As promised, I broke in my Pete Aran 999 with Blend No 5 about half an hour ago.
Upon opening the tin, I was greeted by the familiar Balkan smell of aromatic herbs, with a slight hint of iodine and some sort of sweetness. Fine ribbons of golden, reddish-brown and black tobacco laid within. Moisture perfect in my book although it felt a bit wet. Took 4 pinches to fill the bowl, this is fairly large by my standards.
I let it sit for about 10 minutes and poured a cup of black coffee. I lit a match. It took fire really well with just the charring light, no relight was needed. Smokey and slightly sweet Latakia aromas with a slight tinge permeated through the first half of the bowl. I tamped the ashes down and there was bit of a spice if exhaled through the nose, almost as if it has Oriental leaf in it ( does it? ). Toward the heel of the bowl, things got a bit wet and needed a stir and relight, but did not turn sour, goopy or nasty.
Very mild on Vitamin N. Burns a tad warm for a Balkan blend but it did not bite. Burns to a white ash. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
I was surprised with this blend. It is a really good mild English. Compared to Altadis' bulk Englishes, it's quite a few steps above, on taste and quality. Taste is reminiscent of Frog Morton Original, just not as rounded.
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