This is my first ever pipe tobacco review.
Pre Smoke
It comes in a gold foil brick with a paper label. It's bone dry, but interestingly it's very springy. You need to pack it way tighter than normal. The aroma is slightly sweet but it mostly just smells like dry tobacco. Mainly because it is, there doesn't appear to be any sort of casing or topping whatsoever.
Smoke
It lights very easily, burns quickly, and stays lit. Because of the speed at which it burns, you need to tamp much more frequently. I've seen some reviewers say that it tastes like cigars. I've been smoking cigars on and off for over 20 years and it doesn't taste like any cigar I've ever smoked. For me, the primary taste was hazelnuts, with a faint taste of cocoa in the background. It tasted like I imagine a Ferrero Rocher candy would taste if it had no sugar in it. The hazelnut taste persisted throughout the entire smoke but about halfway through, the faint cocoa disappeared and was replaced by a pretty substantial earthiness. It was unique and pleasant. Solid medium nic hit.
Thoughts
This was very different from any other pipe tobacco I've smoked and quite enjoyable. Not something I'd smoke all day, but I imagine it would be fantastic in the morning with a cup of coffee. It'll definitely be part of my rotation.
Pre Smoke
It comes in a gold foil brick with a paper label. It's bone dry, but interestingly it's very springy. You need to pack it way tighter than normal. The aroma is slightly sweet but it mostly just smells like dry tobacco. Mainly because it is, there doesn't appear to be any sort of casing or topping whatsoever.
Smoke
It lights very easily, burns quickly, and stays lit. Because of the speed at which it burns, you need to tamp much more frequently. I've seen some reviewers say that it tastes like cigars. I've been smoking cigars on and off for over 20 years and it doesn't taste like any cigar I've ever smoked. For me, the primary taste was hazelnuts, with a faint taste of cocoa in the background. It tasted like I imagine a Ferrero Rocher candy would taste if it had no sugar in it. The hazelnut taste persisted throughout the entire smoke but about halfway through, the faint cocoa disappeared and was replaced by a pretty substantial earthiness. It was unique and pleasant. Solid medium nic hit.
Thoughts
This was very different from any other pipe tobacco I've smoked and quite enjoyable. Not something I'd smoke all day, but I imagine it would be fantastic in the morning with a cup of coffee. It'll definitely be part of my rotation.
