Elephant & Castle Deerstalker

Rich bronze to chocolate brown broken flakes with a tin aroma of deep charbroiled Virginia. Ok, Virginia isn't charbroiled but this smelled like some of the rope tobaccos that always brought on mind-visions of cooking steaks. The paper cover was so discolored that the writing was barely readable and the tobacco was dry but not crispy. As usual, further drying was needed to bring out the inherent flavors in the Virginia leaf. Just shy of crispy was best.

There is a faction of pipesters that believe that perique, like latakia, declines in potency of flavor over time. I find myself in neither camp, as I always wonder if the Virginia simply gets richer over time and causes the perique to seem mellower. This blend does little to convince me either way. The Virginias were indeed rich and mouthfilling and the perique was very mild. I smoked a few tins of this back in the 1990's but certainly can't recall the specific flavors. In this tin, the Virginia taste was more along the lines of Sam Gawith and less like McClellands, a robust, meaty flavor with less sweetness. Still I was nagged with the impression that this one didn't age as well as other blends. It was very, very good but I'd actually call it 3.5 stars rounded up. There was some mild sourness that detracted slightly but only at times. I could have used a hair more sweetness. But those are personal preferences. If you find a tin reasonably priced, this is well worth your time. Robert McConnell really knew how to blend. I'd prefer a well aged tin of McClellands St James Woods but I sure didn't kick this one out of my bowl.

The Virginias have a bit of grass and straw along with some earth, toast and a slight rough edge. The fermented ripe dark fruit plays well with the more obvious citrus. There is a sour note that underscores the experience, and the overall sweetness level is mild. The nic-hit is mild. The taste level is slightly above the center of mild to medium, while the strength is a shade closer to mild than it is to medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a fairly smooth, consistent flavor. Needs an average number of relights. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl. The pleasant after taste is short lived. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

Dark and bold Virginia, softened to perfection by the famous McConnell's special processing of Virginia leaf, provided a heavenly smoke for many years before E&C finally closed their doors. The most remarkable thing about this blend is the way it slowly built a firm bottom note as the bowl got down to the last third. It seemed to pick up a flavor depth that has never been surpassed. No wonder Deerstalker is so highly acclaimed.