Old Joe Krantz Fresh vs 10 Year Old Blend

[brass]

I found a can of Old Joe Krantz that had been aging 10 years. As expected, the bowls of this I smoked were mellow and the burley, Perique and Virginias melded into a very pleasant smoke.
I never had OJK before, so I decided to order a fresh tin to compare against the effects of aging. I packed two similar cobs and smoked one until it went out, then I would light the second, and alternated thus until the bowl was gone. I did this on two occasions, the second time letting them both sit overnight with a quarter bowl left due to the late hour. I also smoked both in my favorite Ben Wade and my new Boswell freehand, as well as a Stanwell and Savinelli.
As you might expect, there is a definite difference between the two. However, that difference was far from earth shattering.
The fresh tin was brighter and the burley was more noticeable than the aged version. It was also peppier from the Perique. I would say the fresh was sharper and the Virginia and Perique components more distinct in the fresh tin - especially the Perique.
The aged version was more rounded and the flavors melded nicely, but the Perique was very subdued.
Oddly, using the Delayed Gratification Techniqe (DLT) made the fresh bowl unsmokable - tasted like cigarette ash. The aged DLT bowl was still quite tasty.
All in all, the burley didn't same to change much over the years, but the Virginias and Perique flavors were well married. I would say aging it 10 years pumped the quality up a half letter grade. Regarding the subdued Perique, it would be just a matter of taste as to whether aging improved it or not.
In summary, aging improved OJK but nothing like Stonehaven does with age. I think I would pop the tin in 5 years rather than holding out for ten.
This was an unscientific review. As always, YMMV.
Pax

 

[deathmetal]

Interesting.
I love OJK. The newer, finer cut version is better, I think.

 

[mso489]

An astute comparison, to say the least. You gave the two age versions multiple opportunities and applied a lot of analytical thought on this one. Actually, I was surprised that the race was pretty even. The 10-year OJK sounds subdued but more complex, the fresh OJK more lively. I might have preferred one to the other (likely the fresh batch) but I might not have known exactly why, and you have sorted this out with deliberation. Nice job. Fun to read. You'd get a A in a tobacconist class for this review.

 

[brass]

Thanks, Tom. Great summary. Given a group of folks a blind fold test, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the fresh tin was as popular as the aged.

 

[weezell]

I have some I've been smoking from 2013 and I prefer it to fresh...

 

[newbroom]

One does wonder about the consistency of a blend that was made 10 yrs ago to one made within a yr or two.

The climate changes so fast that crops do too. Blenders account for this, I realize, but it can't be that easy to duplicate a flavor consistently with completely new source material.

Now, C&D is making several 'flavors' of OJK, and I question the integrity of it all. Just me and my cynicism.

"We will be unveiling" "We make our blends to age" "We are hip to hype"

I don't want to lose that old C&D reputation to mass marketing and mass production.

 

[deathmetal]

Now, C&D is making several 'flavors' of OJK, and I question the integrity of it all. Just me and my cynicism.

That is a good point. A blend is known for what it delivers, and changing the formula can confuse that. I will have to think about that over a bowl of two-year-old OJK.

 

[mso489]

I'm not quite as cynical about the additional versions of OJK, though I admit a sinking feeling seeing that they had been added. They decided the tweaked versions were good enough to market, but so similar to OJK that it would have been more trouble and confusion to name them separately. I find it a little bureaucratic, but nothing confusing. I'll just stick with my current substantial (for me) supply and consider the new versions maybe later. The Coca Cola people learned the hard way that fiddling with a gold standard product isn't smart. What were they thinking? But the alternate OJK versions will probably have their customer base. They do need to spell out the differences online and in print, so people won't have to puzzle it out. A chart of OJK versions providing an easy comparison would help.

 

[thomasw]

Enjoying a bowl of OJK right now that is ~2.5 years old, and it does show some signs of the VA and perique melding, more so than my fresh stuff. But I do like the fresh batch enough to put it in my top 7 tobacco blends ... delicious stuff. I must confess that I love a good quality burley --- the nuttiness, cocoa and oatmeal flavours soothe my spirit.

 

[deathmetal]

The Coca Cola people learned the hard way that fiddling with a gold standard product isn't smart.

Great historical analogy there, mso489.

 

[pitchfork]

I must confess that I love a good quality burley --- the nuttiness, cocoa and oatmeal flavours soothe my spirit.

Same here. Sometimes, nothing but good, natural burley will do.

 

[northernpipeshed]

Very useful for me this review thank you. I am stockpiling (cellaring :D) OJK and Haunted Bookshop for the U.K no internet sales tobacco apocalypse...(its coming....... )