Well... I just finished the last of my aged Peretti 'Cambridge flake" (4 years from purchase)...it's excellent anytime. But, I prefer some age. I also just finished my last tin of Mclelland ever...(Oriental no#14 from '03)...
I was looking to fill that after-dinner bass note before bed smoke slot. My first thought was maybe some "Plum Pudding" I have some older tins that should probably get cracked, And So To Bed.... Nightcap. I couldn't make up my mind. I finally decided on "Quiet Nights" I had a tin from 2020. I cracked it and fell in love with this blend all over again. sooo good! Bass notes, High bright notes. the perfect "last Smoke"
To keep some on hand in the future I re-ordered some. Lo and behold I got a can from 2022. Well, I was enjoying the older can so much that I decided to open the newer can and smoke it to see if there were any discernable differences. There were some Subtle differences,
1) Moisture content- the older can was wetter when opened
2) the brights (virginas) on the newer can were more citrus', grassy,
That low bass note was still there on the newer tin, but the brightness of the Virginia was competing with the Latakia and Perique.
In the older tin; all of the flavors were in harmony, coaxing each other into greatness.
In the week that I was doing this minin experiment I smoked 60% of the newer tin and 40% of the older tin. Not necessarily because I preferred the younger tin(in fact I preferred the older tin). I was trying to discern its contours and edges.
in the end i mixed the two together in a 1 gallon ziplock with a 72% Boveda, Going to let them mix it up and revisit in a bit.
I opened a tin of Plum Pudding while I wait.
But, I'm smoking a bowl of the 60%(2020)-40(2022) Quiet Nights... and thoroughly enjoying it as I write this.
M
Does anyone else find that they smoke more of the blends that they don't go mad over instantly. Differnt pipes, packing methods, smoking cadences trying to understand the tobbac?