Jim's SPC Give Me Liberty Review.

[JimInks]

This straight Virginia crumble cake goes on sale Tuesday Sept. 27.

The old belt North Carolina red Virginias and stoved, fermented Brazilian Virginia provide a lot of tart and zesty citrus, tangy dried dark fruit, vegetative grass, bread, floralness, some tartly sour lemon, sugar, earth, wood, mild spice, acidity, light vinegar, and a small hint of smoke. The strength and taste levels are a step past the medium mark. The nic-hit is almost medium. It won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few small rough edges which is typical of untopped straight Virginias. The easily broken apart crumble cake is a little moist, and as per my custom, I did not dry it. Your mileage may vary on this point. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly consistent sweet, fruity, floral, mildly sour and spicy, tingly acidic, piquant, deeply rich flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Should age well. Three stars.

 

[highwindows]

This straight Virginia crumble cake goes on sale Tuesday Sept. 27.

The old belt North Carolina red Virginias and stoved, fermented Brazilian Virginia provide a lot of tart and zesty citrus, tangy dried dark fruit, vegetative grass, bread, floralness, some tartly sour lemon, sugar, earth, wood, mild spice, acidity, light vinegar, and a small hint of smoke. The strength and taste levels are a step past the medium mark. The nic-hit is almost medium. It won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few small rough edges which is typical of untopped straight Virginias. The easily broken apart crumble cake is a little moist, and as per my custom, I did not dry it. Your mileage may vary on this point. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly consistent sweet, fruity, floral, mildly sour and spicy, tingly acidic, piquant, deeply rich flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Should age well. Three stars.

Hi Jim. Thanks for the review. I love red virginias and I'm looking forward to this blend. Could you elaborate on what lost this blend that fourth star?

 

[JimInks]

Hi Jim. Thanks for the review. I love red virginias and I'm looking forward to this blend. Could you elaborate on what lost this blend that fourth star?

I would not phrase it as "lost that fourth star". That sounds like punishment to me. When I rate blends, I rate them against similar blends in the same genre. For any blend to get four stars, it has to be in the infield and maybe the pitcher's mound, or maybe better than the ones that got four stars. I rated it against other crumble cakes, not plugs or flakes or ribbon cuts, and I felt three stars for GML was the most accurate rating, which is still a recommendation for trying it. Part of the reason it didn't get four stars was the acidic note. I almost always count off for that. Age will fix that, but I can't be concerned about that when reviewing a blend.

 

[FurCoat]

Much appreciated on the review and your explanation on how you review blends just took my understanding of your reviews to a new level.

 

[JimInks]

Just saw that Tobacco Pipes has it on sale.

 

[grimpuffer]

Just saw that Tobacco Pipes has it on sale.

Thanks for the heads up Jim.

I’m just now finding that, as my journey in pipes continues, I’m finally able to appreciate VAs now.

Didn’t want to miss this one so I got a tin to sit aside for a bit as I make my way through my collection of WAAAAAY too many open jars.

 

[briarfoxx]

I really liked Hogshead and got more after trying my initial tin. I got one of these to try as well. I love the name and tin art!

Thank you very much as always for the thoughtful review, Jim!

 

[bullet08]

Is it limited edition or regular run? Doesn't seem to be any indication as to being limited. Was sure order one or two for sample or more. Not exactly a big SPC fan.

 

[isaac]

Is it limited edition or regular run? Doesn't seem to be any indication as to being limited. Was sure order one or two for sample or more. Not exactly a big SPC fan.

Its not a limited run

 

[clynch]

I would not phrase it as "lost that fourth star". That sounds like punishment to me. When I rate blends, I rate them against similar blends in the same genre. For any blend to get four stars, it has to be in the infield and maybe the pitcher's mound, or maybe better than the ones that got four stars. I rated it against other crumble cakes, not plugs or flakes or ribbon cuts, and I felt three stars for GML was the most accurate rating, which is still a recommendation for trying it. Part of the reason it didn't get four stars was the acidic note. I almost always count off for that. Age will fix that, but I can't be concerned about that when reviewing a blend.

Enjoyed the lesson on how the review was done. Custom for wet smoking, comparison to other crumble cakes and thoughts on acidity. Now, if I LIKED acidity for the tartness, I personally might give it a 4. The three indicates , give it a try. OK, I can get behind this reasoning for the review. Its logical. I should never look down on a 3. Cool.

 

[JimInks]

Enjoyed the lesson on how the review was done. Custom for wet smoking, comparison to other crumble cakes and thoughts on acidity. Now, if I LIKED acidity for the tartness, I personally might give it a 4. The three indicates , give it a try. OK, I can get behind this reasoning for the review. Its logical. I should never look down on a 3. Cool.

I have found over the years that a great many smokers do not care for acidity, and as my reviews are tailored to the average smoker to the extent that I am able to do that, I keep things like that in mind in regard to ratings. That includes chemical and/or distracting alcohol notes, an abundance of syrup, bite potential, lack of flavor depth, etc. Yes, they mean something to me, but more importantly, I know they mean a lot to most people. So, those who don't like acidity of any kind may likely agree with a rating deduction while those it doesn't bother may think it doesn't matter. As always, it comes down to personal preference. As I wrote earlier, I strive to keep those things in mind because these reviews and ratings are not written for my personal preferences. I just relate what my experiences are for others to gauge whether a blend may or may not fit their desires.

 

[briarfoxx]

I have found over the years that a great many smokers do not care for acidity

How is acidity experienced or perceived in pipe tobacco? Is it a tangy flavor or cause bite in some way?

 

[JimInks]

How is acidity experienced or perceived in pipe tobacco? Is it a tangy flavor or cause bite in some way?

Neither tart nor tangy denotes acidity or tongue bite to me. I separate that particular aspect from those descriptives just as I separate the nicotine content from the overall strength level. Acidity generally crops up in bright or orange Virginias, and rarely in red Va.s. High acidic content can certainly cause tongue tingle or full bite, but I have experienced times when that was not the case. I seldom get tongue bite, but that's because I Tefloned my tongue.

In the case of Give Me Liberty, I can't see the acidic note biting anybody, but I was compelled to mention it because I noticed it.

 

[briarfoxx]

Neither tart nor tangy denotes acidity or tongue bite to me. I separate that particular aspect from those descriptives just as I separate the nicotine content from the overall strength level. Acidity generally crops up in bright or orange Virginias, and rarely in red Va.s. High acidic content can certainly cause tongue tingle or full bite, but I have experienced times when that was not the case. I seldom get tongue bite, but that's because I Tefloned my tongue.

In the case of Give Me Liberty, I can't see the acidic note biting anybody, but I was compelled to mention it because I noticed it.

Haha, Teflon tongue I see, thanks for the explanation. I’ll have to try my tin when it arrives and compare it to Hogshead or a straight red Va. like CRF to see if I can distinguish the acidic flavor.

 

[deadidunn]

Just ordered a tin. I've been diving into straight Virginia's the last month or so. I am really enjoying them. Thanks for the review!

 

[JimRoseLV]

I have found over the years that a great many smokers do not care for acidity, and as my reviews are tailored to the average smoker to the extent that I am able to do that, I keep things like that in mind in regard to ratings. That includes chemical and/or distracting alcohol notes, an abundance of syrup, bite potential, lack of flavor depth, etc. Yes, they mean something to me, but more importantly, I know they mean a lot to most people. So, those who don't like acidity of any kind may likely agree with a rating deduction while those it doesn't bother may think it doesn't matter. As always, it comes down to personal preference. As I wrote earlier, I strive to keep those things in mind because these reviews and ratings are not written for my personal preferences. I just relate what my experiences are for others to gauge whether a blend may or may not fit their desires.

I almost never get tongue bite but I'm a fairly new smoker so I doubt I have a teflon tongue at this point. I wonder if the fact that I have acid reflux means my mouth is already very acidic and thus any acidic tobacco is no match when it meets up with my pH. Or I could have that backwards. Any scientists out there?

 

[coys]

I would not phrase it as "lost that fourth star". That sounds like punishment to me. When I rate blends, I rate them against similar blends in the same genre. For any blend to get four stars, it has to be in the infield and maybe the pitcher's mound, or maybe better than the ones that got four stars. I rated it against other crumble cakes, not plugs or flakes or ribbon cuts, and I felt three stars for GML was the most accurate rating, which is still a recommendation for trying it. Part of the reason it didn't get four stars was the acidic note. I almost always count off for that. Age will fix that, but I can't be concerned about that when reviewing a blend.

Do you think drying would affect that, or merely giving it some age?

 

[JimInks]

Do you think drying would affect that, or merely giving it some age?

Age is the best method for acidic reduction. Drying won't get you far because you'll lose some sweetness most of the time, but the acidity will remain. That's why I always recommend age from blends with a lot of bright and orange Virginias.

 

[coys]

Age is the best method for acidic reduction. Drying won't get you far because you'll lose some sweetness most of the time, but the acidity will remain. That's why I always recommend age from blends with a lot of bright and orange Virginias.

Thanks! I appreciate you sharing all the wisdom that you do here.

 

[JimInks]

Thanks! I appreciate you sharing all the wisdom that you do here.

You are very welcome. I'm always happy to share whatever knowledge I have... except for Jimmy Hoffa's location.