I recently opened a jar of a couple of Leaf Only Virginias that I had roped up together last year. No casing. No treatments. It smelled incredible. And, like many have reported on this forum, it had quite a bit of the “ketchup smell” that I so loved with McClelland blends. It was amazing to experience this in person with the Va leaf. It smokes well. But I bet a few more years would make it a masterpiece.
Yes, I did a few years of experimenting with my own home grown, and the vinegary-ness is a natural occurrence. It was a bit hit or miss for me in getting consistent results from small batches in jars. But, I imagine if a company like McClellands got large shipments straight from the farmer, they could probably foster that acidic reaction from repeatedly using the same concrete floor and/or containers.
There was a video that was posted back when McClellands was in full swing, of them turning the piles of leaf on a concrete slab with shovels. I imagine if the bacteria that forms the acetic acid is already prevalent in the concrete, after getting a good batch going, they could just reuse that slab, over and over and get the same results.
Leaf Only... you mean the company by this name that sells tobacco straight from the farmers. This is a good place for future blenders and hobbyist, maybe even some professional blender sus them, not sure. But, it sounds like a good source for folks that don't have the land to grow their own.
