F & K Merde de Cheval

(3.13)
A long time ago an old customer who was never happy with his pipe tobacco, finally found the right blend. He walked in the shop and said, "I want more of that horse shit tobacco you sold me." This light English tobacco, Merde de Cheval Blend, was born.

Details

Brand F & K
Blended By  
Manufactured By  
Blend Type American
Contents Burley, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 1.5 ounce tin
Country Denmark
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Extremely Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.13 / 4
8

3

2

2

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 15 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 14, 2017 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The smoky, woody, earthy sweet Cyprian Latakia takes the lead without overtaking the other components. The red Virginia provides some dark fruit, earth, wood and grass in a support role. Though the previous description doesn’t mention that there are other components, there’s no doubt that there’s a little woody, earthy, nutty, molasses sweet burley almost in a support role. A pinch of spicy, figgy, raisiny perique, and a little woody, earthy, musty, mildly buttery and sour Turkish act as background players. The nic-hit is mild, and there’s no chance of bite. The strength level falls just shy of medium. The taste is medium. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a fairly smooth, sweet and slightly sour consistent flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a very pleasant after taste, and the room note is not pungent as several blends in this genre. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 16, 2021 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
F & KL - Merde de Chevel.

This is a nice smoke!

The ribbons are coarse and a few are leafy in appearance. A mixture of light and medium browns with a healthy amount of black thrown in. It could be moister.

The smoke? Sweet, smoky and spicy!! The Latakia, of course, takes responsibility for the smokiness. Although I don't find it too pungent; quite 'smooth'. I get a fabulous sweetness from the Virginia, although this fruity-sweetness renders any other Va nuances redundant; IMO. These two are the most recognizable, the Perique and Burley play 'back up'. I find the slight sweetness from the Burley goes hand-in-hand with the Virginia and the scintilla of spicy Perique pairs well with the Latakia. As expected, from the slight dehydration, it burns without an issue! Albeit, the speed isn't impeded by this, it goes at mid-pace.

Nicotine: just below medium, but nowhere near weak. Room-note: nice.

Merde de Chevel? A steadfast four star smoke:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Fat Bob
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Four months
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 26, 2013 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable to Strong
For my palate at least this is a prime example of pH gone terribly wrong; far too alkaline, so much so that one can barely taste anything and the bite was awful. Possibly a bad batch regardless no further tins required.

Disappointing, the nose from the tin is that of mild autumn leaves and slight smoke from the Latakia. I was hoping that would carry through when combusting.

Unfortunately this cannot even be gifted out, subjecting a friend to the pH assault is bordering on charges being laid. The tin was emptied into the composting box.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 17, 2013 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Opening a one year old tin of F&K's Merde de Cheval revealed an even mix of brown and black ribbons with some light yellow ribbons scattered throughout. It was a bit too moist for me, but I didn't see the need in drying it out further. It had an alternating sweet and sour smell in the tin along with cedar smoke, and the sour smell seemed to dominate.

An unlit sip revealed hay like taste from the Virginia's and the charring light brought a dark molasses like sweetness with some light smoky flavor. Overall there was a very light latakia smokiness with a dark musty hay and molasses flavor that bordered on what I imagine curing silage to taste like. The last third of most bowls had a pronounced, but not overwhelming sour note, and it seemed to come alive in conical shaped, tall bowls. The room note was mild, but definitely not a crowd magnate.

I liked this blend over all; it was a good easy mild smoke with little going on, to me at least. It was a good break from some of the stronger English blends I have been smoking in the last few months. I would recommend this to someone who wanted a light, no frills, Virginia-Latakia blend with little expectations for this to be something it is not. I will probably be buying some more in the near future to give my palate a break from time to time.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2023 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Tin note of sharply sour, mildly smoky and musty vegetation. Tobacco is a wide ribbon of brown, light brown, tan and a sprinkle of black. Moisture content is good, few may want to dry it a bit. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sweet nuts, cocoa, toast, wood, smoky, leather, spice, grass, musty vegetation, savory, rich earth, floral, dry hay, molasses, autumn leaves, acidic/spicy, mildly bitter, herbal, a tart and tangy dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Latakia, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Perique is supporting from the stands. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.
Pipe Used: James Upshall Smooth Acorn (4) (P) (FH)
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 02, 2016 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
I would like to tell you about my wonderful experience with this tobacco. At first whiff I was unsure as I have had blend smell like this with promise of savory leathery goodness but all have feel short. This sure didn't and I was skeptical from the start but of course, I had to try and save a tin of horse shit tobacco(and save the tin). I was skeptical if a "two horse" show could be labeled an English but I found it to delivered a rich creamy smoke, a wonderful flavor with a lot going on for two tobacco's. I always think it is not how a blend starts but finishes and this was good the whole way through with a rich, think flavor with a salty&leathery after taste. I of course reordered a tin after I smoked the first one up.
Pipe Used: Peterson St Patrick's day billiard
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: a few weeks
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 07, 2011 Mild Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
The aroma from the tin is soft and clean, Virginia and Latakia balanced nicely. Very sweet and mild, citrus, rubber, molasses, wood smoke, and dried figs. Interesting but quite mild aroma.

Packing and lighting is a breeze.

Disappointment sets in as I light up. A passable but dull Latakia blend. With sour, vegetal flavors that remind me of bundle cigars (cheap). And an unpleasant funky taste like the smell of a dirty, algae-infested aquarium is persistent throughout. I don't think the tobaccos were properly aged, the green, sour-bitter flavors ruin the whole thing. Oddly enough the room note is quite nice. (Go figure!)

I think the idea here is the tin itself is the appeal. It's a conversation piece, clever and cool. like those old giant souvenir cigars. So put it on a shelf, show it to your friends, just don't smoke it.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 30, 2019 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Tolerable
Full disclosure: I'm still a novice.

What I really like about this blend is that I can detect each component and I can actually focus on each, though they are well blended. If any component is dominant, it's the red VA, which gives a rich fruit note. There's also burley, which gives it a nuttiness, and also a significant chocolate note, although that may actually be a topping (the tobacco smells and tastes lightly topped with chocolate). There's a hint of perique which gives more fruit than spice, and I don't get the usual nose tingle on the retrohale. Turkish provides the expected sourness, and is harder to isolate. And then there's always latakia, but this is far less dominant than most english blends I've tried.

Mechanically, this blend is pretty decent. The ribbon is coarse, making it a bit harder to pack and light, but once lit it's pretty average for a ribbon cut english. While there's no tongue bite, it can get a bit of a cardboardy harshness when pushed. I had a pretty dry sample, so I would recommend checking the moisture before smoking. It was a far worse smoke when dry. I found the nicotine and strength to be between mild and medium. I only smoke my pipe a couple times a week, so I can't say whether this is an all day smoke, but I didn't mind repeating it, and it strikes me as more of a morming blend.

All in all, I thought this blend was good to very good in the genre of a light english, but I'm not going to be putting it into my rotation.
Pipe Used: Falcon Int'l with briar Algiers bowl
Age When Smoked: 1 year
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 02, 2019 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The tin note is sweet, like berries, from the obvious Perique. It's got a smoky chocolate, nutty quality a little as well.

The oriental tang is the most prominent flavor, and it's woody with a subtle smokiness.

You can see my video review of this blend here:

https://youtu.be/kltpqXa6mwg
Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Bent Apple Diplomat
PurchasedFrom: Tobacco Pipes
Age When Smoked: 10 Months
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 17, 2012 Mild Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
As many others, the name drew me to this one. We have a stable with 10 horses, 4 beeing ours and i thought this would be a fun thing to smoke around the stables. However this doesent only have a funny name, its a well tasting well behaving Va/Latakia blend. Smell out of the tin is amazing, the taste is not quite as amazing, but it is good.

Recommended to anyone!

-Ole
1 person found this review helpful.
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