Just picked up a rusty and dusty old tin of W.O. Larsen Broad Blend selected blend no. 20 (Circa 2013). As soon as I got home I read the 3 entries on tobaccorevies.com which rated it at 3 stars, 4 stars and 1 star, all claiming it to be very mild and low on flavor, flat, boring. With my expectations low, I crack the perfectly sealed tin and loaded my trusty Chacom Salsa 297 Canadian. The tin aroma was rich and figgy with barely a trace of the Lat. The manufacturer describes the product as "A fine pipe tobacco. Fully ripe Virginia tobacco is improved to black cavendish and toasted with a little latakia." This is definitely a Virginia based non-aromatic with some flecks of Black Cavendish and the slightest hint of Latakia. It was very delicious now that the natural sweetness of the VA has intensified with a good 5 years on the tin. The smoke was far more complex and had more punch than anticipated. The Latakia plays an elusive role only evident on the retro/hale, but overall the experience was very pleasing. My experience in cracking older tins has never let me down, despite them having tepid reviews or being brands not commonly raved about. I will jar this up immediately and enjoy it whenever I get the urge for a very natural tasting sweet VA.
