Opened a new tin of Viking Blonde this morning, and the first thing I noticed was that the tin was quite easy to open. I then noticed the snuff was a different colour from normal (lighter), and had a lot less moisture. This has led me to the conclusion that the tin must have had some sort of knock at some point and the airlock was broken. This has led to a degree of premature airing which has yielded interesting results. It has taken away the somewhat (for me) unpleasant ‘stale biscuit’ aroma that I often get from this snuff, and made it seem to me a lot more like an ordinary SP. It’s quite nice straight out of the tin though, and I’ve done a little blend with some Fubar Medic and that’s quite good too. Anyone else found this? I thought it was interesting because whilst of course a freshly opened tin naturally ages, loses moisture and has subtle changes in character, this is different.
I was about to ask the same thing @lunecat …not what i think of as an SP, ie Bergamot / citrus… what donates an SP?
2 out of 5 of the SG tins in my last order had no vacuum seal. Black Coffee and Silky Dark . Both were still moist, though. No dings or dents on the tins.
Wos site has no “natural” category. All the toasts, and even Camphor & Mild are in the SP category. Not right.
I just had this happen with a tin of Cola on my last order. I’m not sure if it altered the snuff as this is my first time trying it. There is definitely cola there but perhaps it would be stronger from a sealed tin. I did notice that there was dried snuff on the lip of the tin where it sits below the rubber(?) ring under the lid so I assume this occurred while filling and compromised the seal.
Yes that’s what mine was like @crullers I’ve been on it all day now mixed with about 15% Fubar medic and it is quite nice. Not too dry (yet).
I received my first and so far only tin of Viking Dark without vacuum seal. It seemed fresh though. Thor’s Hammer in the same order was still sealed.
I have only had one viking tin so far and, it likes to reseal itself. Blood bastard is hard to open every time. I think I will keep it though for it’s tenacity to anger me. Even when I yell at it and, ignore it for weeks.
Okay, I opened my tin of Blonde today. It arrived here on 1/9/15 so not that long ago. Yes, it was very easy to open. Shockingly so actually compared to SG’s tin and the Snuff Store’s tin so far. It was very light in color, and very dry, like the Stok vanilla I have been using. Sorry again, I have not opened that many yet so trying to make comparisons with coarse vs. med.? grind is difficult but I am hoping someone with some experience can provide some insight. So there was a lot of snuff on the rubber inside the lid too. Smell, is of yeast? Best guess. In the nose it is rough. Using my best memory it reminds me of infant baby formula that has just ran its course. Tried a pinch of it and Stok Vanilla hoping that it would make it better but then all I got was vanilla flavored baby crap. Not really sure what it should taste like but something seems oddly off to me here. May let it set for a few days and try it again. Any other thoughts?
Update on my present situation with Viking Blonde. Today is not nearly as rough as it was yesterday. It was not my first pinch yesterday so maybe something did not mix well in the nose? Still getting the baby formula scent but not nearly as bad and it does not last long. I know with cigars that the ph of your mouth can have a lot to do with flavor, but I doubt that has anything to do with this. Anyways, better today. Will keep at it. Maybe with a little more air time it will be better still later down the road.
Okay, I opened my tin of Blonde today. It arrived here on 1/9/15 so not that long ago. Yes, it was very easy to open. Shockingly so actually compared to SG’s tin and the Snuff Store’s tin so far. It was very light in color, and very dry, like the Stok vanilla I have been using. Sorry again, I have not opened that many yet so trying to make comparisons with coarse vs. med.? grind is difficult but I am hoping someone with some experience can provide some insight. So there was a lot of snuff on the rubber inside the lid too. Smell, is of yeast? Best guess. In the nose it is rough. Using my best memory it reminds me of infant baby formula that has just ran its course. Tried a pinch of it and Stok Vanilla hoping that it would make it better but then all I got was vanilla flavored baby crap. Not really sure what it should taste like but something seems oddly off to me here. May let it set for a few days and try it again. Any other thoughts?
Hmm, sounds like you had another one like mine with a damaged vacuum seal. Normally it’s fairly moist. Maybe it’s a bit of a dud batch.
@Thunderbird Yeah, it could be a dud batch, maybe the bad seal somehow let some yeast in, it is everywhere after all? I don’t know. I do know not to make a quick judgement on a blend. Final verdicts take time so I will play with it a little here and there.
I have got through about five tins of VB so far and this is the first one with a dodgy seal.
Things happen, I am not too worried about it and not upset with SG’s quality control. Just because I was lucky enough to get my first tin like that would not put me off of the brand or the manufacturer.