This goes on sale October 25 at 6 p..m. EST.
The year 2018 Turkish Izmir and the year 2019 Greek Basma provide plenty of earth, wood, vegetation, floralness, herbs, smoke, some spice, peat, mild creamy buttery sweetness, incense, and a little dry sharp sourness as the lead components. The musty, floral, herbal, incense-like, earthy, woody, mildly spicy, sweet, and lightly sour Turkish Latakia offers full support, and at times, nearly equals the effect of the Orientals. The 31 Farms St. James perique offers a fair amount of dried plums, spice, earth, wood, bread, floralness, sourness, light sweetness and smoke in a secondary support role. The year 2017 North Carolina red Virginias produce a moderate amount of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, sugar, light tangy citrus, grass, and slight touches of vinegar and spice. They are a couple steps below the perique. Almost as important as the red Va.s is the year 2017 flue cured bright Canadian Virginia. Its aspects are some tart citrus, grass, bread, sugar, floralness, sour lemon, light spice and acidity. The nutty, earthy, woody, bready, lightly sugary dark burley is in the background. The strength and nic-hit are a notch short of the center of medium to full. The taste is a slot past the center of medium to full. Won’t bite or get harsh, but typically sports a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a mostly consistent mildly sweet and a little more sour, floral, spicy, herbal, smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. This is stronger and spicier than the previous version due to the changes in perique and Latakia. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
The year 2018 Turkish Izmir and the year 2019 Greek Basma provide plenty of earth, wood, vegetation, floralness, herbs, smoke, some spice, peat, mild creamy buttery sweetness, incense, and a little dry sharp sourness as the lead components. The musty, floral, herbal, incense-like, earthy, woody, mildly spicy, sweet, and lightly sour Turkish Latakia offers full support, and at times, nearly equals the effect of the Orientals. The 31 Farms St. James perique offers a fair amount of dried plums, spice, earth, wood, bread, floralness, sourness, light sweetness and smoke in a secondary support role. The year 2017 North Carolina red Virginias produce a moderate amount of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, sugar, light tangy citrus, grass, and slight touches of vinegar and spice. They are a couple steps below the perique. Almost as important as the red Va.s is the year 2017 flue cured bright Canadian Virginia. Its aspects are some tart citrus, grass, bread, sugar, floralness, sour lemon, light spice and acidity. The nutty, earthy, woody, bready, lightly sugary dark burley is in the background. The strength and nic-hit are a notch short of the center of medium to full. The taste is a slot past the center of medium to full. Won’t bite or get harsh, but typically sports a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a mostly consistent mildly sweet and a little more sour, floral, spicy, herbal, smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. This is stronger and spicier than the previous version due to the changes in perique and Latakia. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
