Elizabethan is one of my go blends especially with some age on it. It is a solid vaper.
If you ever smoked the Murray's version, you'd see it was night and day from the current production.The Match version is not an exact copy of the Murray's Elizabethan, but it's not far away either. The Match isn't as spicy as the current Peterson blend, but it has a greater variety of Virginia flavors.Some of the reviewers think the quality of Elizabethan is not what it was, but that the Sutliff match (Victorian) is still good.
This is great advice. I found it very bland the first run though. Reminiscent of cigarette tobacco to me.It's a solid Virginia perique blend.
I would add a piece of advice. Since you've been smoking a lot of latakia blends, you may find that Elizabethan is bland. It's not. It is nuanced, and it may be hard to pick up on those flavors. All that to say, don't give up on it right away if that's the case . Dry it well and smoke it slow. Smoke at least 4 or 5 bowls of it before you go back to a latakia blend.
Funny, I enjoyed it the first time through a tin. Today I smoked a bowl after having Escudo earlier in the day and for the first time got that cigarette taste. First time I didn't enjoy it.This is great advice. I found it very bland the first run though. Reminiscent of cigarette tobacco to me.
Real easy: Different strokes for different folks.....What am I missing ? I hear people talk about Elizabethan as being their number one tobacco. I can barely taste anything. It’s like a parched mouth and cardboard. I’m similarly baffled by Escudo. But at least with Escudo there is some complexity. Is it just that my taste buds are dead from English blends ? I am still confused by what people are getting in these two “classics.” Do I need to try a different pipe in search of the aha moment. At least with darker Virginia flake tobaccos I taste something. Or with things like Aged Burley Flake. Someone explain !
I just smoked second bowl and I am getting it better. I think one needs to choose the right pipe. Also, I think you have to slow down and clear your palate of English first. I am also starting to dedicate pipes to Virginias.Real easy: Different strokes for different folks.....
Seems as if you're simply "learning" what this type of leaf requires.I noticed something interesting with Virginias, which is that if I put down the pipe and let it cool, then return to it later, I’m getting more flavor. I notice that the last third of the bowl is really giving off flavor more than the first two thirds; Whereas English blends reveal their flavor almost immediately. It also seems that Virginias are their best with at least a couple of years age. Perhaps I should purchase some tins to cellar.