catsup aplenty but where's the beef?

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ragged claws

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Well, I just tried my first flake (broken flake) tobacco yesterday and I'm underwhelmed. I've smoked three bowls of McClellands Black Woods Flake in three different pipes and the only taste that I can discern is catsup. I know that many folks here love this tobacco and since I'm still a newb at all things pipe, I must be doing something wrong. Other than the catsup taste/after-taste I can taste nothing in this tobacco. It's like smoking warm air.

I rubbed it out the best I could and gravity fed my bowls, but other than just a hint of a VA taste on the second light, I get nuttin' in the taste department. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kim
 
The power of suggestion is AMAZING ! There's NO "catsup" flavor in ANY McC 'bacs, just some of the nicest Va's available in a blend made today. BF is one of the nicest, smooth, sweet va flakes available, far BETTER than FVF for sure :p JMHO opinion based on smoking it for many years now :p
 
no nicotine and light on flavor, and I smoke Va flakes 5 nights out of 7. McClelland Va's are undoubtedly excellent, but not for everyone, myself included.

Try some of the English and German flakes for a comparison, you'll find something that is in the right direction for you and then you'll know which direction to explore. My personal opinion is that there are no finer Va flakes in the world than Samuel Gawith, but there are a couple K&K flakes that I enjoy as well.
 
I get the same ketchup scent as well, you are not alone, many many people smell the same strange scent in McLelland blends, I was gifted a sample of their Christmas 2010 blend and it has that weird ketchup thing going on, I am trying to ignore it but it is very strong and hard to ignore, I wouldn't buy any of their tobacco myself. I think folk just get used to it over time which is why some folk just don't notice it!
 
I notice the scent from the bag but it does not follow into the smoke for me.

2015 is on my bulk purchase list.
 
Bro Mon... Riddle me this. How does a gent 'smell' the funk by power of suggestion thats never been around anyone to suggest to him the funk is there?

Edited in: I've never tasted the funk.. only smelled it. It always disipates to smokey when on fire.

 
It's like the "old ladies soap" scent that is in ALL the Lakeland Brit stuff. The reason most guys ignore it is it reminds 'em of granny and most men love their granny and won't say anything bad about her :twisted:
 
puros_bran":vj5z68el said:
Bro Mon... Riddle me this. How does a gent 'smell' the funk by power of suggestion thats never been around anyone to suggest to him the funk is there?

Edited in: I've never tasted the funk.. only smelled it. It always disipates to smokey when on fire.
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If they have read ANYTHING posted here about this BEFORE smoking, the idea and the suggestion has been introduced, that's why I refer to it as the power of "suggestion" :p
 
That scent that you are detecting, just to set the record straight is the smell of fermenting tobacco.

I agree with Sisyphus here. McC's Va's are with out a doubt top notch. I smoked through a tin of Blackwoods and I liked it a lot but I never truly rang my bell. I still keep some on hand because I enjoy it and one day I am hoping my BWF light will turn on. Same with Dark Star.

Try some Solani Silver Flake (VA with a little Dark Fired), S. Gawith FVF or BBF, or even some Fribourg & Treyer Cut VA Plug and see what transpires for you. The difference in VA's from brand to brand never ceases to amaze me.
 
Rob_In_MO":g9t7vy8w said:
Oh crap, not another 'Catsup' thread... :shock:


You guys know that Monbla can't leave these threads alone, quit getting the old fart so worked up... :mrgreen:
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Yeh! Yeh! Yeh! All worked up ! All worked up :p It's cold . grey and raining here so this gives me something to do :twisted: :twisted:
 
I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, Alfredo. I'm determined to keep working with this tobacco until I can understand the reason for it's popularity.
Monbla, I know that smelling/tasting catsup on McClelland flakes is not something one lightly admits here, but smell and taste it I do.
I'm going to dry my next bowl of BWF a bit and see if that might help me squeeze a little flavor out of this weed. I'll report my success, or lack of same, by day's end.


Kim
 
monbla256":hyqwtrkf said:
If they have read ANYTHING posted here about this BEFORE smoking, the idea and the suggestion has been introduced, that's why I refer to it as the power of "suggestion" :p
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I picked up the funk before there was a BoB.. before I was on any forum.. And I grew up in tobacco.. tobacco fields, barns, sales, warehouses..

Personally I don't think it's bad.. and as I already stated to me it totally vanishes at first light.

I really have no dog in the fight. It's a total non issue to me.
 
ragged claws":5i8tsd5d said:
I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, Alfredo. I'm determined to keep working with this tobacco until I can understand the reason for it's popularity.
Monbla, I know that smelling/tasting catsup on McClelland flakes is not something one lightly admits here, but smell and taste it I do.
I'm going to dry my next bowl of BWF a bit and see if that might help me squeeze a little flavor out of this weed. I'll report my success, or lack of same, by day's end.


Kim
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A suggestion about BF that you might want to try. It has worked well for me and has helped me enjoy the 'bac. Try rubbing it out real well, then spread it out on a saucer and let it DRY out (I put my saucer under my desk lamp for about 20 min.) THEN put it in a wide bowled pipe . I really like Pots for ALL my Va's, the shape, I feel, allows the 'bac to 'breath" and release all the nuances it has. I've smoked most ALL of my flakes this way and they ALL have delivered for me! :p
 
puros_bran":ql8qo8ll said:
monbla256":ql8qo8ll said:
If they have read ANYTHING posted here about this BEFORE smoking, the idea and the suggestion has been introduced, that's why I refer to it as the power of "suggestion" :p
Click to expand...
I picked up the funk before there was a BoB.. before I was on any forum.. And I grew up in tobacco.. tobacco fields, barns, sales, warehouses..

Personally I don't think it's bad.. and as I already stated to me it totally vanishes at first light.

I really have no dog in the fight. It's a total non issue to me.
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I am with you as I too had family that farmed tobacco up in N. Carolina, Virginia Brightleaf to be exact, and I did smell the fermented aroma of cured tobacco, but NEVER would have described it as "catsup". Slightly vinegarish maybe, but NOT 'catsup".
 
[/quote]
A suggestion about BF that you might want to try. It has worked well for me and has helped me enjoy the 'bac. Try rubbing it out real well, then spread it out on a saucer and let it DRY out (I put my saucer under my desk lamp for about 20 min.) THEN put it in a wide bowled pipe . I really like Pots for ALL my Va's, the shape, I feel, allows the 'bac to 'breath" and release all the nuances it has. I've smoked most ALL of my flakes this way and they ALL have delivered for me! :p [/quote]

Thanks for the suggestion, monbla. I will try these techniques on my next bowl of BWF. I have a Savinelli Baronet Bruyere that has a wide bowl, so I'll give that a try.


Kim
 
My personal thoughts on the subject:

BF an absolute favorite of mine. I would rank it among my top three blends, and I smoke it more than any other blend. It definitely smells like ketchup to me, but I have never actually tasted, nor have I ever picked up the faintest ketchup/ vinegar smell in the room note. I find that it is at the proper moisture level right out of the tin, so I would avoid drying it out. That being said it does need to breath. I find a tin of BF starts to come into its own once it has been opened for about two weeks. IMHO it really is a wonderful blend and the only other that I would rank with it would be FVF. What is truly wonderful about BF is that it is readily available, doesn't require aging, and is consistent from tin to tin and year to year - the same cannot be said for FVF.
 
Blackwoods flake is one of the McClelland Virginias that definitely possesses the signture smell. Some say Ketchup, some barbecue sauce, I get cider vinegar. I think it's the combination of the aromas of the black and red virginias and the curing process they use, but there's definitely something there. I've found that the key to enjoying Blackwoods flake is to dry the amount of flake you're going to smoke considerably, then gently rough it up without rubbing it out, and ease it into a smallish, very clean pipe and sip it slowly.
 
ragged claws":4la3n8rz said:
I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, Alfredo. I'm determined to keep working with this tobacco until I can understand the reason for it's popularity.
Monbla, I know that smelling/tasting catsup on McClelland flakes is not something one lightly admits here, but smell and taste it I do.
I'm going to dry my next bowl of BWF a bit and see if that might help me squeeze a little flavor out of this weed. I'll report my success, or lack of same, by day's end.


Kim
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I don't know why people wouldn't want to to admit the ketchup thing. I've smelled/tasted it from Day One with McClelland's tobacco, before I had ever heard anyone else mention it on the Internet. It's very prevalent in some blends. I used to despise it, but I've grown to crave it on some days.
Blackwoods is one of my favorite Vas, but I have found it needs to air out a lot and be dried to the point of almost crispy. I feel the stuff really sings then. YMMV, of course.
 
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