Sun Bear 2023 - Is This Happening?

[JimInks]

Just posted my review.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Sounds good enough to eat!

Humbly petitioning @jeremyreeves for buckwheat next.

 

[Peterson314]

I have a similar palate (nothing beats black coffee with something like GLP Quiet Nights). Still, need something for this time of year. Been smoking a lot of burley lately, I just can't do English blends in this summer heat we have here (regularly air temp is 92-98°F with humidity north of 45%, making the heat index usually 100-118°F).

Still, set myself an alarm for the SP release so I don't forget. I do like a VA on occasion, never had any of the previous Sun Bear, but I have had and liked Tupelo honey. I was actually interested in last year's blend, but found out about it too late.

I could probably do Tupelo. I've decided that if @JimInks doesn't mention tequila, I might grab a tin.

I keep my lat bombs in the jar this time of year as well, but as an English fan I've really enjoyed H&H's Sunjammer. It has a touch of latakia, but it's no Nightcap or Gaslight by any means.

My go-to for this heat and humidity is usually black cavendish. I'm not a Virginia superfan, but TCS's Green Dragon is superb as well.

Edit: Just scrolled up and saw Jim's review. Y'all enjoy.

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I haven't smoked Sun Bear in a long time, but I have a few tins of I think the 2021 and the 2022 Sun Bear. I thought the 2021 was good, and had a bit of a graham-cracker taste. But I tried a tin of that after it had aged for about a year, and the flavor from the honey SEEMED to be much less than when fresh.

I know this is probably pretty obvious, but have others aged Sun Bear and also found the flavor to have decreased with time? How was it after a few years? I don't buy many aromatics or tobaccos with noticeable added toppings or casings (I never understood the difference between toppings and casings), but I know the conventional wisdom is that those tobaccos don't age particularly well, but I was still hoping aging this stuff might yield good results. Is this bear climbing up the wrong tree?

 

[blackpowderpiper]

You pose a good question. I personally don't view Sun Bear as an aromatic but more of a Virginia/Oriental. In regard to aging potential, how well do Va/Or mixtures normally age? In regard to the addition of honey to a Va/Or, Bijou is similar, and Jeremy Reeves feels that additional aging time will benefit that blend. Having only smoked SunBear 2022 fresh, while a nice smoke, I feel like there are a few rough edges that may be softened with some age. I suppose only time will tell.

 

[kg.legat0]

@Jeremiah Johnson - I don't know about super long term, but I have found some aros to really hit a sweet spot after a few years, as long as they have been properly stored and are made with high quality tobacco. C&D John Marr and Autumn evening fit this category for me -- I was previously 'meh' on Autumn Evening, but I revisited a 3 year old batch and the red Va's in it have really gone in a great direction.