Here's my reviews of C&D's new Appalachian Trail series:
C&D Blue Ridge:
The mildly tangy, dark fruity, earthy, lightly sugary stoved red Virginias form the base of the blend. The dry, sweet and sour, fairly floral, woody, earthy Turkish plays between being a condiment and a supporting player. The spicy, raisiny, plummy perique is a background player. The unsweetened black cavendish adds a smoothing quality to the mix. The strength is just short of being mild to medium, while the nic-hit sits squarely on that level. The taste is a step closer to medium than it is to mild, mostly due to the Turkish. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor all the way through as it easily burns to ash. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. Can be an all day smoke.
C&D Bluegrass:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is complimented by the grassy, citrusy bright Virginia. The spicy, raisiny perique is just more than a condiment. The woody, mildly nutty, lightly floral, fairly dry dark fired Kentucky plays a slightly more important role than the perique, and is a supporting player, especially after the first quarter of the bowl. The strength and taste levels gather a little potency as you go along, starting out as mild to medium, and settles at the medium level just past the half way point. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium, and gets a tad stronger at the same time the strength and taste aspects do. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has no dull moments. Burns cool, clean, and very slightly slow with a fairly rich flavor, leaving little moisture in your pipe. Needs a few more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly filling after taste. Can almost be an all day smoke for experienced smokers, and repeatable for those who aren’t.
C&D Stovepipe:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is complimented by the grassy, citrusy bright Virginia, and only takes a slight lead between the two. The woody, earthy, lightly nutty and toasty, spicy dark burley is a supporting player. The spicy, raisin and plummy perique underscores every puff. The unsweetened black cavendish offers a little brown sugar. The vanilla and caramel play at the same level with the cocoa close behind them, and all tone down the topping to a mild to moderate extent. The strength is a step closer to mild than it is to medium. The taste level is step closer to medium than it is to mild, though there is a light gentleness to it amidst a little punch from the burley. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent, sweet and lightly savory, spicy flavor that translates to the after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke.
C&D String Duster:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is a little more noticeable than the very citrusy, grassy bright Virginia. The woody, earthy, smoky, mildly floral, buttery sweet and slightly sour and spicy Turkish is a supporting player. The rum is a tad more obvious than the maple and both are lightly applied, so they don’t sublimate the tobaccos very much. They do tend to recede a little in the last third of the bowl. The strength and taste levels are almost in the center of mild to medium, and takes a step closer to medium as you go along, though the latter aspect just touches the medium threshold as the toppings lightly diminish, and you notice the tobaccos a little more. The nic-hit is mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, and there’s no dull moments or rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a tangy sweet, lightly floral, mildly savory flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires just more than an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering pleasant after taste, and can be an all day smoke for those who want an aromatic with a little punch.
C&D White Lightning:
The tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia takes the lead over the grassy, citrusy bright Va. The spicy, raisiny, plummy perique is a supporting player, and I tend to notice it almost as much as I do the bright Virginia. The rich raspberry topping takes a little lead over the applejack (which has a slight alcohol note), and the vanilla underscores the other attributes. The toppings do sublimate the tobaccos to a moderate extent, and meld well to create a cohesive, rather deep and well balanced flavor. Except for the raspberry, the toppings do weaken by just a hair in the last quarter of the experience. The strength is just past the mild to medium level, while the taste is a step closer to medium than that. The nic-hit is just past mild. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has no dull moments or rough edges. Burns cool, clean, and slightly slow as the tobacco is lightly moist out of the tin, but it doesn’t need any dry time. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs a few relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering sweet and mildly spicy after taste. Can be an all day smoke.
C&D Blue Ridge:
The mildly tangy, dark fruity, earthy, lightly sugary stoved red Virginias form the base of the blend. The dry, sweet and sour, fairly floral, woody, earthy Turkish plays between being a condiment and a supporting player. The spicy, raisiny, plummy perique is a background player. The unsweetened black cavendish adds a smoothing quality to the mix. The strength is just short of being mild to medium, while the nic-hit sits squarely on that level. The taste is a step closer to medium than it is to mild, mostly due to the Turkish. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor all the way through as it easily burns to ash. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. Can be an all day smoke.
C&D Bluegrass:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is complimented by the grassy, citrusy bright Virginia. The spicy, raisiny perique is just more than a condiment. The woody, mildly nutty, lightly floral, fairly dry dark fired Kentucky plays a slightly more important role than the perique, and is a supporting player, especially after the first quarter of the bowl. The strength and taste levels gather a little potency as you go along, starting out as mild to medium, and settles at the medium level just past the half way point. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium, and gets a tad stronger at the same time the strength and taste aspects do. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has no dull moments. Burns cool, clean, and very slightly slow with a fairly rich flavor, leaving little moisture in your pipe. Needs a few more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, lightly filling after taste. Can almost be an all day smoke for experienced smokers, and repeatable for those who aren’t.
C&D Stovepipe:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is complimented by the grassy, citrusy bright Virginia, and only takes a slight lead between the two. The woody, earthy, lightly nutty and toasty, spicy dark burley is a supporting player. The spicy, raisin and plummy perique underscores every puff. The unsweetened black cavendish offers a little brown sugar. The vanilla and caramel play at the same level with the cocoa close behind them, and all tone down the topping to a mild to moderate extent. The strength is a step closer to mild than it is to medium. The taste level is step closer to medium than it is to mild, though there is a light gentleness to it amidst a little punch from the burley. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent, sweet and lightly savory, spicy flavor that translates to the after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke.
C&D String Duster:
The tart and tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is a little more noticeable than the very citrusy, grassy bright Virginia. The woody, earthy, smoky, mildly floral, buttery sweet and slightly sour and spicy Turkish is a supporting player. The rum is a tad more obvious than the maple and both are lightly applied, so they don’t sublimate the tobaccos very much. They do tend to recede a little in the last third of the bowl. The strength and taste levels are almost in the center of mild to medium, and takes a step closer to medium as you go along, though the latter aspect just touches the medium threshold as the toppings lightly diminish, and you notice the tobaccos a little more. The nic-hit is mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, and there’s no dull moments or rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a tangy sweet, lightly floral, mildly savory flavor. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires just more than an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering pleasant after taste, and can be an all day smoke for those who want an aromatic with a little punch.
C&D White Lightning:
The tangy, dark fruity, earthy red Virginia takes the lead over the grassy, citrusy bright Va. The spicy, raisiny, plummy perique is a supporting player, and I tend to notice it almost as much as I do the bright Virginia. The rich raspberry topping takes a little lead over the applejack (which has a slight alcohol note), and the vanilla underscores the other attributes. The toppings do sublimate the tobaccos to a moderate extent, and meld well to create a cohesive, rather deep and well balanced flavor. Except for the raspberry, the toppings do weaken by just a hair in the last quarter of the experience. The strength is just past the mild to medium level, while the taste is a step closer to medium than that. The nic-hit is just past mild. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has no dull moments or rough edges. Burns cool, clean, and slightly slow as the tobacco is lightly moist out of the tin, but it doesn’t need any dry time. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs a few relights. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering sweet and mildly spicy after taste. Can be an all day smoke.
