Extraction Question RE: Perique

[papabogart]

I've extracted two Periques. A generic bulk Perique from a local shop using both the heat and the cold methods and more recently I extracted McCelland's tin Perique using the cold method. Neither has resulted in an extracted with a "plum" or any other fermented fruit note. At least nothing similar to GeJ or even NET.com Periques. Has anyone been able to extract the plum note? If so, could you give me guidance?
Thanks you,
papa.

 

[PaulBHC]

There was a discussion in one of the threads about what Perique was and is now. I think it included where to get a couple of different types. Maybe the juices have an added flavor and your home brews do not.

 

[papabogart]

That would be be disappointing (and surprising to me--especially with NET.com) if they are tweaking their juices. Have you done a home extraction of Perique Paul? If so how would you describe the taste profile?

 

[johni]

I'd guess that you may need to give your Perique some time to develop. I've never gotten plum out of any Perique juice but I definitely get some fermented fruit kind of funkiness, mushroom earthiness, spicy pepper, and a little sweet. The amazing thing with Perique is how it seems to taste a little different each time I vape it. My extractiion is over a year old and it's better now than it was for the first couple of months.

 

[papabogart]

johni,

Thanks for the feed-back. I was trying to follow your guidance from your cold maceration thread, but the soak turned into 57-60 days rather than your recommended 3-4 weeks as I was waiting for equipment and supplies to arrive. That longer steep may be a problem??, I don't know. I've got plenty of mushroom earthiness, but that's about it. Did your extract have the fermented fruit and pepper from the get-go? I'll set it aside as you suggest and see if it improves.
May I ask what tobacco source you used for your Perique - I'll give it another shot, but 3-4 weeks thyis time..

 

[johni]

I don't think the extra extraction time had any detrimental effect and may be beneficial. Some vendors are reported to do 60 day soaks.

My Perique was from the blending tobaccos at P&C. I got the nuances in flavor fairly quickly after extraction but they were mild and muddled. It clarified and gained flavor over time and I bet yours will also. If you want some of mine to compare, send me a PM.

ETA: I give pipe tobaccos a full 30 day soak anymore. Been a while since I wrote that 3 to 4 weeks!

 

[papabogart]

Thanks johni,
I very well may take you up on your offer down the road if it's open ended. In the meantime, I'll take your advice and be patient. I've got many hours ahead filtering the rest of the extracts to keep me busy and then I'll have a broader base from which to compare notes.

 

[Str8vision]

I've extracted two Periques. A generic bulk Perique from a local shop using both the heat and the cold methods and more recently I extracted McCelland's tin Perique using the cold method. Neither has resulted in an extracted with a "plum" or any other fermented fruit note. At least nothing similar to GeJ or even NET.com Periques. Has anyone been able to extract the plum note? If so, could you give me guidance?
Thanks you,
papa.

I've extracted many "blends" that contain it but only one that was 100% Perique, Peter Stokkebye No. 311 Perique. It was listed as being made in St. James Parish, Louisiana which is why I chose it specifically. It's very potent/intense with a spicy, musty, earthy tobacco flavor but I don't perceive a "plum" or fruit note in it. Then again, my ability to discern flavor nuances isn't the best so someone else may have an entirely different take on it. For me, it isn't something I would use as a standalone flavoring but (in very low percentages), it does enhance other extracts wonderfully.

 

[papabogart]

I've extracted many "blends" that contain it but only one that was 100% Perique, Peter Stokkebye No. 311 Perique. It was listed as being made in St. James Parish, Louisiana which is why I chose it specifically. It's very potent/intense with a spicy, musty, earthy tobacco flavor but I don't perceive a "plum" or fruit note in it. Then again, my ability to discern flavor nuances isn't the best so someone else may have an entirely different take on it. For me, it isn't something I would use as a standalone flavoring but (in very low percentages), it does enhance other extracts wonderfully.

Have you had Gej or NET.com periques? (I get what you are saying, just wondering)

 

[Str8vision]

Have you had Gej or NET.com periques? (I get what you are saying, just wondering)

I don't remember ever trying a retail perique, but it's been a long while since I purchased a NET.

 

[gotalotgoingon]

I'd guess that you may need to give your Perique some time to develop. I've never gotten plum out of any Perique juice but I definitely get some fermented fruit kind of funkiness, mushroom earthiness, spicy pepper, and a little sweet. The amazing thing with Perique is how it seems to taste a little different each time I vape it. My extractiion is over a year old and it's better now than it was for the first couple of months.

I second this. Perique is supposed to have a somewhat of a fruity note due to fermentation but a plum, I am not sure. I haven't tasted plum in my extracts but I do get a light fruit note.

 

[usr/]

I've extracted many "blends" that contain it but only one that was 100% Perique, Peter Stokkebye No. 311 Perique. It was listed as being made in St. James Parish, Louisiana which is why I chose it specifically. It's very potent/intense with a spicy, musty, earthy tobacco flavor but I don't perceive a "plum" or fruit note in it. Then again, my ability to discern flavor nuances isn't the best so someone else may have an entirely different take on it. For me, it isn't something I would use as a standalone flavoring but (in very low percentages), it does enhance other extracts wonderfully.

Just wanted to chime in on what I perceive to be my first fail, and it is Perique. Purchased a tin of Robert McConnell 100% Perique from P&C. This stuff was suspect when I first opened up the tin. It was damp,dark and dreary and smelled like most descriptions I read about it, earthy, mushroomy, kinda spicy smelling. The wrapper inside the tin was leached brown and very damp. Being a noob, I even gave P&C a call to see if they had any other complaints about it, but they assured me that this was characteristic of this tobacco type. Ok... I took their word for it and proceeded to prepare it for extraction. Did typical prep, glass jar, covered with 100% pg, But did a heat assisted, 36 hr @ 150 deg. allowed to cool opened and gently stirred in a little more pg just to top up a little, and putting it away for a few days to a couple weeks. I've been having very good results with this method. Anyway after about a week I decided to give it a smell, and to my amazement it had taken on a slightly sweet, I guess almost a fruity aroma. I thought, this might actually turn out pretty good. So I put the lid back on and gave it a few more days to sit so I could clear up my filtering gear. Got the extract back out and proceeded to separate it from the rough. After I had the extract out and in the measuring cup that I used, I gave it a little swirl and took a deep nose hit to see what it smelled like now. It really had a pretty good smell, but lurking in the background of that smell was the distinctive aroma of ammonia. Not good! Ever so slight but very distinguishable. I'm not really sure whether the heat may accelerated or re-triggered an already fermenting process. I never detected any ammonia odor right out of the tin. I went ahead and filtered it and put it back into the jar to give it a little steep time. Sorry to go long winded on this post. After couple weeks I had to open it up and see what was happening to it. Still had a little hint of ammonia but it seemed to be almost gone. I decided to pull just a little off it to make a small sample and put the lid back on and put it away. Mixed the sample at about 20% 50/50 12mg nic. The taste I got from the vape was... sour. Not a fruity on your tongue kind of sour but a sickening sour on the exhale. It's terrible. I did about 3 pulls and put it down, dumped the sample and immediately cleaned the tank. I just don't think steeping will help this, I could be wrong but it just seems very bad. I may try to do this again but with better Perique and a straight cold soak. I think the heat may have caused some of this but the quality of the tobacco seemed to be sub par also. My intent was to use it for blending with some other extracts. If this is characteristic of this tobacco then I'm afraid me and Perique won't have a future.

 

[Str8vision]

Just wanted to chime in on what I perceive to be my first fail, and it is Perique. Purchased a tin of Robert McConnell 100% Perique from P&C. This stuff was suspect when I first opened up the tin. It was damp,dark and dreary and smelled like most descriptions I read about it, earthy, mushroomy, kinda spicy smelling. The wrapper inside the tin was leached brown and very damp. Being a noob, I even gave P&C a call to see if they had any other complaints about it, but they assured me that this was characteristic of this tobacco type. Ok... I took their word for it and proceeded to prepare it for extraction. Did typical prep, glass jar, covered with 100% pg, But did a heat assisted, 36 hr @ 150 deg. allowed to cool opened and gently stirred in a little more pg just to top up a little, and putting it away for a few days to a couple weeks. I've been having very good results with this method. Anyway after about a week I decided to give it a smell, and to my amazement it had taken on a slightly sweet, I guess almost a fruity aroma. I thought, this might actually turn out pretty good. So I put the lid back on and gave it a few more days to sit so I could clear up my filtering gear. Got the extract back out and proceeded to separate it from the rough. After I had the extract out and in the measuring cup that I used, I gave it a little swirl and took a deep nose hit to see what it smelled like now. It really had a pretty good smell, but lurking in the background of that smell was the distinctive aroma of ammonia. Not good! Ever so slight but very distinguishable. I'm not really sure whether the heat may accelerated or re-triggered an already fermenting process. I never detected any ammonia odor right out of the tin. I went ahead and filtered it and put it back into the jar to give it a little steep time. Sorry to go long winded on this post. After couple weeks I had to open it up and see what was happening to it. Still had a little hint of ammonia but it seemed to be almost gone. I decided to pull just a little off it to make a small sample and put the lid back on and put it away. Mixed the sample at about 20% 50/50 12mg nic. The taste I got from the vape was... sour. Not a fruity on your tongue kind of sour but a sickening sour on the exhale. It's terrible. I did about 3 pulls and put it down, dumped the sample and immediately cleaned the tank. I just don't think steeping will help this, I could be wrong but it just seems very bad. I may try to do this again but with better Perique and a straight cold soak. I think the heat may have caused some of this but the quality of the tobacco seemed to be sub par also. My intent was to use it for blending with some other extracts. If this is characteristic of this tobacco then I'm afraid me and Perique won't have a future.

I really doubt the heat assisted maceration process you describe caused this result, more likely (as you suspect), it was the tobacco itself. Before discarding the extract, I would let it steep for a couple of months with the first 1-2 weeks performed open container. In the meantime, you might consider trying a different Perique. Many of my favorite extracted tobacco blends contain small amounts of Perique and it does shine as a flavor enhancer, but as a standalone extraction....not so much in my personal opinion. Its flavor profile is a required nuance in a "great" mix but not as the primary tobacco. Following the techniques/lead of master blenders, my extracted Perique will serve only as an enhancer to mix (at very low percentages), with other tobacco flavors. I fully expected that going in, not just for the Perique but for all the single variety "blending" tobaccos I have. I not only wanted to taste the flavor of each by themselves to gain "perspective" but also to have them on-hand for tweaking/blending. The challenge isn't finding a single tobacco, but finding a single tobacco that has been cured/processed/cased in a way that brings its best qualities out. I believe the curing/casing process employed by individual manufacturers is every bit as important to flavor as is the quality of tobacco used.

 

[usr/]

I really doubt the heat assisted maceration process you describe caused this result, more likely (as you suspect), it was the tobacco itself. Before discarding the extract, I would let it steep for a couple of months with the first 1-2 weeks performed open container. In the meantime, you might consider trying a different Perique. Many of my favorite extracted tobacco blends contain small amounts of Perique and it does shine as a flavor enhancer, but as a standalone extraction....not so much in my personal opinion. Its flavor profile is a required nuance in a "great" mix but not as the primary tobacco. Following the techniques/lead of master blenders, my extracted Perique will serve only as an enhancer to mix (at very low percentages), with other tobacco flavors. I fully expected that going in, not just for the Perique but for all the single variety "blending" tobaccos I have. I not only wanted to taste the flavor of each by themselves to gain "perspective" but also to have them on-hand for tweaking/blending. The challenge isn't finding a single tobacco, but finding a single tobacco that has been cured/processed/cased in a way that brings its best qualities out. I believe the curing/casing process employed by individual manufacturers is every bit as important to flavor as is the quality of tobacco used.

Just wanted to give an update to what I thought was a major fail with Perique. I went ahead and gave this thing a vigorous shake in the jar and removed the lid and covered with a piece of felt filter material and let it sit for about a week. No hints of ammonia were present after that time so I placed a lid back on and put it away. It's been about three weeks now so I decided to open it up and have a wiff. It's amazing how this extract has transformed. It now has a pleasant nutty smell with a faint fruity note in there. Not sure if it's a plum, that papabogart was questioning in original post, but definitely fruit going on there. I mixed up a sample 10ml bottle at about 60/40 pg/vg @ 12mg/ml of Orlik Golden Slice which is already a Va/Per. 18 drops of Orlik and about 8 drops of the Perique. All I can say is wow. Boy it really perked up the Golden Slice nicely and is a very good smok, to my taste anyway. Thanks for the decanting advice Str8 I think that did the trick. I was ready to trash this stuff, but after using it in a lot less concentrate and as a blend I think with a little more age on it, it's only going to get better. I have another Perique soaking now. McClellands Blending Perique. Just doing a Cold maceration with this one where I used a Heat assist with the first one. The quality of the McClellands seemed to be much better than the McConnell that I used, but it's still a nasty extract in its early stages. Looking forward to blending this with some extracts that don't have any Perique in them, to see how they turn out. Anyway, have a good one, all!