The official release date is Wednesday, April 5th at 6:00 p.m. EST.
The aged sun cured Basma and Izmir provide a wealth of floralness, earth, wood, vegetation, herbs, a fair amount of bitter sourness, some spice, mild buttery sweetness, and light incense as the lead components. The mature red Virginias produce some tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, tart citrus, mild sugar, light grass, floralness, a pinch of spice, and a bare hint of vinegar. They are a slot below a full support role, and their inherent sweetness is the most obvious contribution. The strength is two and a half steps past the medium threshold. The taste edges past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. Won’t bite or get harsh. It does have a few rough edges. The fairly dense plug is mildly moist, and not hard to cut, though there area few veins to cut through. As is my custom, I did not dry it for review nor did I see a need to do so. I recommend cutting the plug down the side as the individual varietals are layered if you want a more consistent smoking experience. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly consistent, moderately sweet and rather sour, floral, mildly spicy, savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three stars.
The aged sun cured Basma and Izmir provide a wealth of floralness, earth, wood, vegetation, herbs, a fair amount of bitter sourness, some spice, mild buttery sweetness, and light incense as the lead components. The mature red Virginias produce some tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, tart citrus, mild sugar, light grass, floralness, a pinch of spice, and a bare hint of vinegar. They are a slot below a full support role, and their inherent sweetness is the most obvious contribution. The strength is two and a half steps past the medium threshold. The taste edges past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. Won’t bite or get harsh. It does have a few rough edges. The fairly dense plug is mildly moist, and not hard to cut, though there area few veins to cut through. As is my custom, I did not dry it for review nor did I see a need to do so. I recommend cutting the plug down the side as the individual varietals are layered if you want a more consistent smoking experience. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly consistent, moderately sweet and rather sour, floral, mildly spicy, savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three stars.