These three Wilke blends are due to be released very soon. Here are my reviews of them.
Wilke LIPC Dehavilind:
The smoky, woody, earthy, vegetative, leathery, musty, incense-like, mildly sweet, dryly sour Cyprian Latakia is the lead component, comprising at least half the blend. The cube cut white burley provides some nuts, earth, wood, vegetation, floralness, toasted bread, a little dry sourness, light sugar, a slight essence of pine, and a couple pinches of spice as a supporting player. The mildly sugary, creamy sweet black cavendish acts mainly as a smoothing agent. The Virginia offers light grass, tart and tangy citrus, sour lemon, bread, light sugar and floralness along with touches of spice as a condiment. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste is a step past the medium mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. It does have a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent floral, mildly sweet, spicy, nutty and moderately sour, savory campfire flavor from start to finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, mildly lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and repeatable for the less experienced. Three and a half stars out of four.
Wilke Palmer:
The sweet Maryland burley offers plenty of nuts, earth, wood, toast, light sugar, and molasses. It takes a small lead. The Virginia provides some tart and tangy citrus, grass, sugar, bread, vegetation, light floralness, and a pinch of spice as an important supporting player. The aspects of the perique are a fair amount of spice, earth, wood, and some dried plums. It’s is the third slot, though it has a secondary effect on the proceedings. The very sugary, lightly creamy vanilla sweet Royal Scot cavendish is a notch below the perique. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of mild to medium. The taste is a step past that mark. Won’t bite or get harsh. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a slightly fast pace with a very consistent nutty, sugary, mildly spicy, rather smooth flavor that extends to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a very pleasant room note. Can be an all day smoke.
Wilke Wall Street:
The perique offers earth, wood, some dried plums, and a fair amount of spice as the lead component. The burleys provide plenty of earth, wood, nuts, some sharp sourness, toast, with a little spice, pine and vegetation, along with hint of molasses, and a small floral note as a supporting player. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The taste is a notch past that level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, but there is a little roughness present which is typical for perique-forward blends. Burns cool, clean, and a tad fast with a very consistent, nutty, spicy, floral, rugged, savory flavor that extends to the mildly lingering, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a spicy room note. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars out of four.
Wilke LIPC Dehavilind:
The smoky, woody, earthy, vegetative, leathery, musty, incense-like, mildly sweet, dryly sour Cyprian Latakia is the lead component, comprising at least half the blend. The cube cut white burley provides some nuts, earth, wood, vegetation, floralness, toasted bread, a little dry sourness, light sugar, a slight essence of pine, and a couple pinches of spice as a supporting player. The mildly sugary, creamy sweet black cavendish acts mainly as a smoothing agent. The Virginia offers light grass, tart and tangy citrus, sour lemon, bread, light sugar and floralness along with touches of spice as a condiment. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste is a step past the medium mark. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. It does have a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent floral, mildly sweet, spicy, nutty and moderately sour, savory campfire flavor from start to finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, mildly lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and repeatable for the less experienced. Three and a half stars out of four.
Wilke Palmer:
The sweet Maryland burley offers plenty of nuts, earth, wood, toast, light sugar, and molasses. It takes a small lead. The Virginia provides some tart and tangy citrus, grass, sugar, bread, vegetation, light floralness, and a pinch of spice as an important supporting player. The aspects of the perique are a fair amount of spice, earth, wood, and some dried plums. It’s is the third slot, though it has a secondary effect on the proceedings. The very sugary, lightly creamy vanilla sweet Royal Scot cavendish is a notch below the perique. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of mild to medium. The taste is a step past that mark. Won’t bite or get harsh. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a slightly fast pace with a very consistent nutty, sugary, mildly spicy, rather smooth flavor that extends to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a very pleasant room note. Can be an all day smoke.
Wilke Wall Street:
The perique offers earth, wood, some dried plums, and a fair amount of spice as the lead component. The burleys provide plenty of earth, wood, nuts, some sharp sourness, toast, with a little spice, pine and vegetation, along with hint of molasses, and a small floral note as a supporting player. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The taste is a notch past that level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, but there is a little roughness present which is typical for perique-forward blends. Burns cool, clean, and a tad fast with a very consistent, nutty, spicy, floral, rugged, savory flavor that extends to the mildly lingering, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a spicy room note. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars out of four.