Tangy / Sour Virginias

[ProZachJ]

Does anyone know how these are treated / created? The best example I can give is the Seattle Pipe Club Mississippi River Special Reserve, it has a decidedly tangy note compared to the non-special version. The marketing says "well aged Virginia's" and "tangy Virginias". Definitely a unique flavor that I kinda missed after the tin was empty. Thought someone might have ideas or experience on how I might experiment.

 

[Hemlock]

I've been having luck with
1 part water
1 part sugar
1 part vinegar (white or try apple cider vinegar)
Adding a pinch of citric acid helps too.
Boil 10 or so mins and can top up with a bit of water and vinegar if boils off too much as vapor. Don't want to be too viscous for the sprayer.

As described elsewhere, the vinegar and citric acid inverts the sugar which is required.

I've also been experimenting with zest from citrus peels like lemon or orange for added zest essence. Don't be afraid to go a little heavy since the aromas and essential oils do evaporate. It will not turn the tobacco into an aromatic by any means.

Tang is from acidity. I'm willing to bet that vinegars in casing were common at Sutliff where SPC blends were made. I've been testing out misting small amounts of whole leaf Virginia ribbon either straight vinegar and it does seem to added tanginess after sitting a few days or weeks.

 

[ProZachJ]

I'm starting "simple". I cased some WLT bright leaf with some white vinegar, let it air dry and then divided it into three parts. One immediately jarred, one put under a stack of books, and the other stoved. In a week or so I'll see what they taste like.

 

[ProZachJ]

This morning I tasted the portion that had been pressed into a crumble cake after casing. While there was a very slight undertone of a flavor I recognize, it was not the tangy/sour flavor I'm looking for, more a secondary flavor. The bite was stronger than I expected having pressed it. After about 1/3 of the bowl, I put it down for a retry this afternoon.

 

[ProZachJ]

The stoved portion was much more agreeable. More overall flavor, less bite. Same secondary flavor, no real tangy/sour to speak of. Unless I need to use a lot more vinegar? (I used maybe a teaspoon on an ounce of shred), I'm not sure it's the ticket.

 

[ShiniKoroshi]

The stoved portion was much more agreeable. More overall flavor, less bite. Same secondary flavor, no real tangy/sour to speak of. Unless I need to use a lot more vinegar? (I used maybe a teaspoon on an ounce of shred), I'm not sure it's the ticket.

I seem to get that sour twang on Virginia forward blends that are just a tad bit acidic. Also, blends that include a big portion of Basma come with that same sour twang that is just short of bite.

What Im curious about though is how to adjust the PH on all-Virginia blends or whatever the cope is to an acidic blend.