As he always seems to do, BOTL Chico asked some intelligent questions that got me to writing. This was originally in the What Did You Smoke thread so I brought it over here. Keep up the good work Chico.

Quote Originally Posted by c.ortiz108 View Post
G&H Louisiana Flake, courtesy of
Quote Originally Posted by c.ortiz108 View Post
tmoran . I was expecting more of a tonquin/bourbon flavor from the casing it's supposed to have. I need to try another bowl to judge it on it's own merits now that I know it's more of a straight up VaPer.
Top Sauce vs. Casing
reply to Chico Ortiz on August 3rd, 2015

Hi Chico,

Louisiana Flake isn't cased, it has a top sauce and the difference between the two methods is pretty substantial. Casing is the infusing or processing of tobacco with aroma(s) while top saucing is adding a scent to a (mostly) finished tobacco.

Top sauces burn off during smoking with some affect to the aroma while casing is an integral part of the tobacco so that the aroma is heavily noted. You might say that casing is an attempt to make the tobacco smoke like it smells while top saucing attempts to add a flavor note.

Tonquin, like coumarin, is an extract of the tonka bean and, in my experience (McConnell) it’s a stand alone saucing agent. Specific companies tend to use one or the other. McConnell and Sobranie used a coumarin based solution, generally without other scents. 1792 Flake is sauced (pretty heavily) with tonquin but I don’t detect it in Louisiana Flake (a favorite tobacco of mine).

It’s nearly impossible to miss the casing in a tobacco while top sauce detection seems to be based on the individual. I seem to have a threshold, below which I’m only vaguely aware of it and above I smell it more intensely but some smokers smell any top sauce.

Pete