Hello there, I review blends under the name Old Hollywood Briar on youtube where I lend my high quality lenses and cameras to the art of pipe smoking. In my videos you'll see blend reviews along with Old Hollywood stories and interviews with blenders and your favorite actors and musicians. This episode features a surprise guest from Deadwood along with the iconic band ZZ Top.
For me, Sun Bear is going to be in my top 5 blends of 2019. I found out about the release early and was able to alert some friends but I still only came up with 5 tins. The blend sold out the first week. Tobacco Pipes put out an email alert for the blend and by day 1 they were already sold out. I grabbed 5 from smoking pipes and thought I could grab more after they arrived but before I could even get my hands on my first tin the blend was gone. I tried to warn people that the last Small Batch release, Sansepolcro ran 8,000 tins and was a spicy blend that suited a niche market. II knew that this run, at only 4,500 tins would go fast but I had no idea just how fast it would go.
There's a lot of talk about the Honey from Jeremy's garden and the scent of the tin upon opening is loaded with honey and that floral scent of elderflower. Jeremy recently released a video about the difference between casing and toppings on tobaccos. In the video he goes into detail about what a casing is and how it's different from a topping or a top note. Sun Bear is cased with Honey, elderflower and tequila giving it a pleasant aroma upon tin opening but that aroma fades over time, especially when left in the tin rather than a ball jar. That's why this is not an aromatic blend. The sweetness we taste in the blend is really coming from the brite Virginias and how they play with the velvety softness of the aged Basma (2014) and Izmir (2013) Orientals.
For those with a Sommelier's palette (like Jiminks) it's not surprising to read about notes of Tequila and Elderflower but really for myself, most of the taste is coming from the pure high grade leaves in the blend. This is not an aromatic by any means, the flavors of the casings are effervescent and more of a background perfume than a leading ingredient.
I really find this to be a great everyday blend, impossible to make it bite and believe me I tried. A great introduction blend for new pipers and a great crossover blend for those afraid to experiment with the famously "sour taste" of orientals. I have been smoking a lot of Balkan, oriental forward blends lately, Penzance, Balkan Supreme, Durbar, Balkan Sobranie, etc so I was ready for this light Oriental taste to come grab my attention.
4 out of 4 stars, a truly amazing experience. If you find any in your local B and M send up the bat signal, I need more!
For me, Sun Bear is going to be in my top 5 blends of 2019. I found out about the release early and was able to alert some friends but I still only came up with 5 tins. The blend sold out the first week. Tobacco Pipes put out an email alert for the blend and by day 1 they were already sold out. I grabbed 5 from smoking pipes and thought I could grab more after they arrived but before I could even get my hands on my first tin the blend was gone. I tried to warn people that the last Small Batch release, Sansepolcro ran 8,000 tins and was a spicy blend that suited a niche market. II knew that this run, at only 4,500 tins would go fast but I had no idea just how fast it would go.
There's a lot of talk about the Honey from Jeremy's garden and the scent of the tin upon opening is loaded with honey and that floral scent of elderflower. Jeremy recently released a video about the difference between casing and toppings on tobaccos. In the video he goes into detail about what a casing is and how it's different from a topping or a top note. Sun Bear is cased with Honey, elderflower and tequila giving it a pleasant aroma upon tin opening but that aroma fades over time, especially when left in the tin rather than a ball jar. That's why this is not an aromatic blend. The sweetness we taste in the blend is really coming from the brite Virginias and how they play with the velvety softness of the aged Basma (2014) and Izmir (2013) Orientals.
For those with a Sommelier's palette (like Jiminks) it's not surprising to read about notes of Tequila and Elderflower but really for myself, most of the taste is coming from the pure high grade leaves in the blend. This is not an aromatic by any means, the flavors of the casings are effervescent and more of a background perfume than a leading ingredient.
I really find this to be a great everyday blend, impossible to make it bite and believe me I tried. A great introduction blend for new pipers and a great crossover blend for those afraid to experiment with the famously "sour taste" of orientals. I have been smoking a lot of Balkan, oriental forward blends lately, Penzance, Balkan Supreme, Durbar, Balkan Sobranie, etc so I was ready for this light Oriental taste to come grab my attention.
4 out of 4 stars, a truly amazing experience. If you find any in your local B and M send up the bat signal, I need more!
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