Gordon Pym

[sparroa]

When I first opened my tin of Gordon Pym, I was dismayed to find it dry as dust. I was looking forward to trying it as my first real English tobacco. I dumped most of it into a Mason jar, saving a small amount in my tin. As I was anxious to sample this blend, I decided against my better judgment to smoke it in that dessicated state. Awful experience. Burned extremely hot, unpleasant as hell, bit me like a rattlesnake. I dumped the bowl and walked away from it for a few days. I decided to put a clean crown cap filled with water inside my tin overnight to see if it would save the small sample of tobacco. I just finished smoking the moistened Gordon Pym and it was a nice, enjoyable blend. It behaved well, burned cool; I could appreciate the restrained Latakia, overall a very balanced and subtle tasting tobacco. The light leathery taste lingers with me still. Leagues ahead of what I had sampled a few nights ago; I now look forward to trying other English blends down the road.
So my questions are: Is Gordon Pym, or Dan products in general, very dry in the tin or was this a faulty seal of some kind?
Should I rehydrate my Mason jar as a whole or leave it dry, rehydrating before I go to smoke it? Will leaving it dry put it at risk of spoilage or cause it to break up into a useless crumbs? My inclination is to leave it alone for now.
Finally, I'd also like to hear what you folks have to say about this tobacco if you have any experience with it whatsoever.
Many thanks!

 

[tanless1]

I've had very good luck with Dan Tobacco/CAO blends.

What I have witnessed however, is a willingness for some tobacco dealers to open the tin for the customer to smell. I've tried to explain to no avail.
You will notice I referrd to a tobacco dealer, and not a tobaconist.

 

[sparroa]

It seemed unusual to me, I must admit. I never read any complaints about Dan Tobacco either. I suppose it was just a bad one.
You got that right, Tanless. They don't know or care too much about their product if they break a factory seal like that and put it back on the shelf. All that shows would be ignorance and a willingness to shortchange the customer. I don't think that happened in my case, however. The tin is in good condition and didn't appear to be tampered with. I'd be furious if I ever saw that happen in a place where I bought tobacco, though.

 

[fred]

I'm not sure if I can add much to the praise of this most pleasingly complex orchestration of fine leaf... No one tobacco dominates. Instead, all complement each other so that the total experience surpasses the sum of it's constituents. A sweet, buttery resonance is created from the combination of the two Virginia leaves and the distinctive, almost coffee toned Maryland. High notes of the Syrian and Oriental provide a sort of flavor syncopation found only in rare circumstance of blending genius. Presenting a visual montage of earthy colors it makes promise of singular occasion and clarity seldom found in public access. It matters not to me whether this is English or Oriental. In the symphony of tobacco blends, this is Delta Blues as fine as Robert Johnson could ever show us. Clean and even burning from top to bottom, my only regret is in it's ending. Just to be sure, I've put some back to age before I wrote this - just in case demand would prevent my being able to acquire it. Seductive and compliant, it provides satisfaction of a most provocative nature, quickly working it's way into my regular rotation. Counterpoint to the mundane, I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to find better. The sublime has a name and that name is Gordon Pym...

 

[bowhatchie]

Dang Fred, That brought a tear to my eye! wonderfully written!

 

[sparroa]

Fred, reading your praise elsewhere was one of the things that influenced me to pick up this blend as my first English. Thank you for that review.
I had a second bowl of the rehydrated Gordon Pym. It was one of the best smoking experiences I've ever had; certainly one of the lowest maintenance ones. It was even better than I expected. Full of nuances and quite a delicious blend. I'd seriously recommend it to anyone. I was feeling very meditative and every puff was complex yet understated, perfectly complementing my mood without distraction. I'm glad I have more Syrian latakia blends on order; I think I really like that leaf in a big way. They will have a tough job of besting Gordon Pym, though.

 

[unclearthur]

Darn it Fred! Now after that wonderfully poetic review I HAVE to order some.