I thought I'd give my thoughts on my favorite blend: Orlik Golden Sliced. I'm pretty familiar with this tobacco already, but I'm smoking a bowl of it as I write in case something new jumps out. My hope is that the reviewing process allows me to focus on my smokes better, maybe one day I'll be able to identify half the flavors some of you guys can. With that, I'll get right into it.
Right when I open the tin, the first thing that hits me is the scent of raisins. To me its a similar profile to red man chew, but not nearly as sweet. Freshly cut grass and citrus come to mind too, although neither of these sticks out to me as much as the raisin scent. Behind that I get a slight hint of darker fruit, something like a plum or a fig. In short, it smells good enough to eat. Being that I used to (and still occasionally) chew, I actually tried chewing a flake of this stuff. Not as sweet as I expected, but it had tons of nicotine and a pretty good feel in the mouth. Could see it being a pretty decent snuff too.
The first light stays true to the tin note--grassy, sweet, citrusy and sharp. The sharpness isn't off putting in the slightest. In fact, I find it really pleasant. It usually takes a couple cycles of lighting and tamping for me to get it going good. Once it's going it seems to require an average number of relights. Nothing you have to pay close attention to, but also not quite as forgiving as something like Prince Albert or Lane 1-Q.
Shortly after the initial light, the flavors change slightly. The piquant, citrusy tang gives way to a slightly creamy, bread type of taste. The words yeasty and malty come to mind as well. This isn't to say the citrus is no longer present, just that it is now more of a component to the flavor rather than the dominating factor. As with the other Virginias I've tried, the flavors can change quite a bit depending on how hot you smoke it. Rather than "sip" this tobacco as I usually see suggested, I tend to vary my cadence over the course of the bowl. This isn't something I try to do, just something I've noticed. When it's sipped, the flavors are softer, smoother, and more fragrant. The retrohale on a puff of barely-smoldering OGS is heavenly. Grass, bread and oranges all the way. When smoked a bit hotter, the bread flavor subsides and the flavor and mouthfeel both get sharper. If you puff recklessly (as I sometimes do), you might get some rubbing alcohol flavors out of it. Not enjoyable but also not too difficult to avoid. A big plume of this stuff through the nose brings you notes of sour lemon, burnt sugar and pepper.
As I approach the end of the bowl, the flavors continue to go in the direction of bread. The tingle is still present, but now more subdued and in kind of a peppery way (even when sipped). Something almost reminiscent of baby powder comes through too. It's better than it sounds.
All in all, I have very little bad to say about this tobacco. Tastes great, burns good, just complex enough to be interesting while also not requiring too much attention to enjoy. Easily the most versatile blend I've smoked. On top of that, it's readily available and cheap. Doesn't get much better than that.
Right when I open the tin, the first thing that hits me is the scent of raisins. To me its a similar profile to red man chew, but not nearly as sweet. Freshly cut grass and citrus come to mind too, although neither of these sticks out to me as much as the raisin scent. Behind that I get a slight hint of darker fruit, something like a plum or a fig. In short, it smells good enough to eat. Being that I used to (and still occasionally) chew, I actually tried chewing a flake of this stuff. Not as sweet as I expected, but it had tons of nicotine and a pretty good feel in the mouth. Could see it being a pretty decent snuff too.
The first light stays true to the tin note--grassy, sweet, citrusy and sharp. The sharpness isn't off putting in the slightest. In fact, I find it really pleasant. It usually takes a couple cycles of lighting and tamping for me to get it going good. Once it's going it seems to require an average number of relights. Nothing you have to pay close attention to, but also not quite as forgiving as something like Prince Albert or Lane 1-Q.
Shortly after the initial light, the flavors change slightly. The piquant, citrusy tang gives way to a slightly creamy, bread type of taste. The words yeasty and malty come to mind as well. This isn't to say the citrus is no longer present, just that it is now more of a component to the flavor rather than the dominating factor. As with the other Virginias I've tried, the flavors can change quite a bit depending on how hot you smoke it. Rather than "sip" this tobacco as I usually see suggested, I tend to vary my cadence over the course of the bowl. This isn't something I try to do, just something I've noticed. When it's sipped, the flavors are softer, smoother, and more fragrant. The retrohale on a puff of barely-smoldering OGS is heavenly. Grass, bread and oranges all the way. When smoked a bit hotter, the bread flavor subsides and the flavor and mouthfeel both get sharper. If you puff recklessly (as I sometimes do), you might get some rubbing alcohol flavors out of it. Not enjoyable but also not too difficult to avoid. A big plume of this stuff through the nose brings you notes of sour lemon, burnt sugar and pepper.
As I approach the end of the bowl, the flavors continue to go in the direction of bread. The tingle is still present, but now more subdued and in kind of a peppery way (even when sipped). Something almost reminiscent of baby powder comes through too. It's better than it sounds.
All in all, I have very little bad to say about this tobacco. Tastes great, burns good, just complex enough to be interesting while also not requiring too much attention to enjoy. Easily the most versatile blend I've smoked. On top of that, it's readily available and cheap. Doesn't get much better than that.
