Why do all McClelland's Blends Smell Like Ketchup?Catsup?

[hakchuma]

I love the smell. And I avoid ketchup like the plague! It belongs nowhere near food. But in tobacco it's different and I know it doesn't translate into the flavor of the smoke at all for me and I love just sticking my nose in a new can and smelling it up!

 

[dottiewarden]

Welcome aboard medwin.
I didn't like the Ketchuppy smell or taste at first but that FMOTB sure grows on you.

 

[armando]

Funny, the only blend of McClelland's I ever tried was "Holiday Spirit" and I did not notice any distinct Ketchup smell. https://youtu.be/Xz84GKxy7b0

 

[bigpond]

Good necro. The aroma is so strong and distinct to McClelland's, it's hardly a surprise this question is so perennial.

Neither Mary nor Mike seem to indulge in forum shenanigans, though they do answer the telephone (anyone remember those?). Here's what Mike said when asked:

I picked up the phone and suggested to the McClelland folks that we address this Posting. It did not take much encouragement. If you prefer bottom lines, there is no ketchup used in any of their blends what so ever.

So why does it smell like ketchup?

McClelland buys and ages their leaf in their storage building in the state of North Carolina for three to five years. During this period of time there occurs a natural "sweating" of the high sugar content leaf.
The next step is to ship the aged leaf to their factory in Kansas City where it is pressed and further aged in cake form for a period of time. Than it is further aged, in their tins, for one to two years before shipping to retailers.
The aroma, or imagined taste, is in reality a natural fermentation that takes place during this entire ageing process. Their tobaccos are of the best of high grade and quality with a very high sugar content, which enables this "natural" process to occur.

from here, 5 years ago http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/an-fyi-for-smokers-of-mcclelland-matured-virginias
Here's a good one from Ted Gage essentially saying the same

This [what people refer to as ketchupy/vinegary] is a direct result of the intense and intentional stoving process used for selected blends, but is by no means “characteristic” of McClelland blends. It is also a completely natural occurance caused by the stoving, aging and caking process, and something that frequently occurs with Virginia tobaccos over the course of many years of tin aging. It is not contrived by the use of flavorings or any artificial processes.
As anyone who does some cooking knows, heat and pressure have the ability to transform ingredients from one thing to something completely different. A tough and terrible pork shoulder roast, cooked slowly for hours, can transform into something totally soft and delectible. And think about Perique, which is basic Burley tobacco that under tremendous pressure and with sufficient aging, transforms into a completly different tobacco. Clearly, the same is true with Virginia leaf. It can range from bright flue-cured to something dark and unctuous that is quite different from the original product. My point is that the processing makes all the difference.

and lastly an extract from a Q&A with GLP, who answers generally

H.R. writes: Many have commented on the "ketchup" odor of certain Virginia blends, the result of vinegar produced during fermentation. (I always noticed a pronounced "dill pickle" aroma in the old Sullivan Powell’s Gentleman’s Mixture.) Do tobacco processors and blenders use specifically chosen yeast, acetobacter or lactobacillus cultures to engender the results they want, or are they just letting nature take its course, as did the winemakers, brewers and bakers of old? Has anyone ever tried using Dekkera/Brettanomyces to produce a "Belgian" style pressed Virginia flake?
Pease: Personally, I’ve never quite been able to grok the "ketchup" thing. Certainly, there are some tobaccos that exhibit an acetic aroma, and with some expansion of the imagination, I might be able to find something akin to BBQ sauce on occasion, or perhaps Branston Pickle, but not ketchup. I’ve even gone so far as to open a bottle of ketchup and compare its aroma side-by-side with that of the most infamous of "ketchup" tobaccos, and I still don’t get it. I think people confuse their condiments, sometimes. Next thing you know, it’ll be mustard, and arguments will ensue over whether it’s Dijon or yellow.
More seriously, you’re right in that fermentation is the cause of this notable aroma, whatever someone may choose to call it. To the best of my knowledge, blending houses don’t inoculate their tobaccos with specific microflora in order to get these effects, but rely on the wild yeasts and bacteria that are present in their environment. One one occasion, I managed to recreate a similar effect, albeit accidentally, so I’m quite sure it’s not the result of any sort of additives; just the natural process that tobacco goes through under certain controlled conditions.
I like the idea, though, of using specific saccharomyces to excite fermentation in a tobacco. It might make for an interesting red ale. And, from the trivia department, the aging of tobacco was once referred to as lagering. Maybe beer and tobacco are linked more closely than we know.

 

[perdurabo]

Thanks Bigpond. Well that seems to settle it. No vinegar or ketchup in the McClelland tobaccos. Fascinating.

 

[fitzy]

Zombie ghosts of McClelland tins past!
I absolutely love the smell and can't get enough of their baccy.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have also noticed that when driving off the ammonia through sweating my own homegrown Virginias that it takes on a very slight sour vinegary smell. From my own experience, I just assumed that McClelland was onto something that played on this natural aroma/flavor to enhance it and make a naturally fragrant product.
Having it affirmed by bigpond's interview/investigation is a blessing. I have occasionally picked up the slight vinegary smell in a small number of other brands, but begging the question, why don't more brands of Virginia have that smell? Do they think it is off-putting? Do they rush the process? I'd be curious to know. I enjoy some of the other non-vinegary smelling Virginias, but I really really prefer McClellands.

 

[cortezattic]

This guy's got the right take on it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

:D So, you're saying it's best just not to care? ::

Well, he is right, it doesn't translate into the flavor very much, but curiosity is what has us wondering. I find it hard not to care, when it comes to tobacco mysteries.

 

[jitterbugdude]

I believe the ketchup smell comes from the casing they use. I've fermented quite of few pounds of homegrown tobacco and only occasionally have I gotten a very faint whiff of ketchup. But, about a month ago I took some homemade Cavendish (from Virginia Brightleaf) and sprayed it with a mixture of water, sugar and raisins (that I warmed up to get the sugar out of the raisins). I jarred the stuff and checked it just last week. When I opened the jar it was 100% McClelland!
All companies sauce their tobacco. Evidently McClelland uses something unique that ferments into a ketchup smell.

 

[crashthegrey]

That's a very interesting theory, jitterbugdude. Definitely the most unique without being totally crazy. Thanks for sharing the bit of experience.

 

[jabo]

Don't mind the smell. It's never transfered over into the smokeability. I've noted this smell in other blends. Usually they are high Virginia's . Never noted it in aromatics.Has to be the fermentation. Just MHO.

 

[jefff]

I recently opened a 10 year old tin GLP filmore. It smells just like an McC Va blend.

 

[josephcross]

I love that smell. Sometimes I can smell/taste it when Im smoking St James Woods.

 

[perdurabo]

Smoking on some Cornell & Diehl's Three Friars, couldn't help but notice a viniger/ketchup aroma in the jar. So McClelland is not the only ketchup Virginia in the world.