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Why does my chewing tobacco lose flavour within minutes?

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bsthebenster

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I wanted to keep things simple and therefor used a simple recipe - salt, molasses and maple syrup were used to flavour my dried tobacco.

Here's the problem: I don't think the tobacco has actually absorbed any of the flavouring because within two or three minutes after having it in my mouth, the sweetness goes away and all I can taste is pure tobacco.

Am I doing something wrong?
 

deluxestogie

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I don't use or make oral tobacco preparations. So I'll comment from a theoretical standpoint.

There is a neurological attribute that accounts for some of that effect. Our sense organs are mostly designed to detect changes, rather than to measure state. So intense flavors seem to fade rapidly as we are continuously exposed to them.

Some tobacco varieties absorb flavorings better than others. Burleys and Maryland tobacco are widely recognized as absorbing more than other varieties.

Welcome to the forum.

Bob
 

squeezyjohn

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I would say that the longer you keep your tobacco steeped in the sauce the more likely it is to retain some of the flavours but even then the flavouring does not actually penetrate the cells of the tobacco plant it just sits on top of them. So when you put the tobacco in your mouth you taste the sugars and salt which are soluble and get washed away in the moist environment of your mouth - but when you chew the tobacco you release all the flavours within the tobacco plant cells which are naturally bitter and astringent.

Most chewing tobacco recipes call for you to boil the leaves in the sauce which will help to break down those cell barriers. The sauce should start to absorb the tobacco tastes too and mix them together ... then you evaporate the whole thing off slowly ... is that the kind of recipe you followed? In snus and dip recipes it's a similar story at lower temperatures for a longer time.
 

bsthebenster

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No I didn't end up boiling it. Maybe I should try that when my new tobacco comes in. I guess I'll have to use something thinner than just molasses and maple syrup then. How long do you typically boil it for? This concept is entirely new to me.
 

Jitterbugdude

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Add some water to your maple syrup/molasses. Heat it up and apply it to your tobacco. The water and heat will make the sauce soak in better. Also try adding some Vegetable Glycerine. This will definitely help retain the flavor as well as improve the mouth feel of the chew. Additionally you can add maple extract. The taste is much more intense than plain old maple syrup which will help to maintain the flavor.

The key to success is taking notes. If you add 2 ounces of sauce to your chew and it is too runny make a note of it and try the next batch with 1 ounce of sauce and so on.
 

squeezyjohn

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No I didn't end up boiling it. Maybe I should try that when my new tobacco comes in. I guess I'll have to use something thinner than just molasses and maple syrup then. How long do you typically boil it for? This concept is entirely new to me.

I think that you just dilute the maple syrup and molasses with some water (the youTube video I saw was using apple juice) - add the tobacco while it's still pretty runny and then lower the heat and let most of the water evaporate while stirring occasionally ... that would give you the same consistency at the end while driving the flavour in to the tobacco a bit more.
 

RyanM22

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Along with cooking it (you don't need more than a minute or two), it needs to age after that. Ideally 2 weeks
 

SmokesAhoy

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Like the above statement, it needs to age. Absolutely has to.
 

Hasse SWE

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I really like the answer you have got. If you ain't give it some time it end up like a gum (bubble gum).
 

bsthebenster

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Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll try diluting it and then evaporating all of the added water once the tobacco has been added. I'll try some glycerin as well. I'll post an update this weekend.
 

Smokin Harley

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The apple cinnamon chew I made months ago ,I took along on my trip . I made it into a twist and keep it in a zip lock baggie .Still as good and fresh as it ever was. Once the cinnamon from the apple pie shot liquor used for the flavoring base "washes out" the taste settles into a nice sweet /tart green apple flavor with notes of the pure tobacco in the background. Very tasty .
Might try to make a wintergreen one this winter.
 
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