Do you think I'm missing my clays yet???
I certainly would.
OT:
It's been about four days of undisturbed rest and now it's time for a checkup.
When I cracked open the jar of my first aromatic I was very surprised, it smells pretty much exactly like nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread.
I have no idea where the chocolate aroma came from, perhaps the coffee, but the initial smell of dark roasted caramel popcorn has completely changed. I'm amazed!
After about 80 minutes of more ripping, twisting, rubbing and kneading it turned out looking like this.
I put it back in the jar and plan to leave it for as long as the Clan and MacBaren last. I'll probably stove it at some point. No taste test yet!
The VA twists haven't changed much visually and they smell only very slightly of hay. A pleasant sweetness with a tiny pinch of spice is in the front. Definitely much more aromatic than the bare leaves.
I'll experiment with this batch a little and also heat some of it up to recreate the process of the first time, hoping that it turns into that mock Oriental again.
I took some out and plucked them apart, rubbed them up. They sit in the open air to dry out a little,
I'll smoke them later.
The light or something must be kinda messed up, this greenish tint you might see doesn't show at all in person. I'll take a better one later before I smoke them. Until then: Happy smokes!