Seattle Pipe Club Yakima Valley

The smoky, earthy, woody, lightly musty sweet Cyprian latakia is more of a team player than it is a lead component. The very nutty, earthy, woody, slightly sweet burley gives the latakia competition, and here and there, takes a very slim advance over it. The grassy, citrusy Virginia sits in the third position; always obvious, never forceful. The unsweetened black cavendish adds a fairly light sugary smoothness. The strength is a couple steps past the mild level, and the taste is a tad stronger, falling just short of the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a mostly consistent, mildly sweet and lightly savory flavor that translates to the short lived, pleasant after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

Seattle Pipe Club - Yakima Valley.

What better way to spend a Bank Holiday morning than smoking a new blend! I had this in my mind as an aromatic, but, in fact, it's a mild, Latakia seasoned blend.

The mixture contains a slightly higher proportion of brown pieces than black. All of it's smokable, any twigs are redundant. The unlit aroma's slightly woody, and a little nutty.

Once lit, the flavour's one of a more demulcent, sweeter, English. The Latakia offers a touch of wood, is more arboraceous than smoky, but doesn't hog the playing field. The Burley and Virginia are equal in volume, causing a fresh, nuttiness. The black Cavendish smooths the experience perfectly, giving a candied note to the smoke. The consistency of the burn's infallible, however it can rise above medium in temperature when pushed. Throughout a bowl Yakima generates large plumes of smoke; so, open a window!

Nicotine: just below medium. Room-note: nice, but see my previous point about the plumes!

Yakima Valley? Not great, but worth three stars:

Recommended.