Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Aromatic #4:
The dark burley offers some nuts, earth, wood, bread, sharp rugged sourness, light sugar, molasses and a pinch of spice as the most noticeable component. The darkened Virginias provide some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, a little tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, mild spice, peat, and light acidity and a smoke note in full support. The sugary, creamy sweet, earthy, woody, bready black cavendish is the lead component by its percentage in the mix even though its intrinsic properties are below the Virginia and the burley. It also acts as a flavor holder for the toppings. In order of importance, the sweet berries, brown sugar, and mild fig toppings moderately tone down the varietals. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The taste is in the center of medium to full. The nic-hit is almost medium. No chance of bite of harshness. Has a few rough notes. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very consistent fruity, sugary, nutty, mildly floral, spicy, lightly syrupy, acidic flavor that extends to the pleasant lasting after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. It was designed to be smoked straight or used as a mixer. Not an all day smoke on its own, but it is repeatable. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Bold and Strong:
The darkened Rustica produces a wealth of floralness, earth, wood, peaty vegetation, herbs, sugar, toast, some sour bitterness, spice, mild tart and tangy citrus, smoke, tea, light cigar, acidity, and leather as the lead component. The burley provides some earth, wood, nuts, toast, sugar, floralness, and light molasses as a supporting player. The flu cured darkened Virginias offer grass, tart and tangy citrus, sugar, bread, floralness, sour lemon, very mild tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, and light acidity in the background. It’s very strong and very filling with a potent nicotine hit. There’s no chance or bite or harshness. It does sport some rough edges. This ready rubbed blend is mildly moist, and needs no dry time nor did I see a need to to that. Well balanced with some nuanced complexity, it burns cool, clean, and a little slow with a very consistent, floral, herbal, nutty, fairly creamy sweet, mildly sour, lightly spicy, boldly rich flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting after taste. The room note is exceptionally pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. On its own, it’s not an all day smoke. It’ll ghost a briar and a meer. As a mixer, it may take the home blender some experimentation to figure out what amount works best. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Burley:
The dark burleys provide a lot of earth, wood, nuts, bread, some sharp sourness, mild sugar, cocoa, light molasses and a pinch of spice as the lead components. The darkened Virginia offers some tart citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, mild peat, earth, wood, tangy darker fruit, sour lemon, spice, light smoke, and slight acidity in secondary support. The tartly sweet chocolate is deep enough to make me think that both varietals were topped instead of just the burleys. The strength is in the center of medium to strong. The taste edges past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. It does sport some sharp roughness. This ready rubbed blend is mildly moist and needs no dry time. Burns clean and a tad warm at a slightly slow pace with a very consistent sweet and more tartly sour, very mildly floral, spicy, slightly smoky, acidic flavor that extends to the lasting after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and does require some relights. The very pleasant after taste and room notes lightly linger. Not an all day smoke on its own, and will prop up a home blend with its inherent strength. Three stars.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Dark Fired Kentucky:
The dark fired Kentucky provides a wealth of earth, wood, smoke, vegetation, floralness, spice, herbs, vinegary barbecue, some tartly dry sourness, nuts, moderate sweetness and peaty grass along with a few acidic and slight cigar notes. It is a tad less sweet than Mac Baren’s Old Dark Fired. It’s very strong and filling with a potent nic-hit. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a little roughness as expected. It’s a mildly moist, deeply rich ready rubbed mixture that burns cool, clean and slow. Has a very pungent room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. It’s certainly not an all day smoke, but it can be smoked as is. Makes an excellent mixer as well. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Virginia:
The lightly fermented, darkened bright Virginia provides an abundance tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread with light toastiness, wood, earth, floralness, some spice, tart sour lemon, moderate sugar, stewed sweetness, peat, and touches of smoke and acidity. It is the lead component by a small margin. The darkened red Virginia produces a fair amount of tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, sugar, bread, mild floralness, tart citrus, grass, light spice, and smoke. The strength and taste levels are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The nic-hit is barely medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a light roughness as there are no toppings. Mildly moist, this ready rubbed blend burns cool, clean and a tad slow with mostly consistent fruity, floral, mildly spicy, smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few relights, especially at the beginning. Designed to be a mixer, it can be a straight smoke on its own, though not an all day one. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
The dark burley offers some nuts, earth, wood, bread, sharp rugged sourness, light sugar, molasses and a pinch of spice as the most noticeable component. The darkened Virginias provide some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, a little tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, mild spice, peat, and light acidity and a smoke note in full support. The sugary, creamy sweet, earthy, woody, bready black cavendish is the lead component by its percentage in the mix even though its intrinsic properties are below the Virginia and the burley. It also acts as a flavor holder for the toppings. In order of importance, the sweet berries, brown sugar, and mild fig toppings moderately tone down the varietals. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The taste is in the center of medium to full. The nic-hit is almost medium. No chance of bite of harshness. Has a few rough notes. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very consistent fruity, sugary, nutty, mildly floral, spicy, lightly syrupy, acidic flavor that extends to the pleasant lasting after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. It was designed to be smoked straight or used as a mixer. Not an all day smoke on its own, but it is repeatable. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Bold and Strong:
The darkened Rustica produces a wealth of floralness, earth, wood, peaty vegetation, herbs, sugar, toast, some sour bitterness, spice, mild tart and tangy citrus, smoke, tea, light cigar, acidity, and leather as the lead component. The burley provides some earth, wood, nuts, toast, sugar, floralness, and light molasses as a supporting player. The flu cured darkened Virginias offer grass, tart and tangy citrus, sugar, bread, floralness, sour lemon, very mild tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, and light acidity in the background. It’s very strong and very filling with a potent nicotine hit. There’s no chance or bite or harshness. It does sport some rough edges. This ready rubbed blend is mildly moist, and needs no dry time nor did I see a need to to that. Well balanced with some nuanced complexity, it burns cool, clean, and a little slow with a very consistent, floral, herbal, nutty, fairly creamy sweet, mildly sour, lightly spicy, boldly rich flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting after taste. The room note is exceptionally pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. On its own, it’s not an all day smoke. It’ll ghost a briar and a meer. As a mixer, it may take the home blender some experimentation to figure out what amount works best. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Burley:
The dark burleys provide a lot of earth, wood, nuts, bread, some sharp sourness, mild sugar, cocoa, light molasses and a pinch of spice as the lead components. The darkened Virginia offers some tart citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, mild peat, earth, wood, tangy darker fruit, sour lemon, spice, light smoke, and slight acidity in secondary support. The tartly sweet chocolate is deep enough to make me think that both varietals were topped instead of just the burleys. The strength is in the center of medium to strong. The taste edges past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. It does sport some sharp roughness. This ready rubbed blend is mildly moist and needs no dry time. Burns clean and a tad warm at a slightly slow pace with a very consistent sweet and more tartly sour, very mildly floral, spicy, slightly smoky, acidic flavor that extends to the lasting after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and does require some relights. The very pleasant after taste and room notes lightly linger. Not an all day smoke on its own, and will prop up a home blend with its inherent strength. Three stars.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Dark Fired Kentucky:
The dark fired Kentucky provides a wealth of earth, wood, smoke, vegetation, floralness, spice, herbs, vinegary barbecue, some tartly dry sourness, nuts, moderate sweetness and peaty grass along with a few acidic and slight cigar notes. It is a tad less sweet than Mac Baren’s Old Dark Fired. It’s very strong and filling with a potent nic-hit. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a little roughness as expected. It’s a mildly moist, deeply rich ready rubbed mixture that burns cool, clean and slow. Has a very pungent room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. It’s certainly not an all day smoke, but it can be smoked as is. Makes an excellent mixer as well. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
Per G. Jensen Blender’s Collection Virginia:
The lightly fermented, darkened bright Virginia provides an abundance tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread with light toastiness, wood, earth, floralness, some spice, tart sour lemon, moderate sugar, stewed sweetness, peat, and touches of smoke and acidity. It is the lead component by a small margin. The darkened red Virginia produces a fair amount of tangy dark fruit, earth, wood, sugar, bread, mild floralness, tart citrus, grass, light spice, and smoke. The strength and taste levels are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The nic-hit is barely medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a light roughness as there are no toppings. Mildly moist, this ready rubbed blend burns cool, clean and a tad slow with mostly consistent fruity, floral, mildly spicy, smoky flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few relights, especially at the beginning. Designed to be a mixer, it can be a straight smoke on its own, though not an all day one. Three stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
