I was sent a sample of this to try by another member (who shall remain anonymous), who received on of the very first tins to enter the country.
Upon receiving, I was immediately impressed! The dark, rich appearance of these little flakes screams "Im GOOD, smoke me now!" The tin note pretty much echoes the appearance, dark, earthy, smokey ect.
The flakes were at near perfect moisture for immediate smoking, rubbed out as easily as any flake ever has for me, and packed very nicely!
On the charring light I instantly knew that this was a special tobacco.
It took to the match very well, with a good char, light tamp, and a good true light.
On the charring light I was hit with that familiar zing of a quality Latakia's smokey, BBQ and vinegar flavor..... Simply wonderful!
Once the true light settles in, the Va's and Burley start to show themselves. The balance of Va, Burley and Latakia in this blend is brilliant!
Everything really starts to meld after the first 5 minutes or so, and only continues to do so even more throughout the bowl.
The Va's lend natural sweetness and hay like tones, while the Burley add a subtle nutty flavor and a slight earthiness.
The Latakia is the star of the show, though to my tastes, is not completely dominant as the other components do make themselves known at all times.
This blend has a good body to it, and is very creamy. It leaves your mouth feeling coated with its goodness!
It's smooth to no end, and somehow gets smoother as the bowl progresses. It produces lots of visible white smoke, which is very pleasing. It has absolutely no bit whatsoever, and it's very low maintenance.
It burns cool and dry to the very end, with very few relights (I only had one), and burns to fine ash.
All in all, I could not be more pleased, and I'm glad I was able to get my hands on a little over a pound of this fine tobacco yesterday, before it was sold out.
I would put this one on the same playing field as Sam Gawith's Balkan Flake, only this one requires a lot less prep and maintenance throughout the bowl.
Mac Baren, you've gone and done it again, and for that I thank you very much!
Upon receiving, I was immediately impressed! The dark, rich appearance of these little flakes screams "Im GOOD, smoke me now!" The tin note pretty much echoes the appearance, dark, earthy, smokey ect.
The flakes were at near perfect moisture for immediate smoking, rubbed out as easily as any flake ever has for me, and packed very nicely!
On the charring light I instantly knew that this was a special tobacco.
It took to the match very well, with a good char, light tamp, and a good true light.
On the charring light I was hit with that familiar zing of a quality Latakia's smokey, BBQ and vinegar flavor..... Simply wonderful!
Once the true light settles in, the Va's and Burley start to show themselves. The balance of Va, Burley and Latakia in this blend is brilliant!
Everything really starts to meld after the first 5 minutes or so, and only continues to do so even more throughout the bowl.
The Va's lend natural sweetness and hay like tones, while the Burley add a subtle nutty flavor and a slight earthiness.
The Latakia is the star of the show, though to my tastes, is not completely dominant as the other components do make themselves known at all times.
This blend has a good body to it, and is very creamy. It leaves your mouth feeling coated with its goodness!
It's smooth to no end, and somehow gets smoother as the bowl progresses. It produces lots of visible white smoke, which is very pleasing. It has absolutely no bit whatsoever, and it's very low maintenance.
It burns cool and dry to the very end, with very few relights (I only had one), and burns to fine ash.
All in all, I could not be more pleased, and I'm glad I was able to get my hands on a little over a pound of this fine tobacco yesterday, before it was sold out.
I would put this one on the same playing field as Sam Gawith's Balkan Flake, only this one requires a lot less prep and maintenance throughout the bowl.
Mac Baren, you've gone and done it again, and for that I thank you very much!
