C&D Baskerville (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The year 2014 white and year 2023 dark burleys produce a wealth of nuts, bread, sugar, molasses, earth, wood, mild sharp, dry, tart sourness, creamy cocoa, spice, anise, and floralness as the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity in a support role. The Turkish Latakia provides some floralness, herbs, incense, earth, wood, smoke, spice, vegetation, some tangy dark fruit, red wine-like sweetness, leather, and mild sourness. Its smoky, floral, herbal qualities occasionally equals the effect of the bright Va. The rest of its inherent aspects rate a couple of steps lower. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough notes. The strength is almost full. The taste is full. The nic-hit is in the center of medium to strong. This easily broken apart, mildly moist, soft crumble cake may need a light dry time although I did not do that for this review as per my custom. Burns clean, cool and fairly slow with a little inconsistency at times in the nutty, fruity, sweet, floral, moderately sour, smoky, light acidic flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. Those qualities translate to a pungent room note. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke although it is repeatable. I recommend a medium size bowl at most. Three stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Original (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The years 2013, 2019 and 2023 red Virginias provide an abundance of tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, floralness, mild spice, vegetation, vinegar, and light darker fruit, earth and wood are the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity as a supporting player. The sweet rum casing is very mild. The strength is medium. The taste is a step past medium. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few minute rough notes. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity, floral, grassy, spicy, sour, mildly zesty, lightly acidic flavor that extends to the moderately lasting pleasant after taste. The fruity, floral room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires very few relights. May be an all day smoke for the more experienced, and certainly repeatable in general. Any size bowl will do for this blend. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Professor (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The sweetened and unsweetened Dominican black cavendishes produce very mild tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, earth, wood, bread, sugar, leather, spice, light cream, and slight smoky cigar as the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity in full support. The vanilla topping takes a small lead over the creamy caramel. I detect an essence of fruit in the background. The toppings have a moderate effect on the varietals. The strength is a step past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is a notch below that center. The taste is almost full. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough notes. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent fruity, sweet, floral, spicy, mildly sour, cigarish, acidic, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting after taste. The fruity, floral, sweet room notes are pleasant. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. I recommend no more than a medium size bowl for this blend. Three and a half stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Watson (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The year 2023 dark burley provides a lot of nuts, earth, wood, bread, sugar, some creamy cocoa, molasses, mild anise, light spice and floralness as the lead component. The 31 Farms S.J. perique provides some mildly sweet and very sour dried plums, spice, dried figs, floralness, bread, earth, wood, light dried raisins, and smoked mesquite in a full support role. The years 2013, 2019 and 2023 red Virginia supplies some tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, floralness, mild spice, vegetation, vinegar, and light darker fruit, earth and wood. They are a couple steps behind the perique although there are times their inherent fruitiness almost equals it. The strength is a notch past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is just shy of that center. The taste is a slot past the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few rough edges. The mildly moist crumble cake easily breaks apart to suit your preference. I didn’t dry it for review as per my custom nor did I see a need to do so. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a mostly consistent nutty, fruity, spicy, floral, sour, mild mesquite, tangy, savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The sweet and sour, floral, spicy room notes have a little pungency. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a few relights. Not an all day smoke. I recommend a medium size bowl at the most. Four stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
The year 2014 white and year 2023 dark burleys produce a wealth of nuts, bread, sugar, molasses, earth, wood, mild sharp, dry, tart sourness, creamy cocoa, spice, anise, and floralness as the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity in a support role. The Turkish Latakia provides some floralness, herbs, incense, earth, wood, smoke, spice, vegetation, some tangy dark fruit, red wine-like sweetness, leather, and mild sourness. Its smoky, floral, herbal qualities occasionally equals the effect of the bright Va. The rest of its inherent aspects rate a couple of steps lower. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough notes. The strength is almost full. The taste is full. The nic-hit is in the center of medium to strong. This easily broken apart, mildly moist, soft crumble cake may need a light dry time although I did not do that for this review as per my custom. Burns clean, cool and fairly slow with a little inconsistency at times in the nutty, fruity, sweet, floral, moderately sour, smoky, light acidic flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. Those qualities translate to a pungent room note. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke although it is repeatable. I recommend a medium size bowl at most. Three stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Original (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The years 2013, 2019 and 2023 red Virginias provide an abundance of tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, floralness, mild spice, vegetation, vinegar, and light darker fruit, earth and wood are the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity as a supporting player. The sweet rum casing is very mild. The strength is medium. The taste is a step past medium. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few minute rough notes. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity, floral, grassy, spicy, sour, mildly zesty, lightly acidic flavor that extends to the moderately lasting pleasant after taste. The fruity, floral room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires very few relights. May be an all day smoke for the more experienced, and certainly repeatable in general. Any size bowl will do for this blend. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Professor (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The sweetened and unsweetened Dominican black cavendishes produce very mild tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, earth, wood, bread, sugar, leather, spice, light cream, and slight smoky cigar as the lead components. The year 2023 Canadian bright Virginia offers a moderate amount of tart citrus, sour lemon, floralness, grass/hay, vegetation, bread, sugar, and light acidity in full support. The vanilla topping takes a small lead over the creamy caramel. I detect an essence of fruit in the background. The toppings have a moderate effect on the varietals. The strength is a step past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is a notch below that center. The taste is almost full. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough notes. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent fruity, sweet, floral, spicy, mildly sour, cigarish, acidic, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting after taste. The fruity, floral, sweet room notes are pleasant. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. I recommend no more than a medium size bowl for this blend. Three and a half stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
C&D Watson (Wintertime Reserve 2025):
The year 2023 dark burley provides a lot of nuts, earth, wood, bread, sugar, some creamy cocoa, molasses, mild anise, light spice and floralness as the lead component. The 31 Farms S.J. perique provides some mildly sweet and very sour dried plums, spice, dried figs, floralness, bread, earth, wood, light dried raisins, and smoked mesquite in a full support role. The years 2013, 2019 and 2023 red Virginia supplies some tart and tangy citrus, bread, grass, some sugar, floralness, mild spice, vegetation, vinegar, and light darker fruit, earth and wood. They are a couple steps behind the perique although there are times their inherent fruitiness almost equals it. The strength is a notch past the center of medium to strong. The nic-hit is just shy of that center. The taste is a slot past the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few rough edges. The mildly moist crumble cake easily breaks apart to suit your preference. I didn’t dry it for review as per my custom nor did I see a need to do so. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a mostly consistent nutty, fruity, spicy, floral, sour, mild mesquite, tangy, savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The sweet and sour, floral, spicy room notes have a little pungency. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a few relights. Not an all day smoke. I recommend a medium size bowl at the most. Four stars.
©Jim Amash 2025.
