Having tried Pirate Kake, and being a new fan of Latakias, I ordered the "beast" of Captain Earle's Ten Russians.
Many reviews have scared me of this blend and I broke off chunks cautiously as it reeked as a true Lat-bomb, ruining fingers, pungent and alluring, but then again, it's an acquired taste (like sweaty, skunk-y, dank, pheromone-rich, girl-post-workout armpit fetishism) so I jumped in.
Smelling both Pirate Kake and Ten Russians side-by-side, Ten Russians is far more "plum-y" and P-Kake is more sharp and licorice-y. Ten Russians is a bit like Pirate Kake mixed with Arango Balkan Supreme and Seattle's Mississippi Mud.
I've been warned that smoking Ten Russians is like, well, being hoodwinked in a back-alley by, 10 Russians, getting beat-up and all, so I sipped from my Peterson Dracula 999 cautiously ... and was well-rewarded in doing so.
I noticed as has been described by several others as "fine ash" upon smoking. Sure enough, this occurred. This requires immediate dumping of the ash, else it'll be sucked-in through the stem, resulting in a smokey taste everyone complains about (or lauds, depending). You don't want this. It's the ash. I find, as with other C&D stuff, and like Kendall's Chocolate Flake, if you pull in this fine ash, you'll get sick like a vitamin-N double-overdose. I'm not sure if the ash contains nicotine, but I've personally had a "bad time" doing such, and go green and want to sweat and puke from it, so I'm guessing so. I've had nicotine-poisoning levels from doing this, and it's as familiar as the first time I took my first hunk of Skoal back "in the day" and nearly passed-out and vomited from it back in the '80s, the vitamin-N just endlessly rushing in from a pleasant buzz to a dizziness like truly drunk to vomit city. I was cautious and this did not happen.
I dumped the ash the minute I started to taste it, which was very frequently, like every 10 minutes. See ash? Scoop it out, re-light, tamp and press-onward. Flavor comes back to the constant, plum-y, licorice with a creamy, almost Cavendish topping, possibly from the Virginias, the Orientals adding sparkle and sweetness too. Honestly, it reminded me a bit of Sanseni Balkan too, but more-so Mississippi Mud Special Reserve.
The smoke is fairly rich and tasty and smokes cool enough, but you have to pay attention to it as if you were playing Russian Roulette and you have to count the number of clicks of the revolver carefully. You have to mind over your pipe and the ash levels and dump and adjust accordingly, and sloooowly sip and it's quite plum-y and sweet and good. Being foolish, chimney-smoking deep, drawing deep (thereby pulling-in ash) will punish you harshly. It is to be respected and controlled for success.
It's very tasty and skunky, pungent and, like me, if you're into that, perfectly savory.
After a full-bowl I was satisfied with a reasonable, medium amount of nicotine that didn't overwhelm but was noted.
Overall, Ten Russians is delicious, but is to be respected and is not a sort of tobacco you should ignore its progress abscent-mindedly, probably like a Russian sea captain with ten sailors who, at any moment, could shiv you in the night. Command and respect is warranted. Success and tasty smoking perfection is won and well deserved at that.
Recommended for those mindful of the journey.
