What surprised me was the cut. Listed as a broken flake it seems more like the intent was to produce a flake and with too much burley or not enough time, it was basically your first quarter inch cuts for cubing. Fairly dry with only a few minutes after finishing the cubing job, the bowl was filled and the char lit. A flash of spice from the Perique some nut from the burley but no Virginian to be found. First light became what the bowl was about. This was another blend of burley adding a little Virginian and Perique to make it sound different. Thankfully the alcohol smell was gone in the smoke.

The smoke has quality to it mostly added by the cut. Cubing this is the saving grace here. If this was a ribbon and the Virginian and Perique quickly burning off, a total fail. The cubes allow for an even release of a hint of sweetness from the Virginian and the occasional hit of Perique. With a little more of both would make this a smoke for the burley man’s rotation. Towards the bottom the Perique steps up and matches with the hay and nut of the burley. The quality of the burley is defiantly above average and the tin should have listed it first. There’s nothing Virginian about this, and it’s a quality burley, so marketing this as a Virginian I believe hurt the blend for those looking for a burley. The finish unloads the vitamin N with a force, and the quality of the burley and the cut left a white and gray finish with a single tamp and one re-light. So I recommend this to a burley smoker looking for a quality burley that is really a full flake that fell apart into strips and a little Perique and heavy N. This is the first time I’ve run across a burly that could be cubed nicely and it does make a big difference. I’ll be hitting back my traders with this as it was a surprise to enjoy a long smoke with a cube cut BURper.

Even though it has an eggnog like aroma in the tin, as well as when it is being smoked, it is, nonetheless, not intrusive. The sweetness of the VAs marry beautifully with the smoked/spiciness of the DFK and the peppery & plum flavour from the Per which provided me with an excellent and flavorful moment.

This tobacco is rich, tasty and strong in nicotine in an acceptable way.

Like all C&D and G.L. Pease blends, this tobacco gains to be aged at least 1 year before opening.

If I had the option of only 1 tobacco to smoke, ER would be the one.

Burns to a white ash right out of a fresh tin (no drying time needed) has a sweet flavor from the start from the virginias and developes rather quickly to a spicy peppery flavor. This blend would be best as a evening smoker with a good scotch/whiskey or strong coffee in my opinion. A nice oaky red wine would also do well with this blend. The perique really comes out halfway through the bowl and dominates the finish. Strong nicotene kick with thick smoke. The room note would be slightly offensive to the non-smoker but rather intoxicating to smokers. Overall this in my opinion is a top shelf tobacco for the experienced smoker.....aeromatic lovers need not apply.

My confession is this: I did add 2 oz. of latakia, mixed thoroughly, watied a couple of months, and liked it a lot better.

The previous reviewrs have summarized this tobacco very well already.

Suffice to say my tin was dated May '09 when I opened it today. Yes, there is a topping similar to eggnog that will be present in the taste when smoked, bringing a refreshing addition to the sweetness of the VA, the slight nuttiness & smokiness of the DFK, and the occasional punch of the Perique.

It smokes very well, has a good dose of vitamin N and I thouroughly loved it.

I will buy more and I can garantee you that this one will become part of my top 5 favorites.

You must try the Rooster!

It's a broken-up flake, and thoroughly rubbed out it's an easy light. The bowl I'm smoking right now I didn't bother - I just shoved a wad in and lit up. In this case it took a few relights, but once on fire it burns steadily and reliably.

The last third is awesome. If the whole bowl was like that it would get four stars.

Despite what the label reads, there seems to be more than "a dash of Perique" in here. Not that this is a bad thing, the Perique blends perfectly with the Virginias and Burley for a satisfying and tasty smoke.

Can't find any faults with this one...VaPer lovers should definitely give Exhausted Rooster a dance.

My initial impression when I lit the bowl was that the blend was pretty bland other than a light spiciness which was most likely the perique. After my first tamp, the raisin-like taste came back full throttle with more of that underlying darker taste that danced from a dark rum back to a dark fermented fruit pulp. The taste of a rich, but not sharp, fruit cake is the best way I can describe this blend. These flavors stayed down to the light gray ash at the bottom of the bowl. I did not find this blend to have a long finish, but it did leave a nice and toasty room note.

I found after having this in my rotation for a week that I preferred it fully rubbed out in a briar, but enjoyed a whole flake stuffed in a cob or meerschaum. Note that I do tend to burn my cobs and meerschaums hotter than my briars. I will definitely be buying more of this to cellar to see how it develops with time.

EDIT: 2nd half of the bowl was just as good but the perique did pick up in strength. I

I like to smoke this blend slowly and boy is it rewarding and the taste stays with me for a while afterward. Just long enough to tell me to grab another pipe and have saome more if time allows. If not, I'm lookin' for anyother chance to fire some up. This blend seems to work best in a medium to small bowl. With a big bowl the rooster just crow too loudly and gets a little bity with all the flavoring burning in there. Yeah , this is a really nice blend and there are several tins under my belt and more on the way.

This one gets FOUR stars without a doubt!

The presentation and burning characteristics are typical of a well-prepared flake tobacco. They fold, stuff, or rub out easily. They are a bit moist, so I recommend drying them for a little while before loading your pipe.

There is a definite topping applied here. I'm not sure what it is, but it immediately reminds me of Haddo's Delight -- it's not identical, but very similar. Upon first light, the flavors of sweet VA dominate the bowl. As the smoke progresses, the burleys begin to assert themselves more along with the perique. This blend isn't exactly complex, but there are some subtle nuances that may at first escape your attention. There's a decent nicotine hit here, and absolutely no hint of bite. The flakes smoke cool and don't require much in the way of relighting.

This strikes me as being -- in effect, if not in design -- a toned-down flake version of Haddo's Delight. It's not quite as sweet or tangy as Haddo's but it's considerably easier to smoke. This is not a bad thing. It won't completely replace Haddo's in my rotation, but it's a great alternative on days when I'm wanting something not quite as full yet equally tasty (which, for the record, means most days).

The aroma right from the tin packs a big sweet, almost fruity, punch, giving a promise of what it may smoke like. The VA's definitely provide a pronounced sweet taste, so much so that I want to say there is a coating on this baccy. The perique does not present itself until later in the bowl and the burley was hardly present for me, other than as a side note that helped add balance to the blend.

This particular blend seemed to fair better in larger bowls, which allowed the nuances to come to the forefront. The strong scent of the the tobacco that is present at first does tend to lay back a bit as the perique comes forth. This could be an everyday smoker for some, just not me. I did enjoy it quite a bit though and will smoke it quite regularly.