North Korea and their Nukes.

[LeafHog]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

There was some talk on another board last year about a Canadian test that could identify Cuban from non-cuban tobacco. They were worried that unbnded cigars could be identified as Cubans by the Feds. I haven't found that reference yet but I'm looking, it will probably be quite useful in this regard.

Yeah, I remember that. Mick Conners wanted to use that test to prove his cigars weren't cuban...


(Now I, like AA, will sit back quietly until someone asks about lift station wet wells, aggregate size, superplasticizers, or web crippling )

[galaga]

So SeanGar, did you ever run the samples ......

[SeanGAR]

Originally Posted by galaga

So SeanGar, did you ever run the samples ......

Nope...no free time....

Sean

[MM2(SW)S]

Originally Posted by LeafHog

Yeah, I remember that. Mick Conners wanted to use that test to prove his cigars weren't cuban...


(Now I, like AA, will sit back quietly until someone asks about lift station wet wells, aggregate size, superplasticizers, or web crippling )

I jusat read this, about Mick but I didn't see about the test of the cigars. So did they do any testting?

Nope...no free time....

Sean

Well we might have to get you some free time to smoke and test cigars.

[FunkyPorcini]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

I also have a GCO, gas chromatograph olfactometry. We separate the chemicals the same way we do for GCMS, but we sniff the effluent from the column. So if we were lucky and something smelled "twang", we could then identify it based on GCMS retention.
Sean

I am extremely interested in this type of stuff. It all started with a show I heard on BBC about some crazy German scientists that develop artificial flavoring by analyzing the "nose" of a fruit and then removing the components that are least traceable or recognizable to the human palette. Now, I have no idea what it is that you do exactly so I could be talking way under you (from the sounds of it I am but sometimes layman's words are easier to understand) but I found it amazing that these wacky Germans were able to strip a Banana down into 3 to 4 components from hundreds and then turn it around and feed it to someone who believed it was a banana. Granted the mind is strong and once you get the general public to expect artificial cherry then it is cherry even though it tastes very different from an actual cherry.

On to what I was talking about. Like a banana, a cigar is a cigar no matter where it is grown, right? The one thing that separates Cubans from others is the soil, right? So, is it not possible to analyze the soil and find the differences in it that might contribute to the "Twang"? Edit - I finally read the rest of the thread and decided that you guys are way smarter than I am. I'm more of a big picture kinda guy. - /Edit Also with those fancy machines is it possible to take two samples, load them up, and then let the computers crunch out the differences? I mean, there has to be more similarities than differences, right? Like finger prints but more complex?

I know I'm way over my head here but this stuff fascinates me.

Man, I'd like to Herf with you sometime Sean. You could chat my goddamn ear off and I'd dig every bit of it.

El Sponge-o

[SeanGAR]

Originally Posted by FunkyPorcini

I am extremely interested in this type of stuff. It all started with a show I heard on BBC about some crazy German scientists that develop artificial flavoring by analyzing the "nose" of a fruit and then removing the components that are least traceable or recognizable to the human palette. Now, I have no idea what it is that you do exactly so I could be talking way under you (from the sounds of it I am but sometimes layman's words are easier to understand) but I found it amazing that these wacky Germans were able to strip a Banana down into 3 to 4 components from hundreds and then turn it around and feed it to someone who believed it was a banana. Granted the mind is strong and once you get the general public to expect artificial cherry then it is cherry even though it tastes very different from an actual cherry.

On to what I was talking about. Like a banana, a cigar is a cigar no matter where it is grown, right? The one thing that separates Cubans from others is the soil, right? So, is it not possible to analyze the soil and find the differences in it that might contribute to the "Twang"? Edit - I finally read the rest of the thread and decided that you guys are way smarter than I am. I'm more of a big picture kinda guy. - /Edit Also with those fancy machines is it possible to take two samples, load them up, and then let the computers crunch out the differences? I mean, there has to be more similarities than differences, right? Like finger prints but more complex?

I know I'm way over my head here but this stuff fascinates me.

Man, I'd like to Herf with you sometime Sean. You could chat my goddamn ear off and I'd dig every bit of it.

El Sponge-o

Perhaps the most famous flavor chemist in the world is a German, Grosch. He is able to use GCO to quantify the relative IMPACT of different flavor chemicals on a food's aroma, and knowing the concentrations, and rebuild the flavor. It is hard for flavor chemists to build exactly the same flavor, but this work makes it much easier. His work identifying something crazy like 30 chemicals in coffee aroma and regenerating a high quality synthetic coffee aroma was the subject of one of the papers I use in my Flavor Chemistry class.

The twang could be someting derived from the differences that also make Cuban tobacco darker, which do appear to me mineral related. Would the mineral themselves make the difference? Would they interact with other components during ageing and afffect development of flavor compounds? Would they react in a burning cigar to make different flavor compounds? Are there other agricultural differences that could explain them? Not all Cubans in my excperience have that twang, at least at the same level. Would be aheck of an interesting project though, especially the cigar taste panels, also known as herfs haha.

Ciao
Sean

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by MM2(SW)S

How true about drunk=sleep deprived, that sumed up my college years

So season opener, good luck I am expecting a Pitt victory. Indiana exgirlfriend went there.

We had our moments where we looked brilliant, and then moments of pure stupidity. But, in the end we won 12-11. Talent wise, it was a complete blow out. I think we really showed ourselves just what we will be capable of this year when we get a few things ironed out.

But, I broke my damn stick. Was trying to lift an attackman with my stick leveraged between him and the ground and snap! So much for titanium being strong. I might have to go back to the old style 40 pound wooden skull cracker.

[MM2(SW)S]

Originally Posted by AAlmeter

We had our moments where we looked brilliant, and then moments of pure stupidity. But, in the end we won 12-11. Talent wise, it was a complete blow out. I think we really showed ourselves just what we will be capable of this year when we get a few things ironed out.

But, I broke my damn stick. Was trying to lift an attackman with my stick leveraged between him and the ground and snap! So much for titanium being strong. I might have to go back to the old style 40 pound wooden skull cracker.

Congrats on the win. Damn breaking a titanium stick, that is a first for me. That is impressive. So how was your back? And what did you smoke to celebrate?

[AAlmeter]

Back is getting better every week. Had to ice at halftime. It seems to swell up and put some pressure on the nerves and spine, but its 1000 times better than before the surgery.

Havent had a celebratory cigar yet. Did have "a few" drafts last night though.

[MM2(SW)S]

Originally Posted by AAlmeter

Back is getting better every week. Had to ice at halftime. It seems to swell up and put some pressure on the nerves and spine, but its 1000 times better than before the surgery.

Havent had a celebratory cigar yet. Did have "a few" drafts last night though.

Glad the back is doing good. Well I was about to have my first smoke of the weekend (had duty and no time to smoke this weekend ) My nephew just place first place in his heavy weight wrestling highschool tourny(tought him everything he knows ) So I will celebrate Pitts victory and his with a Diplomate and a glass of wiskey.