Having the good fortune of picking up a 5 year old tin from Pipestud I thought I'd post some notes comparing it to fresh.
Fresh: Definitely can taste the dark fire with the peppery perique that comes off a bit harsh. The virginias are in the back ground as a little hay like and not sweet. Taste varies throughout the bowl, sometimes more dark fired and sometimes very peppery from the perique. Strong, definitely an after dinner smoke.
Aged: WOW. A much smoother smoke than the fresh. The perique is more raisiny and less peppery. The dark fire is not as strong and blends with the virginas to add molasses sweetness. A much more balanced smoke with the flavors merging and more consistent throughout the smoke. Still plenty of vitamin N but doesn't seem to hammer me like the fresh does. No harshness at all and definitely a 4 star experience.
I'm going to put some tins of this to the back of the cellar because aging really turns this blend into a gem.
I used a MM bent diplomat for this review.
Fresh: Definitely can taste the dark fire with the peppery perique that comes off a bit harsh. The virginias are in the back ground as a little hay like and not sweet. Taste varies throughout the bowl, sometimes more dark fired and sometimes very peppery from the perique. Strong, definitely an after dinner smoke.
Aged: WOW. A much smoother smoke than the fresh. The perique is more raisiny and less peppery. The dark fire is not as strong and blends with the virginas to add molasses sweetness. A much more balanced smoke with the flavors merging and more consistent throughout the smoke. Still plenty of vitamin N but doesn't seem to hammer me like the fresh does. No harshness at all and definitely a 4 star experience.
I'm going to put some tins of this to the back of the cellar because aging really turns this blend into a gem.
I used a MM bent diplomat for this review.