Newminster #403 Superior Round Sliced

In the last couple months I've come to really enjoy dark fired burley (Kentucky) as a condiment to my Virginia blends. It started with Sixpence..then Montgomery..Solani 660..and in searching for a bulk option, I discovered Newminster #403. The little sliced coins looked delicious in pictures and reviews were generally positive with keywords like spicy, sweet, and interesting.

So I ordered up an ounce from smokingpipes.com.

I guess it was the last bit, as immediately after my order it turned "out of stock".
It arrived yesterday and I decided to try it out in my new acquisition from Mr. Dave Neeb - an early 80s rusticated Becker Canadian with a tall chamber.

I balled up a couple coins to form the bottom layer, then rubbed out enough to fill the bowl. The texture and moisture content was perfect. Rubbed out effortlessly but wasn't crispy. The charring light gave me exactly what I was looking for.. a rush of spicy sweetness indicative of a healthy amount of dark fired kentucky burley.
After a few minutes of contemplative puffing it was plain to see this blend was unique. The spice flavor was strong, so strong in fact the feeling on my tongue could be misconstrued as tongue bite. BUT I don't think it was..as I didn't get the usual bitey feeling when taking a drink of water.

Aside from the obvious spice, there is an underlying smooth sweetness throughout. I found myself picking up my puffing pace.. wanting more and more of this unusual flavor combination. Even then I felt no real bite...just stronger flavors.

Looking forward to a second bowl today. I woke up this morning craving it!
Anyone else have experience with these funny little coins?

Bite does seem to be a consistent theme for people..but for some reason it only nibbled me slightly.
More bowls are in order for me.

As some have mentioned, the 400 flake DID look and sound promising. The price is certainly right.. I'll pick some up with my next order.