Ash & Ember Absolute Midnight

This is a mild to medium English/Oriental that is easy to load, light and smoke without a need for relighting. I sampled it at Ash & Ember immediately following a bowl of Bengal Slices. The flavor was exotic with the Latakia, Izmir, Red Virginia & Black Cavendish staying well balanced throughout the bowl. Nothing took center stage but each was discernable at different points. Latakia is a tough one to keep from overpowering the others but Joe has done a masterful job of keeping everything balanced and tasty. The smoke is thick and plentiful and the moisture was perfect with a nice clean burn all the way to the bottom of the bowl. This first taste was a free sample at the shop but I quickly decided to take a few ounces home for further research 😉 This would be an excellent tobacco for those wanting to try a Latakia blend for the first time. It will gently introduce the inquisitive piper to the pleasures of English and Oriental style tobacco in a gentler way than the traditional English blends which can be somewhat harsh.