It goes on sale in a week or so.
The blend of Rustica and the mildly less evident dark fired Kentucky provide a wealth of floralness, spice, smoke, herbs, incense, peaty vegetation, bread, earth, wood, fermented tangy citrus, sugar, sour bitter lemon, a little barbecue, nuts, cigar, tea, and a touch of acidity as the lead components. The dark burley produces some earth, wood, nuts, bread, sugar, and barely noticeable molasses and anise in a support role. Due to the chocolate, rum, and hazelnut casings, the burley’s presence in the mix is a notch and a half ahead of the Virginias. The effect of the casings on the burley are a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. They complement and contrast with the sweetness from the other varietals. The African and American Virginias offer a lot of fermented tart and tangy citrus, sugar, spice, bread, vegetative grass, floralness, sour lemon, some earth and wood, mild stewed darker fruit, and a touch of acidity. The orange casing mildly tones them down. The strength is full, and the taste is a step fuller. The nic-hit is a rung below the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. The rough edges are minimal. Well balanced with nuanced complexity, this mildly moist ready rubbed mixture burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. The flavor is slightly inconsistent, and the most obvious aspects are the overall sweetness, tangy fruit, spice, floralness, herbs, mild sourness, peaty vegetation, cigar, grass, and barbecue. The after taste is pleasantly lasting. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. I suggest a wide, not too large bowl due to the multiplicity of flavors in this semi-aromatic blend. Not an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
The blend of Rustica and the mildly less evident dark fired Kentucky provide a wealth of floralness, spice, smoke, herbs, incense, peaty vegetation, bread, earth, wood, fermented tangy citrus, sugar, sour bitter lemon, a little barbecue, nuts, cigar, tea, and a touch of acidity as the lead components. The dark burley produces some earth, wood, nuts, bread, sugar, and barely noticeable molasses and anise in a support role. Due to the chocolate, rum, and hazelnut casings, the burley’s presence in the mix is a notch and a half ahead of the Virginias. The effect of the casings on the burley are a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. They complement and contrast with the sweetness from the other varietals. The African and American Virginias offer a lot of fermented tart and tangy citrus, sugar, spice, bread, vegetative grass, floralness, sour lemon, some earth and wood, mild stewed darker fruit, and a touch of acidity. The orange casing mildly tones them down. The strength is full, and the taste is a step fuller. The nic-hit is a rung below the overall strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. The rough edges are minimal. Well balanced with nuanced complexity, this mildly moist ready rubbed mixture burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. The flavor is slightly inconsistent, and the most obvious aspects are the overall sweetness, tangy fruit, spice, floralness, herbs, mild sourness, peaty vegetation, cigar, grass, and barbecue. The after taste is pleasantly lasting. The room note is pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. I suggest a wide, not too large bowl due to the multiplicity of flavors in this semi-aromatic blend. Not an all day smoke, but it’s repeatable. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2024.
