View attachment 128394
Okay, I admit I was afraid of this one opening it. Strong scent of Latakia suggest it's a monster, opening, smelling of a local Indian girl's leather boot unwashed from body sweat, and I don't have a foot fetish so... concerning. What are those peppery little flakes there?! Visions of a Bengal Tiger tearing me into bloody ribbons had me thinking this was going to be a real beast..
Packed its dense sliced bits with some rubbing to break it up into my dedicated-to-English Dracula 999 I set forth expecting the worst.. and then?
Well, heck, this tiger's just a kitten!
Latakia mixed and rubbed with Cavandish vanilla in seemingly equal parts creates a smooth experience and is un-scary. Smoked amazingly cool, though needed a re-light due to it's crumbly, dense nature halfway (again, no shame in a re-light, though it's a rarity for me, and happened again with my Sutliff Blend No. 5) though this time due to some light banter with the Missus concerning the prospect of traveling in a few months if the darn Covid thing goes away.
Creamy Cavandish vanilla scent is around and a touch of Lat making a cream taste as it purred in my pipe without threat. A light, leather shoe musk present, as well as what I can equate to be a spicy cinnamon bark undertone throughout. Visions of freshly picked Bhut Jolakia pepper tingle the taste buds with its orangey-citrus thoughts way in the background distantly.
Nicotine crept up on me a bit but was not overly intense as I feared, possibly coming from the Cavandish than the Latakia. Slowing my pace it settled nicely though and provided minimal dizzy drama enough; the kitten tiger is still a tiger.
This is a benign English blend backed-off with creamy vanilla Cavandish as it plays back and forth, ping-ponging and blending. I bet it'd improve a hair with a cellar'ing for a few years to mellow-out a tad and blend further.
Not as scary as I thought, it's perfectly pleasant and satisfying.
Recommended.