2019 PCA Magazine

40 PCA The Magazine | JULY-AUGUST 2019 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG tumbled out into a ribbon,” says Ouellette. “This allowed the tobacco to breathe and to take on some oxygen, which helps develop the flavor, much in the same way that when you open a new tin and smoke a bowl immediately it rarely tastes as good as ones you smoke after a few days after opening.” The tobacco is next placed into amold and re-pressed into a crumble cake, which gives rise to another round of fermentation and furthermarries the flavors, with the heat generated in pressing further deepening the taste. Explains Ouellette, “What we determined in testing the final product is that the process took the sharpness away that is typically found in a Virginia blend. It also added a bitmore depth of flavor because of the caramelization of some of the sugars. The result, inmy opinion, is a Virginia for peoplewho don’t usually like Virginias because of the heat and the acid-like nip that some pipe smokers get because they smoke too hard.” Notably, John Cotton’s Double Pressed Virginia actually won the Chicago Bowl competition at the Chicagoland Pipe and Tobacciana Expo inMay of this year, as voted by show attendees in the competition for Best Virginia Flake. “Paid samples were distributed to a large number of people at the show, and the feedback was very positive,” says McKenna. The tin note of Double PressedVirginia is verymild and faintly fruity. Itsmoisture level is a notch shy of fullymoist. Its crumble cake format breaks down easily, as onewould expect, into fully rubbed-outmaterial for easy packing and lighting. After char light, the flavor settles down into a steady, creamy, medium-bodied cruisewith a bitmore richness than lighter, more summery Virginia fare. As for theKentucky variant of Double Pressed, Ouellette says, “This is actually a Virginia/Kentucky blend because the Virginias are necessary to create a real change in flavor. Surprisingly, this blend, after going through the same process as the Virginia, underwent an evenmore radical change in flavor, aroma and color. It pressed very dark and the tin note is overwhelmingly old-fashioned. That is understandable since a lot of older blends used tobaccos that were aged longer thanmany current tobaccos. There’s a depth of flavor in theKentucky blend, the smokiness is toned down, it’s also a bit sweeter and the spice is sublimated. This is a blend that just about any fan of non-aromatic tobaccos should enjoy.” The tin note that issues fromtheKentucky blend is, if you can imagine such a thing, one of floral barbecue brisket. The aroma fromthe tin smells good enough to eat, and it fills the roombefore any flame has come near. Moisture out of the tin is dead-on perfect; the cake can easily be rubbed out a little or a lot, depending on your smoking style; the taste ismild and traditional, excellent for an all-day smoke—a definitewinner. Ouellette says his takeaway fromthewhole experience of working on the development of Double Pressed is that tobacco develops flavor after being tumbled out, and the second pressing brings an effect similar to that of many years of aging in the tin. It produces an effect like time accelerated. Ouellette remembers, “Interestingly, a number of years ago, a customer suggested the idea of making a blend calledDouble Pressed. He said he had no idea how it would be done, but the name sounded cool. I gave it some thought, but I couldn’t come upwith anything that would be impactful on the blend. Themethod used for these two blends at last brings the name to fruition.” McKenna adds, “Doing something that has never been done and seeing it succeed really excites us andwe hope it will excite the pipe smoker.We always strive to create the best smoking experience, andwe hope everyonewill agree this is what we have done here.” If a joint effort of two countries and three companies can come upwith this concept and great tobacco, whatmight be next?McKenna says stay tuned. “Testing and trials are currently underway formoreDouble Pressed projects. We are interested in exploring the idea of, after the second press, what happens if we continue to hold the block under pressure for another, say, 30 days.” It is anticipated that not every tobacco or blendwill react favorably to the pressing or double-pressing process, so careful testingmust be undertaken to ensure that only the best finished products are brought tomarket.Wewill all just have towait and seewhat this technique can ultimately give to the pipeworld once it has beenmore fully explored. SutliffTobacco is reminding us that, more often than not, where there’s awill there’s away. It is good to see that, even in the age of FDA strictures, methods can still be found to create new formulas and newflavors. Above: Jonathan Wood of Sutliff Tobacco. John Cotton Double Pressed won this year’s Chicago Bowl competition at the Chicagoland Pipe and Tobacciana Expo, as voted by show attendees in the competition for Best Virginia Flake.