Woods- Marketing is a fascinating subject. I personally think it is one of the dodgiest professions going, but it is interesting and worthwhile to get a basic education about it to at least have a small bit of knowledge about how we are all manipulated. You will still undoubtably fall for the traps.
There used to be -or still is- a show on Canada's CBC radio called "under the influence" that highlights this. Podcasts are probably available.
Peck- Why not give it a shot? Do it in secret if you must. Nobody will know. $9 is a few cups of coffee.
I see JimInk has reviewed many blends, and I have read a few of his, but I don't pay much attention to them. A number of reviews that I saw look formulaic to me.
The tobacco components are listed and the associated (generally agreed upon) qualities of those components are noted along with them. It seems a lot like checking off boxes and you could generally get the review by reading the tin notes and combining them all. Helpful parts to me are whether or not it burns hot or has a load of moisture.
It is not a knock against him. I understand many people find his reviews helpful, and that is fine. I didn't notice anything surprising in his method of describing components and flavours, so I found it more helpful to just read the tin notes and then look for a general consensus about whether or not the blend burns hot, has some fatal flaw, etc. To me, that is why tobaccoreviews is useful. I don't find any single review particularly important, but in some blends which have more than 10-20 reviews, you can get a sense of recurring themes on the qualities.
Even then it is hit and miss. Reviews are a highly subjective resource and can be very misleading, especially when using a single point data source.
I get many of the same notes as he does in Cult Blood Red Moon, but also taste a distinct toasted nut that is hard to define. Walnut, perhaps, but this is just my taste. The "syrup" or cherry is a highlight of the blend. What is it distracting from? Those other underlying flavours are all more or less there throughout the bowl... which is why it is an interesting -and in my opinion- complex blend. I find it well balanced. I expect a strong note of cherry, which is the highlight of the blend, and the rest of the notes add the complexity, which makes it interesting. Possibly this is also why it is so favourably reviewed.
But, one person's complex, interesting, tasty smoke is another's mouth-full of ash and steam.
I am skeptical about the direct comparison of TK-6 and Cult only because cacao is not listed in TK-6 on tobaccoreviews. Could be a misprint or omission. I haven't tasted both. If it is not present, I would suspect the flavour profile changes. Or it is just marketing.
