Casing and Topping

[billmess]

According to G.L. Pease in the FAQ linked below, almost all tobacco has some type of added flavor in some form. In either casing or topping.

http://glpease.com/FAQ.html

My question is:
What tinned tobacco has no added flavor at all? Are there any?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Reading anything by Greg is a joy. I love his style, his "tobacco theory," and ultimately, many of his products that I've tried and bought.

This leads to questions about casing and sauces...

I only smoke uncased tobaccos.

In fact, very few, if any, mass-produced tobaccos on the market today are NOT cased. Casing is the process of adding sugars and flavouring agents before the leaf is further processed. The raw leaf is be soaked or sprayed with a solution of sugars and flavourings like liquorice, vanilla, tonquin, and so on. The amount of sauce absorbed by the leaf depends on the method of application, the structure of the leaf, and the length of time the leaf is in contact with the sauce before further processing. The leaf is then processed as usual. It can be conditioned and cut, or pressed and held to allow further fermentation. It can be heated, steamed, toasted, or just allowed to “bulk” in the atmosphere.

Many raw tobaccos, especially burleys, are harsh, and often have poor smoking characteristics. Very few smokers have ever experienced virginias and burleys that do not have SOME sort of casing applied. It's not the casing that turns smokers of “pure” tobacco off; it's the flavourings. When used delicately, they enhance the flavour of the tobacco itself. When used heavily, as in most American style aromatic tobaccos, they can overpower the underlying tobacco flavours.

To my understanding, he's both referring to and possibly using "casing" or additives like one would add salt to a steak. Salt, in large amounts, are obviously as unappealing as sugar would be (at least to most). However, in small amounts, it can be used to further enhance other flavors. I imagine eating a steak, totally bare, cooked to perfection. Would it benefit from a scant sprinkle of salt, or would this render the steak unnatural to its "steakyness?" I have to wonder. Greg touches on this later in the article, but the idea is the same. Unless you're aiming for ultimate purity, to whatever end, I don't see how avoiding even slight additives would be beneficial to your experience, but to each his/her own! 8)

Q: So, are your tobaccos cased?

A: Some of the leaf we use is cased by the primary processor according to our specifications. In some blends, we do additional light casing. So, the answer is yes, some of them are. It's sometimes an important and necessary step in providing the best possible smoking experience, and that's what it's all about, right? Most of the mixtures, on the other hand, are not cased, and Union Square is one of very few, if any, pure virginia tobaccos available anywhere that is produced completely without additional sugars or sauces.

There it is: "Union Square." I am smoking this currently and I went almost directly from light aromatic and English blends to this stuff--it's amazing in my opinion, and this is the un-aged stuff I'm smoking. Toasty, mellow, creamy and still sweet, with no discernible additives.

 

[Storm_Crow]

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[Kyle Weiss]

:lol: I've read how some people find certain Virginias "ketchupy" or "vinegary" in the can... :lol:

 

[MisterE]

^LOL.

You might give Peterson's Irish Flake a shot. Only available in tins.

 

[Smoker99]

I have smoked Tn. burley straight from the field, with no processing. Some of the C&D blends are closest to that taste. Try the burley flakes, #808 Burley Straight, Big N Burley, Opening Night etc. Most blenders play a semantics game, ie, pure tobacco. Right, but a flavoring/sweetener added, whether by them or the manufacturer.

 

[billmess]

I have smoked Tn. burley straight from the field, with no processing. Some of the C&D blends are closest to that taste. Try the burley flakes, #808 Burley Straight, Big N Burley, Opening Night etc. Most blenders play a semantics game, ie, pure tobacco. Right, but a flavoring/sweetener added, whether by them or the manufacturer.

So you literally harvested the leaves and smoked them?
Was it good?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[puros_bran]

Irish flake is topped.
Other than the stuff I chewed/smoked growing up I've (to the best of my knowledge) never had a burley that isn't.
Burley doesn't have enough Suger in it naturally to be smokable. And this from someone who has smoked as much barn tobacco as processed tobacco.

Casing/Topping has become a dirty word, I've even viewed it as such, but it shouldn't be. When gooped on to hide inferior tobacco it produces crap goop. When judiciously used on quality tobacco it produces the tobacco blends we know and love.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

As I understand it, MC uses vinegar to retard mold and other noxious effects from occurring in its tinned tobacco. Yes, it smells like vinegar (ketchup?, I don't think so). This subtracts smelling the tobacco from the overall pleasure of smoking their tobacco.
But, the vinegar never gets into the taste of the tobacco, which is the most important reason why we smoke.

It is an ongoing puzzlement to me why the smell of MC is so often associated with the taste of MC tobacco and thereby used as a reason not to smoke the myriad of the fine tobaccos manufactured by them.

 

[user 2031]

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[Dave_In_Philly]

I have often wondered why its practically unheard of to have anything but naked tobacco leaf in a cigar when, at the same time, its equally unheard of to have naked tobacco leaf in pipe tobacco.

 

[ArchaggelosPipes]

I don't have any problem with this vinegar smell cause I'm smoking McClellands tobacco at least one month after opening the tin and I leave the tobacco that I want to smoke 1 hour out of it's tin to dry.

 

[puros_bran]

Dave you would be mistaken.
Cigar leaf is treated much the same as pipe leaf.
You just won't find anyone brave enough to say so.

 

[dshpipes]

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:lol!: :lol!: :lol!:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Dave you would be mistaken.
Cigar leaf is treated much the same as pipe leaf.
You just won't find anyone brave enough to say so.

+1 -- actually queried many a fine cigar smoker about this, and they haughtily laugh like I'm a moron and say "...it's 100% (varietal/location) tobacco, sonny boy, no additives or flavorings, you'll realize that when you get that pipe out of your mouth and taste real tobacco." Wow, that's not what (reference/book) says...

"...whatever you read is simply wrong...cigars...cigars...cigars...blah...blah..."

Of course it's wrong. :roll: What was I thinking?

 

[Storm_Crow]

As I understand it, MC uses vinegar to retard mold and other noxious effects from occurring in its tinned tobacco. Yes, it smells like vinegar (ketchup?, I don't think so). This subtracts smelling the tobacco from the overall pleasure of smoking their tobacco.
But, the vinegar never gets into the taste of the tobacco, which is the most important reason why we smoke.

It is an ongoing puzzlement to me why the smell of MC is so often associated with the taste of MC tobacco and thereby used as a reason not to smoke the myriad of the fine tobaccos manufactured by them.

Agreed... if you just want it to smell good in the pouch, buy potpourri. Can't imagine that would taste worth a crap, but it sure would smell nice. As you said, the smell of whatever the preservative is never transfers into the taste and McClelland makes some really good pipe tobaccos. It would be a shame to cross them off your list because they don't smell good out of the tin.

I wasn't criticising, just making a cheeky comment. As you may note from my list of favorite tobaccos, McClellands VAs are my favorite. Nothing is sacred to me however so I'll take a jab at anything.

 

[user 2031]

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[Smoker99]

I have often wondered why its practically unheard of to have anything but naked tobacco leaf in a cigar when, at the same time, its equally unheard of to have naked tobacco leaf in pipe tobacco.

That stuff they have in the spray bottle when they turn the fermenting bales is not just water.

 

[Smoker99]

I have smoked Tn. burley straight from the field, with no processing. Some of the C&D blends are closest to that taste. Try the burley flakes, #808 Burley Straight, Big N Burley, Opening Night etc. Most blenders play a semantics game, ie, pure tobacco. Right, but a flavoring/sweetener added, whether by them or the manufacturer.

So you literally harvested the leaves and smoked them?
Was it good?

Thanks,
Bill

I didn't do anything other than smoke it. Inlaws in Tn had a tobacco patch which they grew for personal comsumption. Pretty common at the time. All they did was dry it. Harsh but smokeable.