In short, this is really good stuff, guys! I cracked open a relatively new 8oz tin and was whalloped by an amazing concentrated tin note! Aroma is right between a light English and a VA-Per. Lots of sour dark fruit, grass and a wee tiny little bit of smokiness peeking out. Based on the tin note, I expected this to be almost overwhelming in the flavor department. The krumble kake wasn't brownies, rather more ike 'Kit Kat' bar that are super easy to rub out. I let a bowl full dry for about 30-40 minutes and went outside into the hot, humid Florida night air. Lighting took 2-3 goes and then only one relight for the entire bowl. Burned a little hot at first, but after settling in, all was nice and cool for the rest of the smoke. I paired with a bourbon & water splash and iced tea & stevia. The combination of the bourbon and the MR was amazing. Something about the slight sweetness of the spirit and the well burning tobacco gave rise to a mild salty-sourness along with dark fruit, grass and very subtle bbq type smokiness. This pulsed throughout to nearly the end of the bowl. After finishing my bourbon, I switched to the tea. The salty-sourness ended and the rest of the journey was more of earthy hay, grass and a light uptick in the smoke. It was amazing how this blend interplayed so well off of the bourbon and how that combination gave way to the recognizable salty taste. Nothing less than sublime.
IMHO, this is a medium strength blend with taste & flavors being a bit more. As some have written in TR, this is more like a VaPer than an English, with the Virginias and Perique coming out quite well. I wasn't able to pick out the Orientals, but that means to me that they played nicely with the other tobaccos. Latakia is very light - way back in the background, but adds a lot in that role. There is no bite at all. I will be stocking up on this one - some of the best VA flavors I've run across.
I'll try with an Islay scotch next time to see where that leads.
IMHO, this is a medium strength blend with taste & flavors being a bit more. As some have written in TR, this is more like a VaPer than an English, with the Virginias and Perique coming out quite well. I wasn't able to pick out the Orientals, but that means to me that they played nicely with the other tobaccos. Latakia is very light - way back in the background, but adds a lot in that role. There is no bite at all. I will be stocking up on this one - some of the best VA flavors I've run across.
I'll try with an Islay scotch next time to see where that leads.
