sensible child would stay well away from! ?

 

[Charlie718]

When open my jar of Bayou Morning I get maybe 30sec of old gym sock smell then it dissipates. Not the best smell but I know it means goodness is happening in that jar lmao.

 

[Alex.Jr]

For me, Barbary coast in the tin smells like bourbon mixed with a** and a little pinch of BO.

Sooo good after lightning it up though…

 

[EvertonFC]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the insights.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I sometimes will get a sour, or barnyard, or even a shit smell from a freshly popped tin from C&D. Sometimes. But, after a bit of degassing or a day just drying out, it becomes more normal or an expected smell. I think that this is just a fluke at times, or just some orientals doing their stinky thing. Or, maybe Jeremy had just come back in from slopping his hogs when he made up that batch.

I guess people are going to start calling me a C&D fanboy now, but I do enjoy more of their blends these days.

 

[Charlie718]

No worries @cosmicfolklore I’ll own the title of C&D Fanboy right next to you lol. They probably represent more then half of my meager cellar.

 

[jewman22]

I had a bad tin of Petes Beard Blend, or i should say jar. Ended up giving it to a coworker, he just rolled them into cigarettes anyway.
Same thing, When I opened the lid, it just reeked, smelled like an old gym bag, and didn't taste any better.