Spice of life

[lazydog]

Wondering if anyone out there has experimented with adding a touch of spice ( fennel, cinnamon. cardamon, etc.) to a bowl of baccy?? I'm smokin a bowl of english now with a pinch (not much) of cinnamon . Not bad. Nutmeg is next. One could cellar a blend with the spice in a mason jar for a while and I would assume the tobacco would absorb the spice flavor. :crazy:

 

[photoman13]

I have thought about trying this but I'm not sure that a spice is meant to be burned.

 

[tobakenist]

I have livened up dry tobacco with a drop of Rum in the past with great success.

 

[papipeguy]

I would think that a solution of any spice in distilled water and then sprayed on to the tobacco should work. As for liquor additions, you could put your favorite on a clean sponge and leave it in the jar and the tobacco will absorb it. I've done this with cigars with great success.

 

[pstlpkr]

I'll add a touch of Perique, Latakia, or a spritz of Bourbon or Brandy from time to time...

But, "food flavorings" not so much.

 

[cortezattic]

Good question for the "Ask G L Pease" column, because I got the impression that those spice flavors, and others, were applied as dissolved oils. Most pharmacists could sell you some oil of clove, for example. Browse a health food store for other oils. I suppose you would have to dissolve them in alcohol and spritz the tobacco with it -- but at this point I'm just blowin' smoke, IYKWIM.

 

[bigvan]

With the amount of simply WONDERFUL tobaccos available to us, why would I want to mess with a good thing? To me, this is like ordering a gourmet meal then dousing it all with ketchup.

 

[ohin3]

I know that dry toasting or roasting of spices yields some incredible flavours and aromas, but I'm not sure how they would translate when smoked. I have often wondered why there are not more aromatics that use sweet spices as an aromatic agent. I would love to taste cinnamon, clove, cardamom, anise...etc in a tobacco. I love the smell of Clove cigarettes but those things are pure friggin' poison.

 

[carlosviet]

This is the weak point of internet: A number of people wondering what about smoking spices for hours.
Fast way: Go to the kitchen, burn (not roast) them and see what about that smoke.
Results of the experiment (One with cinnamon and one with cardamom): IRRITANT in nose and eyes. Foul smell, like burnt earth.

After doing it, I remembered that last guy who had this idea of burning spices, particularly pepper, came out with tear gas.
Conclusion:

1.- There are more than 4200 tobaccos reviewed available. Let's try at least 10% of them before getting bored...

2.- As a rule of thumb, It is advisable to avoid using hot&spicy things on any other than the traditional way and orifice.

 

[lordnoble]

As a rule of thumb, It is advisable to avoid using hot&spicy things on any other than the traditional way and orifice.

Where's your sense of adventure, carlos? :rofl:
-Jason

 

[cortezattic]

Bigvan and Carlos +1. Now I'm gonna go off to decide which of my 40 opened tins I'm going to partake of next. :lol:
ps. I think it would take more than a lifetime to cycle through all the offerings of McClelland, H&H, C&D, Pease, Altadis, and the STG -- just to mention a few!

 

[lazydog]

burnt earth sounds good to me. I like ketchup (gourmet condiment) Beg to differ Carlos, this is the strong point of the internet/a zillion different ideas available.

 

[lazydog]

well.......I now is smokin English Oriental with ground fennel seeds. Outstanding, Licorice, vanilla bean, cloves, cardamon next. I wonder how curry would work? :wink:

 

[lazydog]

for those that didnt have a negative reaction to this idea, let me give an idea of my experimenting. Far and away anise is the best spice addition to tobacco. Very unobtrusive and delightful flavor. Fennel seeds are the next best, but more powerful in smell and flavor. Minute pinch goes a long way. Clove is very strong also and I used very little. A surprise to me is allspice and it too is enjoyable. I added these spices to both an English and VA/Per on a small glass jar and let it sit overnight, sealed. Its not a matter of being bored with my present tobaccos, its a matter coming up with something new in addition to all the great baccys available. No foul smells or irritant, no burnt earth. Easy to adjust amount of spice. Too much, add more tobacco. ::

 

[baronsamedi]

I love the smell of Clove cigarettes but those things are pure friggin' poison.

Yeah, that's a weakness of mine, too. I used to smoke those damned things all the time.

 

[lonestar]

Lazydog, one thing to consider is that some of the spices out there have narcotic and otherwise powerful effects when used in a way other than sprinkling on your food.

Nutmeg for instance, is a fairly powerful narcotic.

I dont have a problem with experimenting, I applaud you for it and the truth is you will probably discover some of the major blenders "secrets" this way. We've probably all smoked a whole bunch of strange food additives and loved it.

But, if it ends up giving you a heart arrhythmia in the process, thats probably not so good..

 

[lazydog]

Thanx for the tips, lonestar. I think ill stay clear of cloves and nutmeg. Sassafras and sassparilla are my latest tries. Clove is harsh & burns hot. Too bad because it is a great flavor. The spices are added in very minute quantity & at this small portion they are extremely inexpensive. Health food store has gobs of interesting spices. Sassafras looks like it could be very enticing. My god texas is ahuge state. Juniper berries are apossiblity/ Thanx again briar bro. :wink: