Root beer is certainly aromatic, so is ginger...makes sense to me. There's certainly too much vanilla and chocolate tobacco out there for sure. I'd also like to see a good apple...all the apple flavors taste too fake (a lot like a Jolly Rancher) with the exception of Low Country Santee...a great natural apple flavor but not very prominent.
@RockyMountainBriar I have had the black XX and I guess you could call it meaty, aside from the vitamin N it's tolerable tasting but more like you cooked it well done and left it on the counter for a couple weeks.
I watched a Monty Python 6 part biographical on netflix over the past few days and my new idea for an aromatic is for a Hawaiian flavor of pineapple and SPAM Spam spam.........
@PappyJoe I had to look that one up, and yes I probably would have liked it but alas it no longer in production.
@vtgrad2003 your a sick man LOL, I started contemplating your question and then thought I don't even want to go down that road.
@Montecristo Thanks for the link. I've seen that before and it's from 2010. None of those guys thought too highly of that bulk blend and I haven't found any indication that it is still made.
Here's an old post describing my experimental attempt at making a root beer flavored aromatic.
(Experiment
Number 2 - Root Beer Float)
Had
the lab coat on again last night but this time my inspiration was one
of nostalgia for the 50s' and those neighborhood hamburger joints
once populated by teenage girls in poodle skirts and bobby socks and
guys in blue jeans, white T-shirt, and leather jacket, sporting
greased back hair. Places like 'Al's Diner' on "Happy Days".
The local hang-out, complete with jukebox box blasting out popular
tunes from Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper while kids chowed down on a
steady diet of burgers and fries, followed by a root beer float.
And that creamy sassafras flavor
of a classic root beer float is what I was striving to capture in my
next experiment. Once again the base tobacco blend I used was my 20
year old can of Velvet. It's the one blend I seldom if ever smoke so
I don't mind wasting it for experimental purposes. Though I'm
starting to believe the shortcomings of this OTC Burley blend may be
a major stumbling block in achieving my goals for perfecting
flavorful aromatic blends. If I want to get serious about continuing
this experiment in creating my own blends I think it's time to get
some straight blending Cavendish which is better suited for flavor
casing.
Once
again I pulled out several bottles of Watkins flavor concentrates
from my wife's baking supplies in the cupboard. As well as a few I
added in preparation for this experiment ... mainly Root Beer
Concentrate. I also had a bottle of Birch Flavored Concentrate I
bought years ago at a Fall Pioneer Days Festival where a guy dressed
in period garb was making and selling what he claimed to be authentic
Birch Beer. (instructions on the bottle says add 1 part Birch
Concentrate and 5 parts soda water ... not quite sure where the
original pioneers got soda water from but he had a great sales pitch,
looked the part, and managed to get me to open my wallet and buy a
bottle). And since Birch Concentrate has a similar flavor profile as
both root beer and sassafras it seemed like something worth adding to
the concoction.
In
the end I added about 6 capfuls of Root Beer Concentrate, 6 capfuls
of Birch Concentrate, 3 capfuls of Vanilla Concentrate, 3 capfuls of
Imitation Caramel Flavoring, and a tablespoon of pure honey just to
make this goopy concoction even more sticky.
To
try and sop up some of the excess moisture I added a pinch of Captain
Black Dark, Captain Black Round Blend, and what little was left of my
Up All Night "Gone Fishing" (barely enough to mention). But
it seemed to help. This really was a sloppy blend to hand mix. In
trying to make it more potent and flavorful I over-did the
concentrates.
I'm
sure an actual blender would have been rolling on the floor laughing
if he saw the amounts of liquids I poured into this witches brew. But
after some mixing and tamping it with a paper towel to absorb some of
the excess moisture I was eventually happy with the consistency.
To
aide in the drying process I placed it under a desk lamp for a few
hours to help dry the tobacco.
Now
for the results. Just like my 'Dreamsicle' blend the pouch note is
wonderful. And although the room note is quite pleasant there is only
a hint of the actual root beer aroma to be detected. It's there ...
but nothing like the scent in the pouch. And as for the taste it's
quite flavorful and sweet, but a bit of a wash-out in terms of
capturing the Root Beer Float flavor I was hoping to achieve. Like
the room note ... a trace amount of the sassafras flavor can be
detected in the retro-hale, but as for the taste of root beer on my
tongue it's nearly imperceptible. Guess I'll need to suck on a root
beer barrel while smoking if I want to experience what I was hoping
to achieve. I'm going to give it another week or two before
revisiting it to see if it improves with age. Since it was such a
moist blend I probably should have given it a bit more drying time
before smoking it.
(Follow-up
On My Root Beer Float Experiment)
Well
after letting it set for a week or so I went back to it three days
ago and added about double the root beer concentrate I originally
used as well as an additional three capfuls of caramel flavoring, and
boy was it a saturated and sticky mess. I added a bit of Carter Hall
to help sop up the additional moisture then let it set for a day and
a half in the sealed Tupperware container - shaking it up throughout
the day.
Today I opened it up and it
smelled outstanding, but was still a little to moist to smoke so
poured it into a Mason Jar (to keep it from blowing all over the
room) and went at it with a hair dryer - transforming myself from mad
scientist Henry Frankenstein to hair stylist Vidal Sassoon.
Once
I was satisfied with the consistency I packed the tobacco into a
small 4 oz. Mason Jar where it will sit for the next few weeks. I
took some of the remaining blend and packed an old Dr. Grabow ...
even though it was still quite moist. I was actually afraid it might
be too moist to light ... but it took the match and after the first
char light it stayed lit throughout the smoke. I think I did relight
somewhere near the bottom of the bowl but not because it went
completely out.
Now
the results: As I stated before the pouch note was outstanding - as
was the room note. I had my wife walk into the garage to get a sniff
and she was not only pleasantly surprised but immediately detected
the scent of root beer. And this time the taste was almost as good as
the pouch note. It taste exactly as it smelled.
During
the retro hale that sassafras/root beer flavor was front and center
like truly sucking on a root beer barrel. Then that creamy hit of
caramel followed and wham ... Root Beer Float!
It
burned down to a nice white ash, and believe it or not there was no
pipe gurgle - nor was the bowl a goopy mess.
In
terms of taste, smokability, pouch and room note it was a roaring
success. Unfortunately I can't truly call it a success because with
all the changes I made to the recipe during the process I doubt if I
can reproduce it exactly. I was constantly adding a bit more of this
and a little more of that without taking any real notes because I
assumed it was going to be a whopping failure from the get-go. But
now that I've discovered how much I like it I'll have to go back to
the earlier part of this discussion to see what I started with ...
factor in the additional flavoring and tobacco blends I tossed in to
sponge up the excess moisture and see what develops. This may prove
to be a one-off blend so I better make that little 4 oz. jar last me
a long time.
(After
all my experiments by either mixing existing blends or trying to
create some Frankenstein blend of my own with assorted flavor
concentrates and liquor I come to the realization - stick with the
professionals. I've screwed-up more great blends by trying to improve
on them by mixing blends that detracted from the flavor rather than
enhanced it. If you want variety in your tobacco products ... get it
from a professional. If you want to play mad scientist shovel up a
dead raccoon from the side of the road and plug it into a car
battery.)
@ghostsofpompeii No wonder we haven't heard from you lately. You must have found it impossible to see your computer screen with all your hazmat garb and goggles, plus tough to type with those thick rubber gloves that go up to your elbows! Next time you go on an experimental hiatus, let us know so we won't worry. By the way, how long before you ship us ALL a sample of your Righteous Rootbeer blend?😋😏
Hello Guys. I haven't really left, I've become more of a Lurker as of late because I haven't had much too offer. My smoking time has been drastically cut. I've had assorted health issues, and as a result one of the medications I'm taking has given me a bad case of dry mouth, making it almost impossible to enjoy a bowl. I haven't tried anything new so I'm unable to write a tobacco review - and can't even join in on the "What are you currently smoking" conversations. I'm going to make a concerted effort to join in the discussions anyway just to let everyone know I'm alive and well and living in Gary, Indiana. And remaining alive in Gary, Indiana is quite an accomplishment in itself. So dry mouth be damned ... I'm going to resume smoking a bowl each evening and double up on what-ever I'm drinking to keep my mouth from becoming a cotton ball. I really miss the comfort of my pipe. That alone should be a boon to my health.
@ghostsofpompeii Hey man!!! Glad your active again. Your right, damn the dry mouth and drink more water. How are things in Gary? You've been there a good long time though.
I've noticed that coffee and tea without honey can make dry mouth worse - and they were two of my 'go to' pairing with smoking. Weird that by adding honey to tea negates the drying effect, but I was trying to cut back on honey due to diabetes. But I've come to the realization that life aint worth living if you have to deprive yourself of all vices. I'll also take the Biotene advice. Thanks @Montecristo .
@ghostsofpompeii Caffeine is a natural diuretic, so it makes sense that you get dry mouth from them, but honey neutralizing that is odd because if I'm not mistaken, honey is also a diuretic. Maybe it's somehow coating the mouth so giving the impression it's less dry...hmmm, I have no idea.
Comments
Have you tried Sam Gawith “Black XX”? It’s kinda meaty, BBQ-esq.
But what exactly would the juice running down your chin while smoking a bowl consist of?
🤔I do like steaks well done🤔
I like them medium to well and anywhere in between. Maybe the “Black XX” is more like beef jerky…..😉😋
in re: root beer pipe tobacco
http://www.botl.org/threads/ok-whos-tried-root-beer-tobacco.38036/
Thanks for the link.
I've seen that before and it's from 2010. None of those guys thought too highly of that bulk blend and I haven't found any indication that it is still made.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31464
Here's an old post describing my experimental attempt at making a root beer flavored aromatic.
(Experiment Number 2 - Root Beer Float)
Had the lab coat on again last night but this time my inspiration was one of nostalgia for the 50s' and those neighborhood hamburger joints once populated by teenage girls in poodle skirts and bobby socks and guys in blue jeans, white T-shirt, and leather jacket, sporting greased back hair. Places like 'Al's Diner' on "Happy Days". The local hang-out, complete with jukebox box blasting out popular tunes from Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper while kids chowed down on a steady diet of burgers and fries, followed by a root beer float.
And that creamy sassafras flavor of a classic root beer float is what I was striving to capture in my next experiment. Once again the base tobacco blend I used was my 20 year old can of Velvet. It's the one blend I seldom if ever smoke so I don't mind wasting it for experimental purposes. Though I'm starting to believe the shortcomings of this OTC Burley blend may be a major stumbling block in achieving my goals for perfecting flavorful aromatic blends. If I want to get serious about continuing this experiment in creating my own blends I think it's time to get some straight blending Cavendish which is better suited for flavor casing.
Once again I pulled out several bottles of Watkins flavor concentrates from my wife's baking supplies in the cupboard. As well as a few I added in preparation for this experiment ... mainly Root Beer Concentrate. I also had a bottle of Birch Flavored Concentrate I bought years ago at a Fall Pioneer Days Festival where a guy dressed in period garb was making and selling what he claimed to be authentic Birch Beer. (instructions on the bottle says add 1 part Birch Concentrate and 5 parts soda water ... not quite sure where the original pioneers got soda water from but he had a great sales pitch, looked the part, and managed to get me to open my wallet and buy a bottle). And since Birch Concentrate has a similar flavor profile as both root beer and sassafras it seemed like something worth adding to the concoction.
In the end I added about 6 capfuls of Root Beer Concentrate, 6 capfuls of Birch Concentrate, 3 capfuls of Vanilla Concentrate, 3 capfuls of Imitation Caramel Flavoring, and a tablespoon of pure honey just to make this goopy concoction even more sticky.
To try and sop up some of the excess moisture I added a pinch of Captain Black Dark, Captain Black Round Blend, and what little was left of my Up All Night "Gone Fishing" (barely enough to mention). But it seemed to help. This really was a sloppy blend to hand mix. In trying to make it more potent and flavorful I over-did the concentrates.
I'm sure an actual blender would have been rolling on the floor laughing if he saw the amounts of liquids I poured into this witches brew. But after some mixing and tamping it with a paper towel to absorb some of the excess moisture I was eventually happy with the consistency.
To aide in the drying process I placed it under a desk lamp for a few hours to help dry the tobacco.
Now for the results. Just like my 'Dreamsicle' blend the pouch note is wonderful. And although the room note is quite pleasant there is only a hint of the actual root beer aroma to be detected. It's there ... but nothing like the scent in the pouch. And as for the taste it's quite flavorful and sweet, but a bit of a wash-out in terms of capturing the Root Beer Float flavor I was hoping to achieve. Like the room note ... a trace amount of the sassafras flavor can be detected in the retro-hale, but as for the taste of root beer on my tongue it's nearly imperceptible. Guess I'll need to suck on a root beer barrel while smoking if I want to experience what I was hoping to achieve. I'm going to give it another week or two before revisiting it to see if it improves with age. Since it was such a moist blend I probably should have given it a bit more drying time before smoking it.
(Follow-up On My Root Beer Float Experiment)
Well after letting it set for a week or so I went back to it three days ago and added about double the root beer concentrate I originally used as well as an additional three capfuls of caramel flavoring, and boy was it a saturated and sticky mess. I added a bit of Carter Hall to help sop up the additional moisture then let it set for a day and a half in the sealed Tupperware container - shaking it up throughout the day.
Today I opened it up and it smelled outstanding, but was still a little to moist to smoke so poured it into a Mason Jar (to keep it from blowing all over the room) and went at it with a hair dryer - transforming myself from mad scientist Henry Frankenstein to hair stylist Vidal Sassoon.
Once I was satisfied with the consistency I packed the tobacco into a small 4 oz. Mason Jar where it will sit for the next few weeks. I took some of the remaining blend and packed an old Dr. Grabow ... even though it was still quite moist. I was actually afraid it might be too moist to light ... but it took the match and after the first char light it stayed lit throughout the smoke. I think I did relight somewhere near the bottom of the bowl but not because it went completely out.
Now the results: As I stated before the pouch note was outstanding - as was the room note. I had my wife walk into the garage to get a sniff and she was not only pleasantly surprised but immediately detected the scent of root beer. And this time the taste was almost as good as the pouch note. It taste exactly as it smelled.
During the retro hale that sassafras/root beer flavor was front and center like truly sucking on a root beer barrel. Then that creamy hit of caramel followed and wham ... Root Beer Float!
It burned down to a nice white ash, and believe it or not there was no pipe gurgle - nor was the bowl a goopy mess.
In terms of taste, smokability, pouch and room note it was a roaring success. Unfortunately I can't truly call it a success because with all the changes I made to the recipe during the process I doubt if I can reproduce it exactly. I was constantly adding a bit more of this and a little more of that without taking any real notes because I assumed it was going to be a whopping failure from the get-go. But now that I've discovered how much I like it I'll have to go back to the earlier part of this discussion to see what I started with ... factor in the additional flavoring and tobacco blends I tossed in to sponge up the excess moisture and see what develops. This may prove to be a one-off blend so I better make that little 4 oz. jar last me a long time.
(After all my experiments by either mixing existing blends or trying to create some Frankenstein blend of my own with assorted flavor concentrates and liquor I come to the realization - stick with the professionals. I've screwed-up more great blends by trying to improve on them by mixing blends that detracted from the flavor rather than enhanced it. If you want variety in your tobacco products ... get it from a professional. If you want to play mad scientist shovel up a dead raccoon from the side of the road and plug it into a car battery.)
Glad to see you around again!
No wonder we haven't heard from you lately.
You must have found it impossible to see your computer screen with all your hazmat garb and goggles, plus tough to type with those thick rubber gloves that go up to your elbows!
Next time you go on an experimental hiatus, let us know so we won't worry.
By the way, how long before you ship us ALL a sample of your Righteous Rootbeer blend?😋😏
You could call it Mrs. Hires Brewery Blend.
Glad you are back, missed you, Brother.
I don't believe! I was joking! Anyway, this is probably a blend that never will try.
Welcome back Pisano
Hey man!!! Glad your active again. Your right, damn the dry mouth and drink more water. How are things in Gary? You've been there a good long time though.
Chime in Brother, we miss you. @Montecristo has some good advise on dry mouth.
Caffeine is a natural diuretic, so it makes sense that you get dry mouth from them, but honey neutralizing that is odd because if I'm not mistaken, honey is also a diuretic. Maybe it's somehow coating the mouth so giving the impression it's less dry...hmmm, I have no idea.