Same Tobacco, but Not?

[StrawBunyan]

I made two separate orders from the same place, one week apart. Each order contained a tin of Peterson Flake.
The first tin was highly disappointing to me. It was very dark with strips of gold unlike the golden flakes in the photo. It had very little smell in the tin and the smoke just seemed like hot air. I used it as a topping if I wanted to smoke a second bowl and just got done with some NightCap...atleast then it was like NightCap light and had some sort of flavor and was nice to clean my mouth out I guess.

I haven't smoked any from the second tin yet but I did open it today. It has a much lighter color off the bat, still darker than the photo but it is a golden brown now not nearing chestnut and black. I could smell the tobacco from the tin even before I went in for a whiff and it upon closer inspection it actually smells like something I would like to smoke.
I'll give an update again after I smoke it but basically my question is......

Is it normal for two tins of the same stuff from the same place to be so drastically different in their appearance and scent?

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I've never noticed much difference between tins. Sometimes one or two maybe on the dry side, but seem to taste the same anyway.

Peterson flake is a bit mild and insipid. It also has as a lemon flavour topping which I came to dislike.

 

[StrawBunyan]

I've never noticed much difference between tins. Sometimes one or two maybe on the dry side, but seem to taste the same anyway.

Peterson flake is a bit mild and insipid. It also has as a lemon flavour topping which I came to dislike.

The citrus scent is definitely evident in the new Tin.

 

[STP]

Same tins…? I know Peterson abandoned the square tins in favor of the round tins for their Irish Flake. If so, then perhaps a different batch. If not, then IDK.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I haven’t had any recent experience with that one blend, but I have noticed drastic differences over the years with other blends, mostly SG and GH&co stuff. Theirs is like a crap shoot.

I think that sometimes it’s due to differences between crops and having to change formulas over the years. The Gawith twins might have to do with changing locations and merger stuff also.

Anything STG has acquired over the last five years has drastically changed also. Escudo and Erinmore are nothing like what they used to be also. I’m not really a fan of any of their works lately.

 

[StrawBunyan]

Same tins…? I know Peterson abandoned the square tins in favor of the round tins for their Irish Flake. If so, then perhaps a different batch. If not, then IDK.

Both same round tin yes. I gave the old empty away so I can't check the batch

 

[mso489]

It sounds like the open tin may not have been fully sealed, although I'm surprised that would change the color. I haven't tried that blend. I do like Peterson Irish Flake and their 3-P. I haven't had a bad tin of those.

 

[solideogloria86]

One could be a lot older/aged. Flakes darkened, topping faded. Also, do you dry your tobacco before you smoke it?

 

[StrawBunyan]

One could be a lot older/aged. Flakes darkened, topping faded. Also, do you dry your tobacco before you smoke it?

I tried it 4 ways. Straight from tin folded, straight from tin rubbed out and dried flakes as well as rubbed out and dried. All dried for different amounts of time, some even all night and half the next day.
None of it seemed to make any discernable difference.

The only thing I noticed is that when I loaded my bowl really loosely it seemed to almost be half decent

 

[StrawBunyan]

It sounds like the open tin may not have been fully sealed, although I'm surprised that would change the color. I haven't tried that blend. I do like Peterson Irish Flake and their 3-P. I haven't had a bad tin of those.

So far I love their NightCap and Royal Yacht. The university flake is great as well.
The first tin of Flake however just didn't seem like it was worth what I paid for it. Hopefully this next one changes my mind, it is already off to a better start.



I hear 3P is similar to U.F. I am looking forward to trying it
And I've heard nothing but things about the strength of the Irish flake so I am super excited about that as well. They are both in my cart for my next round.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I tried some Peterson Flake for the first time recently. I needed a flamethrower to keep it lit. I'm convinces NASA could use it as shuttle reentry insulation.

 

[sablebrush52]

Is it normal for two tins of the same stuff from the same place to be so drastically different in their appearance and scent?

It happens. There are variations between batches and between years.
Blenders sometimes blend leaves from several different years to homogenize the blend so that it doesn’t vary quite so much, but variations still happen.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Given all the variables, I'm amazed the manufacturers are able to maintain the variables levels they do.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Given all the variables, I'm amazed the manufacturers are able to maintain the variables levels they do.

As we lose farmers and the industry relies more on corporate run farms, we lose many varieties that will no longer be found on a commercial level anymore. So, we get reduced down to just a handful of burleys and just a few flue cure varieties. And, it's not just here, but worldwide. Many blends have to find creative ways to keep certain blends on the shelf, and that is usually by relying more on the sauce. I would be shocked if we don't see more differences in varieties in the near future.

 

[cigrmaster]

All of my Peterson Irish Flake is from 2012 and earlier. I have some of the old rectangle tins and then the rest is all square tins. I have no idea when they went to round tins, as I have none of those.

 

[anotherbob]

As we lose farmers and the industry relies more on corporate run farms, we lose many varieties that will no longer be found on a commercial level anymore. So, we get reduced down to just a handful of burleys and just a few flue cure varieties. And, it's not just here, but worldwide. Many blends have to find creative ways to keep certain blends on the shelf, and that is usually by relying more on the sauce. I would be shocked if we don't see more differences in varieties in the near future.

I think the only remedy would be if pipe tobacco became more like cigars. Where different leaf started being sold at a premium. Like the percentage of latakia or dark fired or oriental leaf noticeably effected the price of a blend. Cause that's the only way people will continue to farm it. Is if it's more profitable then other crops.
That's one of my predictions on pipe tobacco is that the prices will vary far more dramatically then they do now.