Wessex - Sovereign Curly Cut
First Off, Thank you Shutterbug for the generous sample of this blend.
Tin Note: The Blend had that same vinegar smell that va/pers usually have but this one also had an iced tea note to it. 3 out of 4
Initial Light: Only took 2 false lights to get a nice burn going, flavor kicked off with some nice mild spicy hints from the perique.Burn was kinda fast but even none-the-less. 4 out of 4
Mid-Smoke: The mild spice continued to the beginning of the mid-bowl, there wasn't much of a sweetness to the smoke but more like a wood tasting flavor, old cedar furniture taste. As i preceded through the mid-bowl i began to pick up slight hints of plum and fruit. The bowl was a bit hot but the smoke was even hotter i was getting a tingle on the tip of my tongue but that's all it was just a tingle, no bite. 2 out of 4
Bottom of the Bowl: The spiciness eased down a bit and made room for more of the fruity plum flavor which increased as i smoked further down, the smoke itself was a lot cooler now but the flavor maintained its mildness. 3 out of 4
Room Note: Not much to say wife said it just smelled like a pipe/cigar, which by the way shes not a fan of smell wise. 2 out of 4
Dottle: It left a mixture of dark and white ash but the bottom was wet, i didn't get any gurgle or moisture through the stem during the smoke but it was really wet near the draft hole.
Smoking Duration: 35 min
Overall: This is a blend that starts off spicy, gets hot and then ends with a savory taste rather then a sweet one. I didn't find it horrible, but it was a bit annoying to smoke in between the spicy and savory, where it didn't know what it wanted to be. During that time i felt like i was sucking in hot air. So the beginning and end of this smoke was the highlights but even still i don't think it was worth a replay. 14 out of 20