Just purchased a few tins of this limited release and popped a tin yesterday.
The tin note greeted me with that peculiar aroma of the Dark Fired Kentucky; which alarmed me, as I’m not a big fan of DFK (I usually cut some Virginia into HH Old Dark Fired).
Nice coins, a bit on the moister side of things, but not sopping wet by any means. I typically don’t try my tobacco, preferring to adjust my packing and smoking cadence rather than to try to achieve some optimal moisture content. However; I did rub out the coins, and then set them to dry for about twenty minutes. *In the future I’ll try a straight from the tin packing to compare.
Upon initial light I was greeted with an unexpected sweetness, and experienced none of that pungent flavor I usually detect from DFK. I was pleasantly surprised that the deeper smokiness I usually get from Cyprian Latakia was more subdued, and almost akin to that creaminess I get from the Syrian Latakia in Frog Morton Across the Pond (which is my All time favorite blend).
Half way through the bowl I detected a faint wisp of the DFK which serves as the “bullseye” to the coins, but instead of being an unpleasant experience, it was a welcome nuance to break up the consistent sweet barbecue flavors of the Lat/Va combination.
The last bits of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl started to sour, so I tossed the last remaining bits. *I attribute the souring to whatever topping or casing they use in the blend, as the foot of the bowl was abnormally moist.
All in all; I was really pleased with my initial impressions of this blend. I’m hopeful that the Latakia maintains that almost creamy profile. Intrigued with what aging will provide, as well as curious if the DFK was just weak in the tin I opened, or if it is consistently mellow throughout all the tins (I’d prefer the later).
Overall I’d rate this as an above average blend that might be elevated to exceptional with some age; Though I doubt it would be elevated further to a five Star blend, even with age. Definitely worth the $20 some odd dollars I paid per tin.
The tin note greeted me with that peculiar aroma of the Dark Fired Kentucky; which alarmed me, as I’m not a big fan of DFK (I usually cut some Virginia into HH Old Dark Fired).
Nice coins, a bit on the moister side of things, but not sopping wet by any means. I typically don’t try my tobacco, preferring to adjust my packing and smoking cadence rather than to try to achieve some optimal moisture content. However; I did rub out the coins, and then set them to dry for about twenty minutes. *In the future I’ll try a straight from the tin packing to compare.
Upon initial light I was greeted with an unexpected sweetness, and experienced none of that pungent flavor I usually detect from DFK. I was pleasantly surprised that the deeper smokiness I usually get from Cyprian Latakia was more subdued, and almost akin to that creaminess I get from the Syrian Latakia in Frog Morton Across the Pond (which is my All time favorite blend).
Half way through the bowl I detected a faint wisp of the DFK which serves as the “bullseye” to the coins, but instead of being an unpleasant experience, it was a welcome nuance to break up the consistent sweet barbecue flavors of the Lat/Va combination.
The last bits of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl started to sour, so I tossed the last remaining bits. *I attribute the souring to whatever topping or casing they use in the blend, as the foot of the bowl was abnormally moist.
All in all; I was really pleased with my initial impressions of this blend. I’m hopeful that the Latakia maintains that almost creamy profile. Intrigued with what aging will provide, as well as curious if the DFK was just weak in the tin I opened, or if it is consistently mellow throughout all the tins (I’d prefer the later).
Overall I’d rate this as an above average blend that might be elevated to exceptional with some age; Though I doubt it would be elevated further to a five Star blend, even with age. Definitely worth the $20 some odd dollars I paid per tin.