Why have I not tried this blend before? And furthermore, where do I start? I popped my tin earlier tonight after a really long day at work. Mind you, the tin that I am smoking out of has a mere 3 months of age on it. The second I cracked it open and took a whiff I knew I was in for something special. The tin aroma was a strong mixture of raisin, fig, chocolate, and a stout red wine sort of aroma. The tobacco is quite moist in the tin and is an attractive mix of dark brown, light brown, and black ribbons. Loading the pipe was very easy after I broke the bigger chunks up between my fingertips. 15 minutes of dry time and we were good to go. The first light produced a strong taste of red wine, figs, raisins, and a hint of dark chocolate. The second light brought out the pepper flavor of the perique, more red wine and raisin flavors. I have heard of Virginia tobaccos that produce a sort of "raisin" flavor but nothing as strong as this blend. The first half of the bowl holds that nice, sharp flavor, undercut by the raisin and fig sweetness. The perique is definitely there, yielding a bit of a black pepper flavor every few sips but never dominating. The second half of the bowl sees the raisin flavor reduced somewhat, and the dark chocolate tones come more to the forefront, and the presence of the perique diminished a little. The nicotine kick was definitely appreciable to me, and I dont usually take notice of nicotine content in my smokes. This blend burns incredibly well and requires few relights, and is silky smooth on the tongue with aboslutely no tongue bite. And as good as it is after only 3 months, I would love to see what a couple of years of age would do to this blend. Haddo's Delight is true to its namesake, a true Delight. It is bold in its flavor but never overpowering, and so well balanced that none of the flavors ever takes hold over any of the others, so well balanced and flavorful and easy burning that it is hard not to love. Mr. Pease, thank you for such an incredible blend!
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