Have my flakes gone bad??

[bentbulldog]

So I stopped by my local shop to pick up some Dunbar and Margate, and to my surprise, they had fresh bags and an open jar of Stonehaven :cheers: So I got a couple of ounces. The Stonhaven had the most unbelievable aroma, it reminded me of a banana sundai, MMM is it hard to get my nose out of this bag. But here is the question…
 
I had bought the last Stonehaven from the same shop a few months ago, where it was sitting in the jar for GOD knows how long. They use a humidifier but there is something different about what I had bought before and what I bought today.
 
The fresh Stonhaven is soft and pliant, and is a brown with yellow color and has that wonderful aroma . The old Stonehaven is stiffer, drier, darker, and doesn’t smell the same.
 
I also noticed this with FVF. I have one small mason jar for my regular smokes and another for storage. The stored FVF, which was bought new and stored immediately, is lighter and fresher, whereas the one in my rotation (which was opened about 1.5 yrs ago) has become darker and stiffer (I did let it dry a bit). I can’t comment on the differences smoking qualities as all I have is the FVF and Stonehaven in my rotation except to say that I can smoke it with a bit of effort but is this a good sign or a bad sign when the flakes become darker and stiffer? Is there a way to bring them “back to life” if they’ve gone out?
 

 

[pipetongue1]

The color is called, aging, if dried out re-hydrate, Ken :tongue:
Pacem en Puffing! :tongue:

 

[bentbulldog]

That's aging??? :shock:

so even though you get stiffer, lose color, don't smell quite as fresh, aging is actually a good thing??

 

[Strongirish]

Yep, aging makes it smoke smoother and sweeter. If you don't like the difference, trade it with me for something else I have, I love aged Stonehaven!

 

[Dudley Dipstick]

I have some Stonehaven about 3 years old that has taken on the same qualities you mention. It became very brittle, etc., but with rehydration smokes just fine.

I also have some Sam Gawith Best Brown Flake that's about the same age, but still very pliable and not dry feeling at all. One big difference is the sugars have become very visible, and that's certainly not a bad thing!