PS Cube Cut New Chemical Taste

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

I have loved PS cube cut from the start. But after a long hiatus I recently loaded a bowl to find that there was a very pronounced and very distinct chemical smell/flavor that I’ve never encountered.

Could it be that my jar got some kind of bacteria in it over the five years I’ve had it?

Or did aging interact with whatever chemicals are in the flavoring?

It was so bad I had to dump the bowl and go check my jar. It was quite a disappointment.

I understand that tastes change over time but I have a hard time believing it would change this dramatically.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Or did aging interact with whatever chemicals are in the flavoring?

To my knowledge, no flavoring on that one.

I understand that tastes change over time but I have a hard time believing it would change this dramatically.

Aged tobacco isn't always a good thing.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Hmm, PS Cube Cut was on my list to try eventually. I'll be interested to hear if anyone else thinks something has happened to it...

 

[NomadOrb]

I have some that I mix with other burleys to help slow down the smoke, it's at 2 years of age, but mind you I open the jar frequently to mix. I haven't detected any chemical note to it, smokes slow and sweet.

 

[mso489]

Any sense of what chemical it could have been? The ever popular PG, or insecticide? Anyway, I think you did the right thing. Taste is everything.

 

[Chasing Embers]

it, smokes slow and sweet.

Same for mine from 2015.

 

[rmbittner]

I have loved PS cube cut from the start. But after a long hiatus I recently loaded a bowl to find that there was a very pronounced and very distinct chemical smell/flavor that I’ve never encountered.

Could it be that my jar got some kind of bacteria in it over the five years I’ve had it?

Or did aging interact with whatever chemicals are in the flavoring?

It was so bad I had to dump the bowl and go check my jar. It was quite a disappointment.

I understand that tastes change over time but I have a hard time believing it would change this dramatically.

I’ve got questions…

This is a jar you’ve smoked from before? How did you prepare the jar prior to filling it? Did you notice any mold or anything else unusual on the tobacco before you smoked it? Did you notice the smell in the jar or only after you lit up?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Cube Cut does have a casing. It reminds me of codger blends, which is why I label it in jars as “Socks and Sandals.”
I have some with five years of age on it, and it tastes more mellow to my palate.

But, I have no idea what people mean when they say “chemical taste.” Every damn thing on the periodical chart is a chemical.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Cube Cut does have a casing. It reminds me of codger blends

Jim never mentioned it in his review and I've never seen it listed as such. Being Stokkebye though, it probably does.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I smoke this regularly. I haven't had this happen. I did notice that my previous orders came as actual tiny cubes, and my last order didn't hardly have any cubes at all. I don't know if I got the bottom of the bag/box/barrel, and they'd all fallen apart by then or what. I was disappointed, as I like how the cubes burn better than a mass of tiny squares of leaf. I have both 1 year old and 5 year old stashes, and neither has gone bad like described. I smoke it straight and sometimes drizzle it into other things. At its finest, at least for me, I get cocoa hints.

Maybe it was in your pre-smoke tasting? That's lousily worded. What I mean is that maybe you ate or drank something prior to it that didn't meld well with that tobacco. Are there threads about that on here? I'm often surprised by how little talk there is about this, but maybe my buds are fickle. For instance, I love Pad Thai, but I don't ever smoke anything after it until the next day. I find it ruins any smoke I have after eating it. I also don't like smoking right after brushing my teeth with mint toothpaste. That sort of thing. But I also don't understand at all how people eat their meal while drinking whiskey. Whiskey is my favorite alcohol, but I'm very particular with how I pair it what what I've eaten before hand.

 

[anotherbob]

I have loved PS cube cut from the start. But after a long hiatus I recently loaded a bowl to find that there was a very pronounced and very distinct chemical smell/flavor that I’ve never encountered.

Could it be that my jar got some kind of bacteria in it over the five years I’ve had it?

Or did aging interact with whatever chemicals are in the flavoring?

It was so bad I had to dump the bowl and go check my jar. It was quite a disappointment.

I understand that tastes change over time but I have a hard time believing it would change this dramatically.

chemical taste is a broad category. Heck could be the nicotine. Could be a some type of contamination. One nifty thing is the reason they use mostly burly for snuff is it sucks up scents and flavors more readily then other tobaccos. I've had burly smell of the rubber gasket from a mason jar. Not anything strong but a slight hint or nuance of rubber (not strong enough to effect the taste or room note). Point being if burly is around something stinky enough for long enough it can pick up scents. Worst one was burly in a not sealed container in my jacket pocket that picked up the fish delivery smell from work. Pro tip raw fish scent is not going to be a popular aromatic tobacco ever.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Jim never mentioned it in his review and I've never seen it listed as such. Being Stokkebye though, it probably does.

I taste a proprietorial casing on each non-aro from most companies. It may just be a curse I’m under, ha ha. But, some companies I prefer this taste more than others.

 

[seanv]

This one definitely has a light casing on it. I get cocoa and marshmallows. I haven't noticed a chemical taste though.

 

[prairiedruid]

Currently smoking a jar of this from 2018; no off flavors detected.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This one definitely has a light casing on it. I get cocoa and marshmallows. I haven't noticed a chemical taste though.

Okay, casing I get, just no topping the cocoa could be coming from the burley though. I get that heavily with HH Burley Flake.

 

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

I’ve got questions…

This is a jar you’ve smoked from before? How did you prepare the jar prior to filling it? Did you notice any mold or anything else unusual on the tobacco before you smoked it? Did you notice the smell in the jar or only after you lit up?

Hmmm, this is seeming to me the most likely possibility. I have no idea what might have been in the jar previously…

 

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

chemical taste is a broad category. Heck could be the nicotine. Could be a some type of contamination. One nifty thing is the reason they use mostly burly for snuff is it sucks up scents and flavors more readily then other tobaccos. I've had burly smell of the rubber gasket from a mason jar. Not anything strong but a slight hint or nuance of rubber (not strong enough to effect the taste or room note). Point being if burly is around something stinky enough for long enough it can pick up scents. Worst one was burly in a not sealed container in my jacket pocket that picked up the fish delivery smell from work. Pro tip raw fish scent is not going to be a popular aromatic tobacco ever.

Any sense of what chemical it could have been? The ever popular PG, or insecticide? Anyway, I think you did the right thing. Taste is everything.

The strange flavor I got had an ammonia vibe. I went back to the jar immediately to see if the rest of the tobacco smelled that way and… it didn’t. It was the strangest thing.

Again, I’ve smoked this off and on for years. It’s been a favorite so I’m pretty familiar with how the blend handles in different pipes. It just puzzled me.

I’m going to intentionally smoke it this week and see what happens.

 

[canucklehead]

But, I have no idea what people mean when they say “chemical taste.”

 

[Chasing Embers]

The strange flavor I got had an ammonia vibe

Tobacco naturally off gasses ammonia while aging but with that much age it should have passed. Is the pipe's stem oxidized or do you regularly smoke latakia blends in it?

 

[anotherbob]

The strange flavor I got had an ammonia vibe. I went back to the jar immediately to see if the rest of the tobacco smelled that way and… it didn’t. It was the strangest thing.

Again, I’ve smoked this off and on for years. It’s been a favorite so I’m pretty familiar with how the blend handles in different pipes. It just puzzled me.

I’m going to intentionally smoke it this week and see what happens.

Tobacco releases ammonia when it's first fermenting. Super common with freshly made snuff. If that is what is happening you just need to air it out.