Here’s my reviews of six Wesley’s blends that were made in South Africa. The tobaccos have a little Gawith and Hoggarth vibe to them because G&H uses South African tobaccos in quite a number of their blends.
Wesley’s No.1 Rhodesian Blend:
This punchy, zesty, deeply rich straight African Virginia blend provides a wealth of earth, wood, tart and very sour citrus, vegetative grass, floralness, smoke, mild tangy dried dark fruit, spice, sugar, peat, cigar, light tea, bitter acidity, and a distinct sour, savory quality among the sweetness. The nuanced, natural flavors from the Virginias are very consistent from start to finish. There’s no topping, and very little casing. The strength is a step past the center of medium to full. The taste is a slot past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch behind the overall strength level. It won’t bite although fast puffing may introduce a small harsh note to your experience due to the minimal casing. Has a fair amount of roughness. Burns very clean, and slightly warm with a pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Would make a good mixer as well. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No. 13 Golden Flake:
The Turkish produces plenty of earth, wood, smoke, floralness, vegetation, herbs, buttery sweetness, some spice, bitter sourness, and mild incense as the dominant component. The Virginias offer some tart and tangy, mildly sour citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, mild tangy dried darker fruit, earth, wood, spice, honeydew, and light acidity. They play a secondary support role rather than providing full support as they mostly just take some edge off the Turkish. While I do not detect a topping, something in the sweet casing (probably sugar) moderately tones down the harsher aspects of the Turkish. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the medium mark. The taste level is in the center of medium to full. No chance of bite, though you may risk light harshness if you puff like a steam engine. Has a few rough edges. May need a light dry time. Deeply rich with some zesty depth, it burns cool, clean and a little slow with a very consistent sour, floral, mildly sweet and spicy, smoky, rather savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a bit more pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires some relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable for those used to a more natural Turkish flavor. Three and a half stars out of four.
Wesley’s No.15 Three Quarter Flake:
The Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, some tangy dried darker fruit, earth, wood, spice, mild cigar, tea, and very light acidity. They are the lead components. The very nutty sweet, earthy, woody, bready burley is a supporting player. The very fruity citrus topping mildly tones down the tobaccos. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste level is a step stronger. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Deeply rich with some punchy zest, this ready rubbed product burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity, sugary, nutty, floral, moderately smooth flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Despite some potency, it can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No.41 Fruit Flake:
The potent G&H-like Virginias provide a wealth of earth, wood, floralness, tart and tangy, mildly sour citrus, vegetative grass/hay, bread, some sugar, tangy dried dark fruit, cigar, tea, and mild spice and smoke along with light acidity. They are the lead components. The very earthy, woody, nutty, toasty burley is a strong supporting player. The fruit topping appears to be sweet and more sour mango. It mildly tones down the tobaccos. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The taste is just past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. Won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few rough edges. It’s a little moist and you may feel the need to give it a light dry time. As per my usual custom, I did not do that. This broken flake product burns clean, cool and slow with a very consistent, deeply zesty rich, sweet and more sour, floral, nutty, mild cigar-like, lightly smoky flavor. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl; less than that with dry time. Requires some relights. Has a moderately lingering, pleasant after taste, and a tolerable room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No. 43 Old Gold:
The lead component is the very floral Turkish, which provides a fair amount of buttery sweetness, bitter sourness, smoke, earth, wood, vegetation, some spice, herbs, and light incense. The very nutty sweet, earthy, woody, bready, burley is almost a supporting player. The matured Virginias offer some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, sugar, bread, floralness, mild earth, wood, spice, honeydew with light dried darker fruit and acidity. They are a step above being a condiment. The sweet topping appears to be sugary apricot. It mildly tones down the tobaccos, and weakens a mite by the half way mark. The strength and taste levels start out as being a couple of steps past the medium mark, but as the topping weakens, they rate as being just past the center of medium to full. The nic-hit is a notch behind that from start to finish. No chance of bite, but as the topping weakens, you may risk a harsh note by fast puffing. Has a few rough edges. Deeply rich, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent sweet and sour, floral, spicy, mildly nutty, lightly smoky, rather savory flavor that extends to the moderately lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a little stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No.58 Perique Navy Cut:
A healthy, potent dose of stewed fruity (plums, dates, figs and light raisins), earthy, woody, spicy perique is the lead component. The Virginias provide a fair amount of tart and tangy, sour citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, mild tangy darker fruit, earth, wood, floralness, light spice, and a small touch of acidity. They are secondary supporters, and don’t quite offer full support. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste is a step past that line. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges. May need a light dry time although I never do that when I review. Rich, punchy and rather zesty, it burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a very consistent spicy, mildly fruity, sugary, sour, floral, savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires some relights if not dried a mite. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable for perique lovers. I recommend a smaller bowl for those who aren’t used to strong perique blends. The room note is tolerable. Four stars out of four.
Wesley’s No.1 Rhodesian Blend:
This punchy, zesty, deeply rich straight African Virginia blend provides a wealth of earth, wood, tart and very sour citrus, vegetative grass, floralness, smoke, mild tangy dried dark fruit, spice, sugar, peat, cigar, light tea, bitter acidity, and a distinct sour, savory quality among the sweetness. The nuanced, natural flavors from the Virginias are very consistent from start to finish. There’s no topping, and very little casing. The strength is a step past the center of medium to full. The taste is a slot past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch behind the overall strength level. It won’t bite although fast puffing may introduce a small harsh note to your experience due to the minimal casing. Has a fair amount of roughness. Burns very clean, and slightly warm with a pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Would make a good mixer as well. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No. 13 Golden Flake:
The Turkish produces plenty of earth, wood, smoke, floralness, vegetation, herbs, buttery sweetness, some spice, bitter sourness, and mild incense as the dominant component. The Virginias offer some tart and tangy, mildly sour citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, mild tangy dried darker fruit, earth, wood, spice, honeydew, and light acidity. They play a secondary support role rather than providing full support as they mostly just take some edge off the Turkish. While I do not detect a topping, something in the sweet casing (probably sugar) moderately tones down the harsher aspects of the Turkish. The strength and nic-hit are a step past the medium mark. The taste level is in the center of medium to full. No chance of bite, though you may risk light harshness if you puff like a steam engine. Has a few rough edges. May need a light dry time. Deeply rich with some zesty depth, it burns cool, clean and a little slow with a very consistent sour, floral, mildly sweet and spicy, smoky, rather savory flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a bit more pungent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires some relights if not dried. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable for those used to a more natural Turkish flavor. Three and a half stars out of four.
Wesley’s No.15 Three Quarter Flake:
The Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, floralness, some tangy dried darker fruit, earth, wood, spice, mild cigar, tea, and very light acidity. They are the lead components. The very nutty sweet, earthy, woody, bready burley is a supporting player. The very fruity citrus topping mildly tones down the tobaccos. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste level is a step stronger. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Deeply rich with some punchy zest, this ready rubbed product burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent fruity, sugary, nutty, floral, moderately smooth flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Despite some potency, it can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No.41 Fruit Flake:
The potent G&H-like Virginias provide a wealth of earth, wood, floralness, tart and tangy, mildly sour citrus, vegetative grass/hay, bread, some sugar, tangy dried dark fruit, cigar, tea, and mild spice and smoke along with light acidity. They are the lead components. The very earthy, woody, nutty, toasty burley is a strong supporting player. The fruit topping appears to be sweet and more sour mango. It mildly tones down the tobaccos. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The taste is just past that mark. The nic-hit is a notch below the overall strength level. Won’t bite or get harsh. Has a few rough edges. It’s a little moist and you may feel the need to give it a light dry time. As per my usual custom, I did not do that. This broken flake product burns clean, cool and slow with a very consistent, deeply zesty rich, sweet and more sour, floral, nutty, mild cigar-like, lightly smoky flavor. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl; less than that with dry time. Requires some relights. Has a moderately lingering, pleasant after taste, and a tolerable room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No. 43 Old Gold:
The lead component is the very floral Turkish, which provides a fair amount of buttery sweetness, bitter sourness, smoke, earth, wood, vegetation, some spice, herbs, and light incense. The very nutty sweet, earthy, woody, bready, burley is almost a supporting player. The matured Virginias offer some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, sugar, bread, floralness, mild earth, wood, spice, honeydew with light dried darker fruit and acidity. They are a step above being a condiment. The sweet topping appears to be sugary apricot. It mildly tones down the tobaccos, and weakens a mite by the half way mark. The strength and taste levels start out as being a couple of steps past the medium mark, but as the topping weakens, they rate as being just past the center of medium to full. The nic-hit is a notch behind that from start to finish. No chance of bite, but as the topping weakens, you may risk a harsh note by fast puffing. Has a few rough edges. Deeply rich, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent sweet and sour, floral, spicy, mildly nutty, lightly smoky, rather savory flavor that extends to the moderately lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a little stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.
Wesley’s No.58 Perique Navy Cut:
A healthy, potent dose of stewed fruity (plums, dates, figs and light raisins), earthy, woody, spicy perique is the lead component. The Virginias provide a fair amount of tart and tangy, sour citrus, vegetative grass, bread, sugar, mild tangy darker fruit, earth, wood, floralness, light spice, and a small touch of acidity. They are secondary supporters, and don’t quite offer full support. The strength and nic-hit are medium. The taste is a step past that line. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges. May need a light dry time although I never do that when I review. Rich, punchy and rather zesty, it burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a very consistent spicy, mildly fruity, sugary, sour, floral, savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires some relights if not dried a mite. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable for perique lovers. I recommend a smaller bowl for those who aren’t used to strong perique blends. The room note is tolerable. Four stars out of four.
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