My first Grousemoor positive experience

[Bk124tt]

I had "cellared" a tin of Grousemoor a out 6 months ago in a glass jar.
I broke it out last night and had a totally (my first positive) experience.
Can anyone tell me the what's and how's of the changes that occur?

 

[jiminyshiznit]

I'm by no means an expert on this topic, and have never had Grousemoor, but I recently acquired a few 4-ish year old tins of blends that I also have "fresh" examples of. The consistent thing that I've noticed is that they become more rich and more mellow (smooth), if that makes sense.. with Bullseye Flake, for example, all of the hay-like tin notes are replaced with more wine-like notes.. and the smoke is much smoother. The Mature Virginia is very similar, though that one didn't have the hay-like notes to begin with, to my nose. But it evolved in much the same way.. a richer, smoother smoke. Both of these were also much darker than the younger examples. Now, someone who knows what the heck they are talking about should 'splain those what's and how's!

 

[the_edski]

It's very much like wine and spirits. If you let them sit properly stored and sealed in a cool, dark place, the natural sugars in the tobacco will ferment. That adds sweetness to the 'baccy and mellows it out. This is why most aged tobacco smokes "better" and/or "smoother" than a fresh batch. The more sugars, the bigger the difference. For example, a VA will change way more in the aging process than a Burley.