The STG Vinegar Curse Continues

[Skippy Piper]

I was really hoping the profane violation of Sir Walter Raleigh with vinegar would be an insolated incident, but sadly that seems to not be the case. Exactly one month ago on August 22nd I received an order from SmokingPipes containing several bulk Lane blends, including RLP-6, LL-7, and HG-2000 and they all had a really odd smell to them when I was jarring them up.

I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was and decided to give them a month in a jar to settle down, but after a month of jar time I cracked them open and the odd smell was still there (even stronger now that they had time to steep in the jars) and it's now readily apparent what the strange odor is coming from. It's vinegar. Not quite to the obnoxiously offensive degree that the current production Sir Walter Raleigh has been vinegared, but still very obviously vinegar.

I've smoked a pipe of RLP-6 and one of HG-2000 as well and can safely say that the vinegar does come through ever so slightly in the flavor of the smoke, though not as much as one might expect from the repugnant tin note. Still, why on Earth is STG suddenly using vinegar as a humectant on mild aromatic blends!? I could see maybe using it on a red Virginia blend, but the vinegar absolutely does not work with the flavor of aromatics and they really should have stuck to propylene glycol instead.

At least I've still got most of a tub of Captain Black Original to smoke instead of the RLP-6, but I am going to be very nervously crossing my fingers that the Captain doesn't get the vinegar treatment too the next time I need to order a tub.

 

[sablebrush52]

Still, why on Earth is STG suddenly using vinegar as a humectant

They’re trying to convince you that they’re McClelland.

 

[Skippy Piper]

They’re trying to convince you that they’re McClelland.

Which would be just fine if they were making red Virginias, but I don't want no dang vinegar on my chocolate mousse caramel vanilla marshmallow fluff-bunny blend!

I'll be very curious to find out if anyone else who has recently ordered bulk Lane blends has found theirs to have gotten the vinegar treatment as well, since I can't imagine I'm the only one given the batch sizes STG typically produces; unless someone over at SP was just eating Long John Silver's while packing orders and had a little whoopsie doo with the malt vinegar.

 

[Sea Lord]

Vinegar is not a humectant; it's an anti-mold agent. Mac Baren (besides McClelland) used it for the St. Brunos.

 

[daveinlax]

I was slingin’ Lane bulk tobacco all day at the shop Saturday. I didn’t notice anything different.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I was slingin’ Lane bulk tobacco all day at the shop Saturday. I didn’t notice anything different.

From fresh STG production?

 

[Dixie Piper]

STG ruins everything they touch

 

[Brad H]

Vinegar is not a humectant; it's an anti-mold agent. Mac Baren (besides McClelland) used it for the St. Brunos.

They using less of it now

 

[daveinlax]

From fresh STG production?

Yes! We go thought it pretty fast.

 

[Sea Lord]

They using less of it now

You tried the STG version, I take it?

 

[Brad H]

You tried the STG version, I take it?

Aye, 3-4 bowls and then tossed the flake into my whatever jar.
I’m hoping it was just because it was fresh and had no age on it, but potentially STG made it.
Jim created a whole new updated review thread on the STG blends

 

[ThermionicScott]

What’s wrong with vinegar? It’s great on fish and chips.

 

[khiddy]

IIRC, there's a preparation of vinegar and water sold in a special applicator that wimminfolk employ in some fashion, though I've never bothered (nor wanted) to learn too much more about it. Something about "freshness."

 

[Skippy Piper]

Just to be sure I'll be putting in an order from SmokingPipes on Wednesday for a couple more ounces of RLP-6 and HG-2000 to see whether I just got an off batch or if they're still lightly vinegared. I'll be crossing my fingers that I just got a weird batch when I ordered some back in August and maybe they'll be fine now.

 

[Sobrbiker]

IIRC, there's a preparation of vinegar and water sold in a special applicator that wimminfolk employ in some fashion, though I've never bothered (nor wanted) to learn too much more about it. Something about "freshness."

I was camping with a bunch of ex drunk bikers years back, when my buddy Mark came out of his camper asking his wife where she got the shampoo in the funny bottle that didn’t lather for sh*t and made him smell like a salad

Just to be sure I'll be putting in an order from SmokingPipes on Wednesday for a couple more ounces of RLP-6 and HG-2000 to see whether I just got an off batch or if they're still lightly vinegared.

Here’s hoping, but you know what they call doing the same things and expecting different results…

 

[Skippy Piper]

It took awhile but I've got some good news to share! I ordered some 2 oz samples of a new freshly received shipment of Lane RLP-6 and HG-2000 from another retailer (WV Smokeshop, for anyone curious) and the samples that arrived smelled perfectly normal, so I jarred them up and gave them 2 weeks sealed in their jars before opening them and smoking a pipe of each tonight.

Thank heavens they're perfectly normal and completely free of any vinegar odor or flavor! I don't know what was going on with the batches I received from SmokingPipes, but the new ones are just fine. I won't speculate about why the previous batches smelled and tasted so vinegary, I'm just happy to have my favorite smokes unsullied again.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

It took awhile but I've got some good news to share! I ordered some 2 oz samples of a new freshly received shipment of Lane RLP-6 and HG-2000 from another retailer (WV Smokeshop, for anyone curious) and the samples that arrived smelled perfectly normal, so I jarred them up and gave them 2 weeks sealed in their jars before opening them and smoking a pipe of each tonight.

Thank heavens they're perfectly normal and completely free of any vinegar odor or flavor! I don't know what was going on with the batches I received from SmokingPipes, but the new ones are just fine. I won't speculate about why the previous batches smelled and tasted so vinegary, I'm just happy to have my favorite smokes unsullied again.

How long was that tobacco sitting on their shelves before you bought it?

 

[khiddy]

How long was that tobacco sitting on their shelves before you bought it?

This is a great question. It’s really hard to tell which vendor between SP and WVSS would have fresher Lane. I mean, WVSS is certainly the less-trafficked site, but I’d bet that a much higher percentage of their customers are Lane smokers than those of SP, which could translate to a faster turnover of Lane stock at WVSS, and thus their supply is fresher?

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

This is a great question. It’s really hard to tell which vendor between SP and WVSS would have fresher Lane. I mean, WVSS is certainly the less-trafficked site, but I’d bet that a much higher percentage of their customers are Lane smokers than those of SP, which could translate to a faster turnover of Lane stock at WVSS, and thus their supply is fresher?

I was thinking that because of the less traffic their stock may not move as fast and so Skippy might want to really be grateful for what hes got.

 

[khiddy]

I was thinking that because of the less traffic their stock may not move as fast and so Skippy might want to really be grateful for what hes got.

It's certainly a puzzler!