Resmoked a bowl of the Pipe Force episode V in my Halloween themed sandblasted bent Peterson. Here's a few things I noticed. Since it was in a sample bag that's had a week or more open air to it I can't speak for fresh tin notes or moisture levels. They seemed relatively moist and easy to manipulate. The crumble cake is really dark, a testament to the stoved rustica and virginia. While I'd like to say it has a campfire note to it, I imagined more of a bbq terriyaki smell profile. Taste lingering is that Hibachi flavor you might get after a well prepared Japanese stirfry. While smoking that Katerini is like an indescribable umami. You know it's there but it tastes nothing like you have the terms to describe. That stoved rustica is very prominent and seems to permeat the virginia and mellow out the orientals. I found there to be a little throat spiciness you'd expect from initially eating a Cajun peanut but no lingering heat. It takes a little work to light properly but once it's going I didn't have any trouble keeping it lit down to the bottom. I over tamped it once and relit and it took well to the end of the bowl. I'd say it smoked very cool compared to many others I've had recently and you sort of forget you're smoking it after a while. The smell from my buddy's pipe (he was smoking the same thing) was bold and mesquite but without the sweetness from smoking a piece of meat. The nicotine hit came out of nowhere towards the end of the bowl and it lingered longer than I'd like. I wouldn't overload this bowl unless you like a good kick in the pants.
Grab yourself a tin of this and write an opinion piece of some ancient maritime battle in the Mediterranean or something. It's an extremely contemplative mixture IMO. I wouldn't smoke it but once or twice in the same day and definitely not an all day smoker.
If I had to critique this mixture, I'd get critical that they didn't lead with it and call this one episode IV. Also, the artwork, while well done doesn't make me want to open a tin at all. Would have preferred art that made me feel more like I was embarking on an epic quest rather than watching reruns of the original Star Trek.
