Filtered some Escudo Navy De Luxe today and mixed some up at 15%. Testing it out on my Siren 2 right now, and I have to say I am pretty impressed with it. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with VaPers- just what @Kinnikinnick sent me to try out, but this one is very pleasant. It’s really smooth, I imagine from the Virginia, and has a really strong tickle on the nose throughout the exhale, which I would reckon is the Perique. Very well balanced. I’m not really used to getting top notes like this from an NET. Crisp would probably be the best way to describe it. If you’re in to VaPers, I’d definitely give this one a shot.
I bought the tin back in October 2017, but didn’t get it steeping (in PG) until August of 2018. Gave it a 12 hour jump start in the crock pot and a hair over 4 months on the shelf. Have some McClelland 2015 Virginia Perique Flake that I got going at the same time that I’ll probably let sit for a little while longer since I’ve done a whole lot of filtering the last couple weeks and I need a break so I can catch up on testing all of them. If the McClelland turns out really good I’ll have to treat it like an Aged bottle of Scotch and only enjoy on special occasions since they closed up shop.
Anyone else have any experience with the Navy De Luxe? Or VaPers in general? I think they are just below Burley and Kentucky blends in my list of favorites now.
It’ll probably taste awesome, just on account you can’t buy it anymore! It’s sad when vendors close their doors or stop making certain blends. I ran into a similar issue with Tsuge Ryujin; found a nice sweet Latakia blend and… POOF! …it disappeared from the production line. But, on the bright side … the 100ml of Ryujin extract in reserve, will afford me 1000ml of finished juice in the future.
Wish I had something of value to add to these comments on the Va/Per discussions, but I am a Burley type almost 100%. However, I do understand your comment on the lighter early morning vape, and always have a Kayfun Prime in the rotation with this:
Sample#49- H&H Virginia Spice Pipe Tobacco-Cigarleaf , Perique, Virginia - This is another blending inspiration from the expert hands of Russ Ouellette. Sweet and perfectly balanced with the light Virginias forward and a little note of Perique that is just right. I struggle to find the cigar leaf as a single note, but it is there and does provide a solid base as it is an important part of this light, sweet and easy to vape blend. Recommended as a ADV, and certainly also for the transitioning vaper to NETs
It is pretty “lite” if you know what I mean. By far all my Periques are much heavier Burley Blends, so I hesitate to list any of them here as it would drag this Va/Per discussion into the mud
I think adding the Virginia Spice to the discussion is valuable! It may not have the cigar kick that someone wants, but one can always add some other single leaf cigar extract to the mix; boost the cigar leaf goodness.
I found the GL Pease Robusto to have the same issue of not enough cigar leaf type flavor. I just add some Fronto leaf extract to the mix and balance things out to where I want it.
Yes ! and here is a great example of that special something to add !. I just finished and filtered this one after a 1 year extraction wait with multiple ultra-sonic bumps at months 7, 9, and 10. It was a long wait, but worth every second of it. This vape is such an authentic pure tobacco experience that i would not hesitate to use it as a poker chip to answer any dare from crusty old premium cigar smokers that hang out in smoke filled poker rooms.
I owe a big THANK YOU to @Kinnikinnick for sending me these leafs which he sourced from [leafonly.] He hit a winner here !
Sample** #52- Nicaraguan Lingero Long Filler - **Pure Leaf, Not a Blend, 1 Year extraction time.
A thicker and stronger long filler type, the Nicaraguan ligero is what provides the bold flavor and spice in premium cigars, even more so than other ligeros grown in other regions. This leaf is grown from the Criollo 98 tobacco seed, from the region of Jalapa. This remote region near Honduras is known for its humid microclimate, and sandy soil that is very similar to the Vuelta Abajo or Pinar del Rio region in Cuba. These soft, reddish colored leaves carry a sweet strength and aroma, and a smooth and elegant texture. The vape profile is very near to my extract of the finished cigar Jose Marti Nicaraguan, although lighter smoother and with distinct room filling top notes of spicy aromatic tobacco. Very authentic cigar only tobacco vape. Works well as a smooth and mild ADV or a mix component to add cigar aromatics. Recommended.
@Kinnikinnick I have to say the Robusto GL Pease of yours you sent me I mixed a 60ml batch at 7% added 15drops of Cactus (Inawera) and a few drops of stevia (my mix), max vg. This turned out to be the best cigar tobacco mix ever. So good friend asked me when they got in my truck when did I start smoking cigars again. Excellent NET creation sir
Glad you found it pleasing! That one also has a nice subtle Cyprian Latakia note in it, as well; I like it. Too much Latakia can be a distraction… overshadowing the flavor of the other leaf in the blend. This one is nicely balanced.
For the record, that Maceration was 100% PG, 8 hour cook at 125 *F and 8 months cool steeped… just in case you wish to recreate the extract.
I’m about to get some C&D Grey Ghost in a jar. It’s supposed to be a bit heavier on the cigar leaf and complimented by stoved and plain Red Virginia; hopefully a robust extract. I’ll let you know how it turns out in September!
@Josephine_van_Rijn … did you find the Peterson Irish Oak as “meh” as I did? For some reason, I was expecting more out of this tobacco. For me, it just falls flat… a rather bland and uninteresting extract. … mine was a PG heat extract, coupled with 6 months of cool shelf steeping.
Yeah, I thought so too. I think mine stood for about a year after the heat bump but it didn’t live up to my expectations either.
Maybe it will do well in one of those Latakia heavy mixes that can use some toning down
Sadly it is all gone but I did finally find a tobacco shop that carries different varieties and they will custom blend small quantities for you. I have been kind of stuck on a blend they did for me of some flue cured Virginia and a Burly.
Kudos for supporting your local tobacconist shop! I frequent one where I live on occasion. However, I don’t bring up the fact that my purchase is for vaping purposes … the atmosphere in there is very “singular in thought” … when I was in there one time, I overheard a convo about how vaping was completely destroying the world of smoking. I wasn’t about to give them my perspective on things, lest I be thrown out on my haunches.
Pretty much the same with the place I have been going. They are a family owned and operated business that has been in the same location for like 50 years. They do however carry a very small selection of the cig-a-likes.
Well, the issue of a NET being “Meh” tasting, reminds me that I need to have “Look Further” tattooed on one of my forearms.
I’m so used to mixing all of my extracts at a 15% ratio… and that was the reason for the “Meh” flavor of the Peterson Irish Oak. Some extracts just need to be mixed at a higher ratio to be enjoyable; this is one of those extracts. As soon as I bumped the ratio to 25%, all was right in the world. I’ve been vaping it for a few days now and have decided it’s a keeper after all.
So… I’m off to the tattoo parlor now.
Left Arm: Look Further
Right Arm: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I had exactly the same experience, just the other way around.
Some were pretty strong at 15%, especially when you forget about them and they have been standing around for about 18 months.
5% is all I need
I have just been too dumb to apply it the other way around, I will bump up the Peterson
I was warming a Virginia (1/2 oz, in 100 mL PG) and monitoring the temperature throughout. Contact temperature of my warming setup was stably controlled, and no other (seemingly possible) factors affecting measurement technique or ambient room temperature changed. Right around 4 hours time (at an average temperature of ~125 *F, or so), the temperature rather suddenly dropped by something like 6-8 *F. The temperature drop remained thereafter (throughout 4 more hours of warming time), and was unaffected by experimental adjustment of my thermometer measurement setup (I was attempting to determine if the measurement setup might have been a possible cause of the temperature drop).
I know little about chemistry, but it occurs to me that such phenomena (could, possibly) be the result of chemical reaction(s) proceeding within the initial 4 hour time period, and evolving (not necessarily insignificant amounts of) heat until such chemical reaction(s) had largely proceeded. There was only one such temperature drop noted - which (might, possibly) indicate a single (or a small number of related) chem. reactions (whereas a larger number of reactions would likely show differing kinetics).
Am not quite sure what to “do with that” - but I wonder if it (might, possibly) be interesting to terminate the warming period if/when such a temperature decrease rapidly occurs ? (Perhaps), hypothetical reaction(s) having preceded, further warming would not be (potentially) detrimental. On the other hand, perhaps such a brew (might) not be well served by further warming at temperatures elevated above room temperatures. I suppose that the answers to these questions are not simple, or for that matter necessarily transferable between tobacco blends. Will try terminating if/when the same phenomenon occurs with the next run of the same Virginia blend and compare by taste. Any common experiences ?
Uhhh… I doubt that, there must be “another factor” . there are no known endothermic reactions using PG. So most likely you have one of the following issues:
measurement error.
failure in the engineering or function of your “stable” heating method.
some unseen “sinking” of the energy in the system. Near an air conditioner duct?
If you have a iPhone or can otherwise snap a quick picture of your set up and post it here that would be most helpful.
Also you could perform a simple experiment using water in place of the tobacco/PG mix and then using the same equipment track the temp curve again and see what you get.
I will say (not to toss in un-necessary scare verbiage) … BUT, if what you had there was in fact the result of a chemical endothermic reaction then you MUST toss the mixture in the garbage and NEVER attempt to vape it ! Chemistry that is powerful enough to sink heat from a electrical line power source of more than a few watts will be toxic to ingest. Usually oxidizers like Potassium Nitrate are used commercially for emergency “cold packs” of the power necessary for the temp drop you describe. Although KN03 is not a poison, the reaction by products will be unknown, and you should not be so bold as to experiment with ingesting them.
Let us see a picture of your set up and also please list the exact brand and details of the tobacco sample you used, and the source and label description of the PG sample you used.
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EDIT: I now re-read your post and see that you are suggesting the reverse explanation of what I noted above. I was supposing that you had described an endothermic reaction, but i see that what you suggest is that the there might have been an initial oxidation reduction reaction that produced heat in the initial stages of the maceration. My response to that is what I posed above in reverse, if you will pardon that stretch. So again, there is no known self initiating re-dox reactions with PG and tobacco that would produce sufficient heat to get the result you describe, and again, if such chemistry was present, you should toss the product. Again, re-run the whole thing with plain water and see what you get. And let’s have the details on the ingredients you used and a picture of the set up. Thanks
Thank you kindly for the specific information regarding the possibility of chemical reactions evolving ! Knowing what you have stated does perhaps indicate some yet undiscovered measurement or heating contraption variations. No such in-room airflow factors existed, and no (such rapid) ambient temperature shifts appeared to have been involved. That’s why I here inquired (although I don’t underestimate my own unfamiliarity with these things, and all that I have to learn and understand).
Will be placing an identical glass container into my (so humble as to make me a bit shy about it’s very crudeness) “heating contraption” along with some water, and see if I can observe (or induce) temperature changes in those amounts. If so, I will better understand possible origins of what I observed. It is good news to know that it (seemingly, likely) arises out of my own “machinations”.
Don’t know quite how to go about calculating the amounts of energy involved, but this is a case of rather indirect heating from a little coffee-warmer “hotplate” that uses multiple air gaps separating multiple layers of more thermally conductive Aluminum foil. The (on/off) “hotplate” likely does not contain (at least any sophisticated, linear continuous) temperature controls. It just “pumps it out”.
Ingredients:
Red Virginia Ribbon tobacco;
Liquid Nicotine Wholesalers Propylene Glycol (“USP/Kosher/Food Grade” stated on label).
(A perhaps uninformed question, but): I have noticed references to “PGA” on this thread (which I suspect refer to “PG Anhydrous” ?). After 4 hours of doting over this, only my 2nd neophyte “run”, I lightly placed the metal lid over the brew. At 8 hours, some (quite small) amounts of water mixed with some vaporized PG had condensed on the inner surface of the lid. Info regarding the relative level of “anhydrous” of the PG is not provided by LNW. Are there known and/or potential issues arising out of presence of water in the PG used in such processes ? Saw some mentions about water and glucose.
It’s nice to ease into the day, vaping something smooth with a cup of coffee.
It’s sad when vendors close their doors or stop making certain blends. I ran into a similar issue with Tsuge Ryujin; found a nice sweet Latakia blend and… POOF! …it disappeared from the production line. 
But, on the bright side … the 100ml of Ryujin extract in reserve, will afford me 1000ml of finished juice in the future. 
Your maceration technique and Father Time probably had a lot to do with the outcome.
It’s supposed to be a bit heavier on the cigar leaf and complimented by stoved and plain Red Virginia; hopefully a robust extract. I’ll let you know how it turns out in September! 
… mine was a PG heat extract, coupled with 6 months of cool shelf steeping.
I frequent one where I live on occasion. However, I don’t bring up the fact that my purchase is for vaping purposes 
… the atmosphere in there is very “singular in thought” … when I was in there one time, I overheard a convo about how vaping was completely destroying the world of smoking. I wasn’t about to give them my perspective on things, lest I be thrown out on my haunches.
