Newminster No. 403 Superior Round Slices copy attempt

[tullius]

Power is still out in my shop, so can't build a proper press or spin up any casquillos, my girl is off dog sitting, and I'm officially bored. Always liked those little 403 rounds, so took 2 leaves of fire cured and 4 leaves of red VA, cased them well in distilled vinegar, rolled up a carotte and really stuffed it in my 52 rg cigar mold and crammed it closed with some clamps. Going to leave it with a few turns for a couple days and then slice it into coins with the ol' tuck cutter. How many PSI this is, who knows, but it smells pretty good going into the mold.

Will see what happens

 

[SlamFire]

Power is still out in my shop, so can't build a proper press or spin up any casquillos, my girl is off dog sitting, and I'm officially bored. Always liked those little 403 rounds, so took 2 leaves of fire cured and 4 leaves of red VA, cased them well in distilled vinegar, rolled up a carotte and really stuffed it in my 52 rg cigar mold and crammed it closed with some clamps. Going to leave it with a few turns for a couple days and then slice it into coins with the ol' tuck cutter. How many PSI this is, who knows, but it smells pretty good going into the mold.

Will see what happens

View attachment 43055

Why distilled vinegar? Doesn't that add a weird taste? I'm curious - thanks!

 

[tullius]

Distilled, antimicrobial properties, etc. When cased, the carotte smelled like Carolina BBQ so, not weird at all. Also, pretty sure certain McClelland blends like 5100 Red Cake (RIP, and others) used it to case virginias to achieve a "ketchup" flavor profile that I really enjoyed in the past. Like I said, will see what transpires

 

[tullius]

After a whole 3 hours, looks like I need more virginia on the outside, but results are encouraging

 

[Radagast]

Looks awesome

 

[tullius]

Thanks! Smokes fine, quite woodsy, decent nic kick. Used the fold and stuff fill method for the coins, and it moves a lot with the first lights. By my taste the carotte needs more pressure and time, but no bite and pretty good flavor as is: nice and nutty. Still think it needs more VA. There is zero vinegar taste in the bowl

 

[deluxestogie]

Ask @ChinaVoodoo if he might share his exclusive rights to an unusually apropos blend label for your new blend.

Bob

 

[Radagast]

I'm going to have to start playing with vinegar now.

 

[tullius]

All right, I'm asking, @ChinaVoodoo. Don't think this is a new blend, just new to me

 

[tullius]

CV must be busy. Cracked the mold to add 2 more leaves of red VA to the outside, it's taking on a nice sheen now. Very dense: if this were a cigar it would not draw

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I don't know about the resolution on this. Bob sent it to me recently, and I appreciate it, but I don't have the capability of printing it in colour.

I have tagged notification turned off. I have enough of a cell phone problem with text, WhatsApp and Telegram.

 

[deluxestogie]

Download Five Owl Blend Label as 3½" hi-res pdf.

If you finalize a blend, and send the ingredients info to me, I'll add them to the label, and provide the new link.

Bob

 

[tullius]

OK, Bob's label is better, and five owls sounds smoother than two. Didn' t weigh anything out this time


Five Owls

3 leaves red VA
1 leaf bright VA
1 leaf yellow/Canadian VA
1 leaf thin VA
2 leaves fire cured (TN or KY)

Strip main veins out of leaves, case well with white distilled vinegar, stack in order (VA on the outside, fire cured on the inside), roll into a carotte, press hard in a cigar mold for at least 3 days, and slice coins.


Keep wanting to add an oriental, cavendish or latakia to round it out, but that would make it a different blend. Will keep fiddling

 

[deluxestogie]

Your two owls look like a 1945 photo of observers at Los Alamos! ["Smooth as a plutonium implosion"]

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Download pdf of new label

[If you look carefully at the far right edge, you can see the feathers of a sixth owl—an excluded, fringe minority. And Canadian Owl is the only one with a snow-blanketed breast.]

Bob

 

[tullius]

A very nice gesture, label and name. Thank you Bob, and also CV

 

[tullius]

Cracked the mold/press on day three to see how things look. Now we're getting somewhere.

The outer VA has darkened significantly, sticky tobacco juices are oozing all over the mold, and the smell is different in a good way: more raisins than hay now. The doll was extremely difficult to get out of the slot to turn, and very glossy from the pressure. I added a light spritzing of vinegar to the doll and cigar mold and will likely leave it in there at least another 3 days. Not sure how much pressing is going on now since I didn't add any more VA to the outside this time.



All in all, it smells good and the experiment continues

 

[tullius]

The final doll was dark, wet and tremendously dense



Five Owls finished product. Smells great, like extra raisiny smoky perique. Gonna vac seal it for a bit

Yield: 55g

 

[tullius]

Cracked the vac seal and tried a bowl full: good as or better than the original. Plum, raisin, white pepper, smoky tamarind, and that McClelland tang. This could pass for premium commercially tinned pipe tobacco

 

[treecutter]

What is the difference between distilled vinegar and the regular type used for sprinkling on french fries etc ?
Also, do you just soak the leaf in a bowl of vinegar?