Bell's - Three Nuns
Tin Note: There it is again, that Vinegar smell i dislike. However this time it has hints of Fig and dried fruit which i enjoy but i cannot stand the smell of vinegar. 2 out of 4
Initial Light: This Blend lit extremely well. The flame took at first lite right after the false lite process and started off with a nice even burn. The taste however was very harsh and had a slight chemical like feel to it which was irritating my mouth. But this is about the burn and that took really well. 3 out of 4
Mid-Smoke: Kentucky burley seems to be a lot stronger then other burleys i have tried and it drowns out the Virginia a lot more then i would like it to. You can taste the Virginia trying to fight its way to the top now and then but it always seems to fall back down under the immense pressure of this burley. Result is a mild yet earthy smoke which is enjoyable in the sense that its burning so good that you enjoy smoking it however for me the taste and flavor just wasn't there. 2 out of 4
Bottom of the Bowl: The bowl was getting hot at this point also there was a little gurgle due to it smoking wet, Note to self always add more dry time then you think you need with this blend. i passed a pipe cleaner and dumped out the ash and proceeded with the smoke, still burning well. In terms of taste i believe at this point the blend has finally settled to a semi-sweet earthy flavor and decided to stay at this point for the remainder of the smoke. Therefore the bottom of the bowl is the best part of this blend for me. 3 out of 4
Room Note: I swear i was able to smell this blend when i walked in to grab a bottle of water(Water!!,that's for sick people, as my uncle always says)it was a hot day and the heat was getting to me, but when i got back out it smelt like sweet grass outside and my wife also confirmed that. 3 out of 4
Dottle: It burn very well and the ash was clearly there, however at the bottom of the bowl it was wet and made some semi-goop stuff in the draft hole of my pipe.
Smoking Duration: This smoke was about 45min.
Overall: This is one of the best blends i have smoked in terms of how well the tobacco burns and how evenly the smoke draws, however it did not delivery in flavor for me and was not in any form substantial. I have one sealed tin in my cellar and i plan on revisiting this blend in a year or two to see how much a few years of aging would change it. It scores a 13 out of 20 which is a good score and it only got this score due to how easy it was to smoke.
Recommendations:
1) 1-2hours Dry time
2) Rub out and three step method for packing worked really well
