Tookish
Member
On my mission to clone the Frogs and ultimately the 5110 Dark English which was my all day smoke. I am starting with the original recipe which with such a mono-dimensional flavor should be the easiest place to start.
My first step is the primary component. Stoved Virginia!
After reviewing several methods of doing this I was inspired by the "Stovendish" method by Jojjas. (the smell of stoving these was AMAZING, just like pie)
I began by soaking 2 separate containers of Red Virginia Tips, one with just distilled water and the other with a Vinegar solution as recommended by Bob to achieve that "McClelland Ketchup Flavor". Although I didn't quite have enough Vinegar to reach a 50/50 mix using the white vinegar I had on hand I went ahead and did a 1/3 Vinegar mixture. The next run will be made using a 50/50 solution with Apple Cider vinegar.
Before: View attachment 24341
After: View attachment 24342
The bottom portion of leaf is a bit darker and was made using the Vinegar solution.
Final thoughts: The control of using just distilled water was much smoother, removed a large amount bite, but contained some very interesting fruity notes.
The Vinegar soak reduced the bite even more so...and TANG. I believe using apple cider variant rather than white vinegar will achieve the desired result.
I am wondering if perhaps adding a dose of either sugar or maybe even vanilla to the 50/50 bath will produce a sweet note to contrast the tangy vinegar... Thoughts?
I plan to update my next post with the newer fine-tuned results. Stay tuned!
My first step is the primary component. Stoved Virginia!
After reviewing several methods of doing this I was inspired by the "Stovendish" method by Jojjas. (the smell of stoving these was AMAZING, just like pie)
I began by soaking 2 separate containers of Red Virginia Tips, one with just distilled water and the other with a Vinegar solution as recommended by Bob to achieve that "McClelland Ketchup Flavor". Although I didn't quite have enough Vinegar to reach a 50/50 mix using the white vinegar I had on hand I went ahead and did a 1/3 Vinegar mixture. The next run will be made using a 50/50 solution with Apple Cider vinegar.
Before: View attachment 24341
After: View attachment 24342
The bottom portion of leaf is a bit darker and was made using the Vinegar solution.
Final thoughts: The control of using just distilled water was much smoother, removed a large amount bite, but contained some very interesting fruity notes.
The Vinegar soak reduced the bite even more so...and TANG. I believe using apple cider variant rather than white vinegar will achieve the desired result.
I am wondering if perhaps adding a dose of either sugar or maybe even vanilla to the 50/50 bath will produce a sweet note to contrast the tangy vinegar... Thoughts?
I plan to update my next post with the newer fine-tuned results. Stay tuned!
