This is the first blend I actually bought a fairly large quantity ( a 500 g box and a 50 g tin ) based solely on descriptions from their website and the few reviews to be found on the 'net. I could not have been more pleased with my decision.
In the tin, there are rough cut flakes, about 1 mm thick, fairly wet and packaged inside a cellophane bag, sort of stuck together as if they were just sliced off a big plug. Despite the moisture level, the flakes are fairly easy to shred apart with one's fingers. The tin note is of dewy flowery hay. It's a Lakeland after all.
They can be smoked straight out of the tin with fairly ill results, the taste gets lost with too many relights and is quite aggravating. I found that fluffing out some of the big flake and letting it air out for about an hour or so in our dry climate works wonders. I fold-and-stuff my flakes, but this particular blend doesn't take well to that.
Once prepared and loaded in a bent Apple ( Peterson 03 shape ), the baccy takes to light wonderfully. On the charring light, notes of sweet lemon peel seep through, but without being overbearing, they provide a dimension to the smoke. The true light carries through the lemon-and-hay flavor of the VA throughout the entire bowl, as the burley adds nuttiness and a touch of woody note, but no overpowering kick. It smokes slow and easy, and a "spring is in the air" feeling permeates throughout the whole bowl. There's a lot of VA here so one must take their time. It won't bite like a ferret, but the taste will suffer dramatically. Said Peterson 03 provided a long 45 minute smoke out of approx 2 grams of baccy. I smoke outdoors most of the time so I can't comment on the room note. It burned down to a fine gray ash. The lemony flavor will linger in your mouth for a while, a nice clean taste not unlike that of a crisp German Riesling, or wild apples. Nicotine level perhaps 4 on a 1-10 scale, this is a good all day smoke, although not particularly suited for the cold Alaskan winters when the need arises for a Latakia bomb or a strong dark flake.
This blend is very nice. Even Lakeland haters might enjoy this one.
In the tin, there are rough cut flakes, about 1 mm thick, fairly wet and packaged inside a cellophane bag, sort of stuck together as if they were just sliced off a big plug. Despite the moisture level, the flakes are fairly easy to shred apart with one's fingers. The tin note is of dewy flowery hay. It's a Lakeland after all.
They can be smoked straight out of the tin with fairly ill results, the taste gets lost with too many relights and is quite aggravating. I found that fluffing out some of the big flake and letting it air out for about an hour or so in our dry climate works wonders. I fold-and-stuff my flakes, but this particular blend doesn't take well to that.
Once prepared and loaded in a bent Apple ( Peterson 03 shape ), the baccy takes to light wonderfully. On the charring light, notes of sweet lemon peel seep through, but without being overbearing, they provide a dimension to the smoke. The true light carries through the lemon-and-hay flavor of the VA throughout the entire bowl, as the burley adds nuttiness and a touch of woody note, but no overpowering kick. It smokes slow and easy, and a "spring is in the air" feeling permeates throughout the whole bowl. There's a lot of VA here so one must take their time. It won't bite like a ferret, but the taste will suffer dramatically. Said Peterson 03 provided a long 45 minute smoke out of approx 2 grams of baccy. I smoke outdoors most of the time so I can't comment on the room note. It burned down to a fine gray ash. The lemony flavor will linger in your mouth for a while, a nice clean taste not unlike that of a crisp German Riesling, or wild apples. Nicotine level perhaps 4 on a 1-10 scale, this is a good all day smoke, although not particularly suited for the cold Alaskan winters when the need arises for a Latakia bomb or a strong dark flake.
This blend is very nice. Even Lakeland haters might enjoy this one.
