This goes on sale Monday, Nov. 11.
The perique provides a wealth of spice, earth, wood, bread, tartly dried plums and figs, sourness, floralness, and very light sweetness. It takes a light lead due to the potency of the plums, figs, and spice. The double fermented Italian dark fired Kentucky offers an abundance of herbs, smoke, earth, wood, fragrant floralness, peat, some spice, vegetation, nuts, sourness, mild barbecue, cigar and light cocoa. It is very close behind the perique, and is almost a co-lead. The matured bright Virginia supplies some tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sour lemon, floralness, sugar, spice, vegetation, and light acidity. It’s a couple of notches above the condiment level. The fermented, matured red Virginia produces plenty of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, vegetation, bread, floralness, light sugar, vinegar, and spice. It almost equals the effect of the bright Virginias. The port wine topping leads the chocolate, and both mildly tone down the varietals. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of medium to strong. The taste is a step past that center. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. The rough notes are rather mild. This mildly moist crumble cake easily breaks apart to suit your preference, and needs no dry time. Deeply rich and well balanced with nuanced complexity, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow with a very consistent spicy, floral, fruity, sweet, dryly sour, smoky, lightly cigarish, nutty, barbecue-like, savory, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. The room note has some pungency. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. I suggest a wide bowl that’s no bigger than medium in order to capture its inherent complexities. The only difference I can discern between this and the earlier version is that the bright Virginia is a tad more noticeable. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
The perique provides a wealth of spice, earth, wood, bread, tartly dried plums and figs, sourness, floralness, and very light sweetness. It takes a light lead due to the potency of the plums, figs, and spice. The double fermented Italian dark fired Kentucky offers an abundance of herbs, smoke, earth, wood, fragrant floralness, peat, some spice, vegetation, nuts, sourness, mild barbecue, cigar and light cocoa. It is very close behind the perique, and is almost a co-lead. The matured bright Virginia supplies some tart and tangy citrus, grass, bread, sour lemon, floralness, sugar, spice, vegetation, and light acidity. It’s a couple of notches above the condiment level. The fermented, matured red Virginia produces plenty of tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, vegetation, bread, floralness, light sugar, vinegar, and spice. It almost equals the effect of the bright Virginias. The port wine topping leads the chocolate, and both mildly tone down the varietals. The strength and nic-hit are in the center of medium to strong. The taste is a step past that center. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. The rough notes are rather mild. This mildly moist crumble cake easily breaks apart to suit your preference, and needs no dry time. Deeply rich and well balanced with nuanced complexity, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow with a very consistent spicy, floral, fruity, sweet, dryly sour, smoky, lightly cigarish, nutty, barbecue-like, savory, zesty flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. The room note has some pungency. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. I suggest a wide bowl that’s no bigger than medium in order to capture its inherent complexities. The only difference I can discern between this and the earlier version is that the bright Virginia is a tad more noticeable. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
