What Do You Reach For When You're Looking For A Flavour-Bomb?
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I thought Pembroke would be my favorite, and I really wanted it to be because good Cognac has always been my preferred spirit.
Then I tried ASTB and it changed everything. I still really enjoy Pembroke, but ASTB, St Ives, and Germain's Royal Jersey Original are where it's at, for me. I've seen folks claim the topping is Calvados, apple juice, ale, vanilla, licorice, coffee and Cognac. No clue what it is, but I think it tastes like Fruit Stripe gum with a hint of some kind of brandy booze in the background.
A good friend of mine that also loves Pembroke and generally has similar tastes in tobacco as me, absolutely hated ASTB. Said the tin note was sickly sweet, and the smoke made him wretch. Oh well, more for me!
Fwiw, I find ASTB to be the most oriental forward, possibly Margate with a topping or Pembroke with added sweet toppings. StIves has a bit more vanilla and is lighter on lat. And Royal Jersey is also more vanilla/licorice and might contain the most Latakia and black stoved VA of the lot. I'd put all three in the preferred "flavor bomb" category, with Pembroke, Margate, and Penzance a step down the ladder.
While I enjoy MB Plumcake, I don't think it tastes anything like Pembroke, ASTB, or anything else made by Germain's. It has far less latakia, the rum topping has more of a sweet traditional Danish flavor, and the tobacco takes much longer to dry and burns hotter at the same rate of smoking. Where I can get away with puffing like a freight train with Germain made blends, Plumcake is like most of it's MB siblings and pretty unforgiving of anything beyond the softest sip (I'm aware that factor that doesn't affect you, but for us mere mortals, it's a thing).
It does deliver a more massive aromatic hit at the puff, so it certainly counts as a flavor bomb, and I agree it's a must try for those that enjoy boozey topped lat blends, or for those that miss FMC and want to branch out (not at all similar in flavor, cut, or texture, but they're genre stablemates for sure.)
But...
I actually like ASTB and Pembroke just as much (maybe better?) than FMC(gasp).
I can't say the same for anything made by MB, even though I regularly enjoy and smoke several MB blends.
This can be either Erinmore flake,Condor or G&H Co Rum Flake
No, I have not smoked cotton boll. Still, if it is a non-aromatic burley, I can't see it being as flavour- intense as Latakia. It's still burley
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And without the soot, latakia is just a mild flavored oriental. You've smoked too many processed burleys, the strong stuff will give you're taste buds a black eye.
How can anyone tell someone else about taste? Why would someone reach for something that was not a taste bomb? Asking for a friend...
Samuel Gawith Brown Nr. 4 & 1792 are quite flavour intense blends.
I don’t like it very much, but if Black XX is not a flavour bomb, I wouldn’t know what else could be one...
I don’t like it very much, but if Black XX is not a flavour bomb, I wouldn’t know what else could be one...
I love Black XX Twist. Char broiled steak!
I found it at least interesting. But the burned rubber / vegetable oil taste was a bit too heavy for regular use.
By the way this blend did not only ghost my pipe, but also my smoking room for rather long time.
The pipe I smoke it in smells like burning wires. I sometimes cut it with 50% Old Dark Fired.
Thanks, I’ll have to give those a whirl. I’ve never smoked either of those.
Have not heard of 10 to Midnight, but seeing it couched between those other blends, may have to look into that.
Ennerdale,1792 or Dark Flake scented for me.
Flavour and strength
Flavour and strength
Well since I'm too much of a pussy to smoke Cotton boll, what would you recommend? Id say the fullest tasting burley I've had would be HH Bold Kentucky. Since that is dark-fired burley, I'm assuming that is why the taste is so rich compared to something like haunted bookshop (which I realize is not straight burley, but pretty damn close)
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