TOM September 07 Escudo

[CigarGal]

Thanks guys! I will try the paper towel trick tonight and let it sit until tomorrow night-I'll let you know the results.

[glassjapan]

I just got done using this method written by Greg Pease...and it worked really nice for me:

"Put the tobacco in a bowl, and cover the bowl with a damp, clean towel, checking the tobacco every few hours. With flakes, it's particularly important to allow the tobacco to take up moisture evenly and slowly, so don't spray it, or put anything directly in contact with the tobacco that will localize the moisture too dramatically.

I've used this technique many times, and feel that it's the only way to have control over the final result, unless, of course, you have a vacuum chamber and a controllable source of moisture. "

GL Pease, 2005-12-14

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by glassjapan

I just got done using this method written by Greg Pease...and it worked really nice for me:

"Put the tobacco in a bowl, and cover the bowl with a damp, clean towel, checking the tobacco every few hours. With flakes, it's particularly important to allow the tobacco to take up moisture evenly and slowly, so don't spray it, or put anything directly in contact with the tobacco that will localize the moisture too dramatically.

I've used this technique many times, and feel that it's the only way to have control over the final result, unless, of course, you have a vacuum chamber and a controllable source of moisture. "

GL Pease, 2005-12-14

Do you know if this works better with hot water or cold water soaking the towel?

[glassjapan]

I just used room temp distilled water and spritzed down a washcloth. Checked on the bowl every hour or so and worked really well!

[EvanS]

I used this methd once as well and of course it worked great. But it also gave me a feel for what needed to be done, therefore i was able to use the paper towel in the tin with success as well. The reason I went this way was so I wouldn't have to deal with the bowl, the towel, dumping then refilling the tin. Just much simpler for me. Besides I wanted to end up with a tin that I was likely to use so I was able to leave the paper towel in the tin and simply reuse again if I ended up not smoking the tin in the near future.

Scott, I used room temp. And I would maybe NOT want to use warm water, just in fear that the warmth might give foothold to some mold. Cuz there ARE ,mold spores in there, just like everywhere else. Hate to open the tin a week or two later and have it be all moldy. This is one case where you don't want to get that warm and fuzzy feeling.

[CigarGal]

The towel in the tin seemed to work-the baccy isn't so crumbly now. I will smoke some later today and see how it taste. I cut out a piece a bit smaller than the tin and but it between the lid and the paper inside the tin so it didn't come in direct contact with the flakes.

[Alyks]

Wonderful! Simply sublime. I decided to crack open a tin of this tobak about a week or so ago, and the coins are going fast. The subtle sweetness from the virginias, and the spice of the perique danced on my tongue like a well choreographed waltz. I highly recommend this to anyone.

[Mandrakespain]

I tried it today for the first time and...not much really, do not know if it was the pipe (a biggi no name kind of squashed tomato) or my mood, or a certain alignment of some planets, but it did not taste much to anything, neither unpleasant nor tasty, I think I´ll give it a try again tomorrow in my Pete to look for some...taste?

Regards
Carlos

[smokehouse]

Originally Posted by Mandrakespain

I tried it today for the first time and...not much really, do not know if it was the pipe (a biggi no name kind of squashed tomato) or my mood, or a certain alignment of some planets, but it did not taste much to anything, neither unpleasant nor tasty, I think I´ll give it a try again tomorrow in my Pete to look for some...taste?

Regards
Carlos

Are you related to EvanS Just messin.

Give it anouther shot. Some of us here are really fond of it. Some are not.

[IHT]

also, don't smoke any cigars or anything with latakia the entire day, those could really mess up your tastebuds.

[Mandrakespain]

Well, having another go right now, in my big Peterson, today I only smoked some Irish Flake (different pipe, of course), and...more of the same, this is...not much, cannot find a lot of taste to anything....

[hyper_dermic]

Well, finished my tin of beacon, Im down to my last flake of Solani 633..
And its been 1 year since i put away this tin of escudo.
Good enough reason to crack the seal and enjoy.

oddly enough, i never did get way into escudo.. alot of people just love the stuff.. somewhere along the line i got sidetracked by solani 633, and ive been smoking that for the past year along with the odd tin of beacon as a treat. I think its time for me to switch it up a bit, smoke something else this year, and give the solani and a shitload of beacon in the cellar, the next year or 2 off.

Ive got some fillmore also stashed away.. i know when that hit the scene the general concensus was that it was a tasty perique filled smoke.. but still young.
Im at the 1 year stage, but i think i want to wait until 3-5 years before i crack the tin. if i had the forsight to buy more, i would crack one at 1 year to see how much of a difference it made. but alas, i only put away 2 or 3 tins... stupid me..

but i didnt come here to gabber bout my cellar and the pitfalls of cellaring tobacco. rather ive come to talk about everyones favorite vaPER "ESCUDO"

To start with appearance and packaging, Escudo gains full marks. after popping the tin with a coin, and lifting the paper veil, one finds several little coins, perfectly aligned in a circle. it looks quite appetizing.

The Tin aroma is a fine stewed fruit , mixed with a musty, almost bready VA smell.. its hard to describe, but i detect the same smell in Solani's VA products (Silver Flake and 633 both have this VA smell)
The stewed fruit is the major player in the tin smell, and its very attractive.
The coins themselves smell more like the VA... although when taken alone, the coins have much less oder than the group does in the tin.

The coins are thin cut and pressed quite well. They are pressed flat, dark with tan flecks. only the edges are frayed ever so slightly.

Since they are pressed in flake/coin form, i let them sit out a little longer than i would a ribbon cut.to test, i pull off a piece from the outside of the coin, if it seems too dry, then the rest of the coin is at perfect humidity.

I take 2 coins, place one on top of the other, and fold them in half, then stuff the plug into my pipe. i then take my tamper and smoosh the whole thing down 1/3 of the way. (i think 3 coins would have been the right number, 2 coins left the bowl too loose, this is why i smooshed it down so far. i then took the remaning coin and crumbled it up. this crumble filled the top 1/3 and was finally tampered down.

Lighting was a very easy affair. Since i let the tobacco have its time to dry, there were no moisture issues, the pipe lit and kept lit with minimal fuss.

[B]Early Impressions[B]
The first couple puffs are very Mild, cool and very SMOOTH. I can draw in a overflowing mouthful of smoke, yet i can barely feel it.. just cool, velvety air... the taste is like a wisp in the wind, just a specter of sweetness glides by as i exhale. Somewhere in the far reaches of my nasal cavaties a hint of stewed plums are detected.
I begin to puff harder and faster... in a vain attempt to capture the sweet phantom. perhaps my sanity is in question, everyone knows there are no such things.. but i SWEAR to you! i tasted sweetess!! there can be no other explination.

At this stage of the game, one must use her mouth, nose, and throat as one. Circulate the breath around to hit as many recepters as possible to get the subtle flavors this tobacco puts out. small sips, circulated around seem to do the trick of getting the phantoms to settle down.
]just when you think you have an idea of what that flavor is! its gone.
If it werent for the very cool smoke, i wouldnt be able to puff as hard, i would have been burned and not happy with escudo. but since i was able to puff often, and play "guess that flavor" it was quite fun.

As the bowl burns down, it seems the phantoms tire of playing games, and i can apprecieate the flavors more. the smoke is stil very mild, a bit less cool, Its sweet for sure.... but not as sweet as some other straight VAs, THe fruity charachter develops from a boy into a young adult.. but he still lacks any pepper... or any bite whatsoever...

This next part, dear readers, is where i fall into deep sleep. Yes, being warm under the bankets on a cool day, mixed with a nice pipe, and a couple pain pills for my wrist, and off i go to the land of NOD.xc
This is where Pipes are much safer than ciggs or stogies. I can and have fallen alseep wiht my pipe a few times... pipes are nice and contained, so if u do nod off, chances are.. your not gonna burn the house down.. this cant be said of ciggs or stogies

So i wake up 2 hours later, a bit hung over... and looking or my pipe..
Lets see if DGT works with ESCUDO Relights are easy, but something has changed. For the WORSE,
FOr starters, the quality of the smoke has changed. its very DRY now. before it was cool and SMOOTH, before it wast irritating in the least bit.
Now its DRY and somwhat peppery.. i also have to watch out for bite. Its not biting right now, but i know waht that mischevious look in its eyes mean.. its gonna TRY to bite me.. .not now.. maybe later.. he says ill neve see it comin.

im done wiht this bowl but i hate to throw away tobacco... even if it is aggressive and haunted.
I decide to scrape out the top 1/4 of the tobacco, anything that has been charrred, and a layer under that gets scraped out of the bowl.

Final relight. Now things seem to have returned to normal.
The flavor is back but with major changes, the sweetness is almost all gone, The peppery bite has become KING and the VA has a dark dry flavor to it.
all the little subtile delicate flavors that were there early on have been sacked.

Well i look foward to my 2nd bowl, hopefully this time i can watch a slow evolution of flavors, rather than smoke one sweet mild tobacco, and wake up to a harsh peppey

OH, and as for aftertaste, it was very mild... didnt start until the 1/4 of hte bowl was smoked.. had a nice stewed plum taste.

hopefully the 2nd time around i wont nod-off and leave it there to spoil.

-hyp

Crap i just fell alseep writing this, my leg twitched, and the keyboard almost landed on the floor.

good night