Yeah, I don't think it matters much when the orders went in as I was up in the early morning too, trying to get in while the site was crashing. Just glad to be able to get some for sure....
C&D Sunbear 2021 Edition “Black Locust”
- Thread starter 3rdguy
- Start date
Arrived safe and sound and as an added surprise, this 1928 Dunhill (Thanks @americaman ! )showed up on my doorstep a day early!
Life is grand....
Life is grand....
All mine are in the 3500 and 3600s.
Min
Mine is 7423. Could only get one... But better than none.
If anyone is still looking for Sun Bear in the Wilmington, N.C. area, Brookelynn's\Rocco's Cigar Bar has about three tins left at $16.50 apiece.
It's good, not great. Had some of a buddy's. I have a couple tins for aging, we'll see if it gets better. Wouldn't sell the farm for it. Plenty of better tobaccos that are more available. C&D is getting ridiculous with their "limited" releases.
If you smoked it reasonably fresh, I can understand your assessment. Give it a month or two being open, it will be much better. Give it 2 to 3 years or more aging and it will be great.
It was indeed a freshly opened tin and like I said, it was good. I have never been a big fan of C&D probably because my palette isn't good enough to recognize the slight changes they make from tobacco to tobacco. Can I taste the tequila they use? Nope. Can I tell the difference between small batch honey and any other honey they might have used? Nope. To me those things are marketing ploys.
Honestly, their selection is a little overwhelming to me. Like going to a tap-house with a hundred slightly different beers on tap when all I want is a simple unflavored, brown ale or a nice lager.
Wanted to share my thoughts on the Sun Bear: Black Locust (2021)...
After receiving my tins, I popped one open and let it breathe for a couple weeks until the aroma changed from being a bit sharp to something more inviting. I then had a bowl a day for five days straight when the weather was cooler here a couple weeks ago. The flavor of Sun Bear is a bit subtle at first, but interesting and complex. Since it's still fresh, it starts somewhat astringent as the alcohol topping burns off, but it's definitely sweet throughout, even on the lips. There is honey and malty flavor for the first 25%, then more its more like granola, woody, and cedar during the middle, and finally bit more floral toward the end. This is one that the smoke aroma/room note is creamy and sweet as it hangs in the air. I've used the "sweet" descriptor a lot, but it's not super sweet like candy. The blend just has a pleasing level of sweetness and isn't bitter at all like some tobaccos can be, especially fresh or toward the end of the bowl.
My overall impression is that I like it better than last year's batch, but I need to revisit that because it there may be several factors involved, such as: technique has improved, tobacco palate has improved, this year's batch with the alternative honey is actually noticeably different, etc. Also, repeated smokes of the same tobacco seems to really help learn and understand the blend. I am also basically drying half of the tobacco for the bowl to a crisp and then mixing it with other tobacco that is only dried for a moderate amount of time (e.g., 10-15 minutes). The result is that this tobacco will easy burn for an hour plus with only 1 or 2 relights toward the end. I really like this blend a lot and look forward to enjoying it over the years as well as revisiting last year's batch of Sun Bear along side this one to see how it's changed and how the two versions differ.
After receiving my tins, I popped one open and let it breathe for a couple weeks until the aroma changed from being a bit sharp to something more inviting. I then had a bowl a day for five days straight when the weather was cooler here a couple weeks ago. The flavor of Sun Bear is a bit subtle at first, but interesting and complex. Since it's still fresh, it starts somewhat astringent as the alcohol topping burns off, but it's definitely sweet throughout, even on the lips. There is honey and malty flavor for the first 25%, then more its more like granola, woody, and cedar during the middle, and finally bit more floral toward the end. This is one that the smoke aroma/room note is creamy and sweet as it hangs in the air. I've used the "sweet" descriptor a lot, but it's not super sweet like candy. The blend just has a pleasing level of sweetness and isn't bitter at all like some tobaccos can be, especially fresh or toward the end of the bowl.
My overall impression is that I like it better than last year's batch, but I need to revisit that because it there may be several factors involved, such as: technique has improved, tobacco palate has improved, this year's batch with the alternative honey is actually noticeably different, etc. Also, repeated smokes of the same tobacco seems to really help learn and understand the blend. I am also basically drying half of the tobacco for the bowl to a crisp and then mixing it with other tobacco that is only dried for a moderate amount of time (e.g., 10-15 minutes). The result is that this tobacco will easy burn for an hour plus with only 1 or 2 relights toward the end. I really like this blend a lot and look forward to enjoying it over the years as well as revisiting last year's batch of Sun Bear along side this one to see how it's changed and how the two versions differ.
Nice review. Haven't got around to opening a tin yet but I'm sure I'll like it. I've enjoyed the last two releases. I have got to get through some blends in my rotation.
Some more tins were just posted for sale on P&C.com; they also have a $20 off $99 coupon (EOS21) right now
That's interesting! I noticed the same thing with another limited release earlier in the year. I cant remember which one it was. About a month or two after it sold out everywhere it was available on P&C. I wonder if the stuff just sits in their warehouse until they get the chance to put it online
They still have eight state burley stock. I don’t know if there’s just that many people who stopped ordering from them or what, but that blend went quick everywhere else and it’s been up in PC for a while.
Yep, that's how I got a couple tins of that a few weeks ago. No issues.