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Celtic Mist
| Brand: |
Two Friends |
| Blender: |
Craig Tarler & Gregory Pease |
| Tin Description: |
A base of the highest grades of Cavendish, with just a bit of Burley, is enhanced with wonderfully sweet Virginia tobaccos. A delightful tobacco flavor sets the stage, enhanced, not overwhelmed, by the addition of a little essence of Irish Mist. The room aroma is equally enchanting to those fortunate enough to be in the presence of the smoker. |
| Country of Origin: |
US |
| Curing Group: |
Flue Cured |
| Contents: |
Burley
Cavendish
Virginia
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| Cut: |
Ribbon |
| Packaging: |
Bulk |
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Average Ratings
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| Strength: |
Mild to Medium
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| Flavoring: |
Medium
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| Taste: |
Medium
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| Room Note: |
Pleasant to Tolerable
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| Recommendation: |
Somewhat Recommended
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Showing reviews 1 through 19 of 19 reviews of this tobacco
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Stacey
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05/30/2007 |
Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Pleasant
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| This one is hit or miss. Maybe I let this dry out a bit too much, but at first I thought this was great, then sometimes I would say merely good. All in all, not a bad smoke.
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DoctorThoss
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11/11/2006 |
Mild
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Strong
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Medium
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Tolerable
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| I've tried all but one of the Two Friends blends, and this is the only one that doesn't get 3 or 4 stars. The taste isn't pleasant (it reminds me of really cheap coffee creamers), and the flavor sticks to your pipe like Superglue. I might actually have ruined a cob with this, which would be a first. The tobaccos themselves seem to be of decent quality, but this was a genuinely unpleasant experience for me.
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emmbee
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08/09/2006 |
Mild
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Mild to Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Very Pleasant
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| If Pease doesn't bail and Tarler doesn't screw this one up, this stands to be one of the finest aromatics on the market today. I don't like Bailey's Irish Cream type drinks, and especially in tobacco format. It's there, but it's so perfectly blended in the leaf, you'd think each cell had been individually treated with loving care. The tin aroma is flat and uninspiring, but give it a few minutes upon lighting, and let the tastebuds dance begin. I've been shying away from spicy English and oriental blends during this hot summer, so this one has really filled the bill. So far, I've enjoyed other Two Friends mixtures, and have a tin of Valle Crucis I'm aging for fall and winter. With all the other disappointing changes going on, this is one you will want to have around for when a sweeter repast is desired. A wonderful collaboration of the blender's art!
Four of five stars
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Zone Smoke
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07/27/2006 |
Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Medium
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Pleasant to Tolerable
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| This blend tastes as though an attempt was made to flavor it like those irish coffee creamers you find next to the coffee machine at your local convenience store. It just doesn't work for me. Bitey and unremarkable, this blend would best serve as garden mulch.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn
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07/26/2006 |
Mild to Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Very Pleasant
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| One of the best aromatics I have ever tried! The tin aroma is that of coffee with cream and sugar.It has a very chunky cut that packs well and eventually burns to a fine gray ash.The flavor is a wonderful BAILEY"S IRISH CREME and coffee mingled together. THe uniqueness of this aromatic lies in the fact it burns very cool and dry. There is no bite and the casing remains throughout the entire smoke. It is very similar in construction and characteristics to REPOSE by C&D. A wonderful aromatic experience and a true crowd pleaser!
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OPCElder
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06/29/2006 |
Mild to Medium
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Mild
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Mild to Medium
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Very Pleasant
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| (Update 6/29/06) Perhaps my taste is changing. This is still a fine aromatic, but not much tobacco flavor. It's a bit too sweet for my (more refined?) tastes. I'm about half way through an 8oz bag of this stuff and will probably give the rest away. It's just not for me. I've sampled all but one of the Two Friends line and like them all. Celtic Mist is a very pleasant smoke with lots of flavor and excellent room note. I highly recommend this blend.
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VAman
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04/29/2006 |
Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Medium
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Pleasant
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| very aromatic. but one can still taste the tobacco under the casing wich i like in the blend. i recomend this baccy for those who normally like aromatics but are looking for more power.
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traveler
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08/27/2005 |
Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Pleasant to Tolerable
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| I don't know why this tobacco gets such a bad knock-- it's a decent aromatic and a nice change of pace from the usual vanilla aromatics. I'm almost certain that there is no propyline glycol in this mixture and I don't think either Tarler or Pease would adulterate any blend they had a hand in. In fact, my batch came on the dry side and had to be hydrated not long after it was opened.
There is a fruitiness present. Apricot would indeed be the closest comparison, but it's not overbearing and just a little sweet. I think the sweetness is coming from the Virginia, not from the casing, if there is any-- and the burley is very much in the background here. The Irish Mist is apparently applied as a topping and doesn't come out in the smoke.
The large pieces of tobacco, which I would call more of a shag than a ribbon, smoke cool. I normally have to re-light it a few times. No stems, and little tobacco "dust" tell me this is quality leaf, handled well.
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DUPE.1512
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05/31/2005 |
Mild to Medium
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None detected
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Mild to Medium
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Pleasant
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| The Cavendish rules the roost and I tasted no burley or virginia. I did not detect a casing, the cavendish dominates making it hard to pick up on anything else. After reading the reviews here and there mixed reports, I have to wonder if this blend suffers from quality control in the consistancy department. If you really like Cavendish you may really like this blend. I'll pass on any more though.
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Stormrider
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07/08/2004 |
Mild to Medium
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Strong
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Medium
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Tolerable to Strong
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| Apricot brandy air freshener. I know it isn't topped with it, but that's what it smells and tastes like, in the tin, the taste, and the room aroma. Overly sweet and fruity. Perhaps airing it out for a bit may help, but I doubt it since it isn't moist at all in the pouch. What a disappointment.
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CaptnDan
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05/03/2004 |
Mild
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None detected
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Very Mild
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Pleasant to Tolerable
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| Having tried other offerings from the Two Friends, I had high expectations for Celtic Mist.
Reading the reviews posted here led me to wonder ? why is it that there is such a wide variance of opinion as to the casing on this tobacco? Some call it overwhelming, while others wonder if it is there at all. I ended up in the latter category. What happened to the liquor? Did somebody use it as a ?topping? in a cup at coffee break instead of using it on the tobacco? There would appear to be some major problems with consistency.
The description made this sound like something I might enjoy. But from the start, the Cavendish ruled like a Third-World dictator. The Burley and the lighter Virginia never stood a chance. Every time they would attempt to make their presence known, the iron-fisted dictator would quickly squash the rebellion and retighten the grip.
The tobacco burned well, and left the pipe nice and dry. Unfortunately, the unflavored Cavendish gets tiresome in a hurry. There was no tendency to bite ? the sweet-bitter-dry smoky flavor that was pleasant at the beginning just stayed in power too long for me.
Celtic Mist is kind of like Duvalier for your pipe.
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Paddy
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07/24/2003 |
Very Mild
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Extra Strong
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Overwhelming
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Overwhelming
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| This tobacco smells and tastes exactly like the bubble gum I chewed as a youth. I do not like it in my pipe. Paddy.
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omegapd
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06/04/2003 |
Mild to Medium
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Medium
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Mild
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Tolerable
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| Like the above reviewer stated, this is one of the best looking blends I've ever seen. The pouch aroma is wonderful too, even though the "little essence" of Irish Mist is a whole ton. Upon lighting, this was the worst biting blend I've ever had and the flavor was fair at best. I'll go with pipestud on this one. Terrible stuff...
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Stogie
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09/08/2002 |
Mild
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Medium
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Medium
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Pleasant
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| I just finished a pouch of Two Friends Celtic Mist. I must admit it took me almost 6 months to do so, however, it gave me a good look at the tobacco in different stages of "pouch aging" and humidity levels. Pouch Aroma: I must agree with Sceny. It smells like Irish Cream coffee creamer already mixed with coffee! Not overly sweet. Nice.
Visual: One of the most attractive tobaccos I've ever seen. A beautiful contrasting ribbon/cube cut with dark browns and blacks and an almost equal portion of light yellow.
Texture: As with all C&D blends, was just a touch on the dry side when I received it from Craig. I let it get even dryer, and enjoyed it more and more even with the rising temperture. Still smokes a little wet.
Pack/Pipe: Gravity fed with just a little tamp into two pipes from my aromatic rotation. This blend was smoked in a small Comoy Rockroot Pot and a large Israeli Alpha Galaxy Virgin Finish full bent.
Lighting/Burn: One match to char well, one to light. That's it all the way to the bottom! Even smoking wet, this blend continued to burn well, leaving a dark ash with a few bits of charred tobacco.
1st 3rd: When new, experienced some tang at beginning of smoke which subsided mid way. Was more pronounced in smaller pipe. This tang subsided as the blend dryed and aged. Can definitely taste the topping at this point. Burley is the dominant lead off tobacco.
2nd 3rd: More of the same. Did I mention this tobacco burns fast? Really fast! Smoked through an inch of tobacco in about 15-20 minutes.
Final 3rd: Burn rate has slowed now, and Irish Mist is recognizable but not powerful. Burleys are still holding their own with the VA's. No relights needed to get to bottom, however, did need to use 3 pipe cleaners on average.
Notes: I like this tobacco for a quality aromatic that was blended with some thought. Aroma does not seem to stick with pipe at all, and builds a decent cake. If it didn't burn so hot, I would like it more.
Stogie rating of: 7 Heavenly Hoyos
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Pipestud
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04/23/2002 |
Mild to Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Mild to Medium
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Pleasant to Tolerable
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| I gave this blend a try at one of my recent pipe club's meetings. It was not a pleasant experience. The flavoring was odd, and so was the combination of tobaccos. Because I am a big fan of Peterson's Irish Whiskey, I thought this might be agreeable as well since it contains a misting of Irish Whiskey.
I couldn't taste the Whiskey due to that aforementioned strange casing. The cavandish was too broad cut and did not stay lit well and the virginia leaf did not seem of highest quality.
Two friends may have created this blend, but I doubt there will be three people smoking it if those two invite me to their house! I would rather be a non-smoker than try this stuff again!
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PuffNStuff
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04/01/2002 |
Mild
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Medium to Strong
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Medium
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Pleasant
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| I purchased a pouch of this tobacco and the first thing I noticed upon opening the vacuum-sealed pouch was the unique aroma. I thought the tobacconist had sold me bubble gum instead of tobacco! After breaking off a couple of pinches from the vacuum-packed ribbon and filling my first bowl, I was definitely curious as to what this stuff would taste like. After lighting, I was pleasantly greeted with the taste of irish cream mingled with the Virginia. After a few puffs, I thought "uh-oh, here's comes some pretty gruesome bite", but the tobacco settled down and became much smoother. The burn was even, and after some initial gurgling, the bowl burned even and slow until I neared the bottom of the bowl, where several re-lights were required to finish. About three-quarters down the bowl, I could definitely begin to taste the burley in this blend, and the sweetness of the Virginias mingled with the burley was quite pleasant. I was reminded of sipping on an irish coffee late night in the coffee shop. This tobacco is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so (despite my initial reservations regarding the bubble gum smell!) and the "irish mist" is definitely pleasing.
I definitely recommend it for those looking for a pleasant aromatic blend as a change of pace.
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smokey
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12/11/2001 |
Mild to Medium
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Medium to Strong
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Full
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Very Pleasant
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| i started out smoking aromatics, then discovered english blends and pretty much abandoned them. it takes a good one to lure me back, and this is one of them. it is not syrupy, lights and burns easily, and has a pleasant room aroma. the taste is great, the cavendish and burley blend together well, and the Irish Mist really puts the topping on the cake. you do have to smoke this one slowly, puff too fast and you will get some tongue bite and a hot pipe. i 've read several bad reviews on this tobacco, usually by people who have only smoked samples at shows. like many tobaccos, it takes more than one pipe to really get a handle on it. i usually smoke it in a medium bowl pipe, this is not one that i would want to smoke for hours at a time. like a good dessert, a little goes a long way. making an aromatic that appeals to an english smoker is probably one of the harder jobs for a blender. craig tarler and g.l. pease are two of my favorites and they did a fantastic job with this one. four stars.
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Sceny
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03/31/2001 |
Medium to Strong
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Medium to Strong
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Medium
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Strong
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| This is a very interesting tobacco; I don't believe I've seen anything quite like it. Since Two Friends is a cooperative effort between two of my favorite blenders, GL Pease and C&D, I ordered it hoping to find the best of both. The first major difference is that it comes in a partially clear heavy plastic pouch. This is sealed very well, the strong vacuum making the lump of tobacco inside as firm as a brick. Through the plastic, I notice a visually attractive mix of blacks, browns and yellows, all in roughly equal amounts and well mixed. When I open the bag, I am struck immediately by the very strong aroma of Irish Mist; I can tell at once that this is a C&D blend! What surprises me is how close the casing aroma is to Irish Cream Dairy Creamers - I almost want to flavor my coffee with this stuff. The tobacco is on the dry side, but not near as dry as most C&D blends; about on a par with the GLP blends I've tried. A mixture of medium cut with a few long strands, it packs nicely, and lights quickly, puffing up on the charring light. In the first third of the bowl, the casing is fairly strong, especially at the very beginning. On first light, and at each relight thereafter, I get a "sharp" flavor, almost a sweet and sour taste. And while I can smell the Irish Mist, I certainly don't taste it in the smoke. I quickly notice the tobacco base of this blend, a mild smoothness with a bit of a sharper, dryer flavor as well. There is a spiciness here, too, but it's difficult at this stage to determine how much flavor is from the tobacco and how much from the casing. In the second third, the "sweet-and-sour" effect diminishes somewhat, and the sharp Virginias and Burley mingle with the mild Cavendish base. Thus far, there has been no hint of tongue bite or moisture. There is a bit of sweetness as well, I believe from the Virginias as it seems different than the initial casing flavor. I am still getting bursts of the casing, however, and it does not detract from the taste of the tobacco. Onto the last part of the bowl, and interesting things are happening. I'm noticing a bit of a punch from the nicotine; though I would not term this a strong tobacco, it is noticeable. There is a spiciness and additional complexity here, reminiscent of other GLP tobaccos. I don't taste much of the casing any more, and there is a bit of moisture at the bottom. It is not severe, however, and there is still no bite that I can sense. The tobacco burns cleanly to the bottom, with only a little left when I empty my pipe. Overall, this was an enjoyable smoke. The room odor was very pleasant, and the casing did not overwhelm what is a very good tobacco base (except at the very beginning). This is a nice, clean-smoking aromatic with good complexity and a bit of a nicotine kick; I believe I will be smoking more of this in the future.
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| Reviewed By: |
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Jon Tillman
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03/30/2001 |
Mild
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Extremely Mild
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Medium
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Very Pleasant
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| The aroma is reminescient of coconut, and that does not bode well for this blend and I. You see, coconut is one of my least favorite flavors ever. Ah well, let us not be put off by aroma alone. I approached sampling this tobacco with a bit of trepidation, given the coconut aroma, and the fact that aromatic blends are not my forte. I decided to play it safe and first try this out in a corncob. During packing I had to remove a twig or two, but no real problems. The light was easy, and the first puff a great suprise. There was not even a hint of coconut taste! Instead, I was treated to a very mild 'Southern' flavor of Burley and Cavendish, though leaning towards the Cavendish side more than the Burley. The first half of the bowl proceeded without incident, with me savoring the burley and cavendish flavors as they danced around. Presently, the Virginias began to peek their heads out, and heralded the beginning of the second half of the bowl. Now, the combination of Burley and sweet, sugary Virginias is a sure recipe for tongue-bite for the unwary, so I slowed down and 'breathe-smoked' the second half of the bowl, and it was delightful. The only rea lissue I have with this blend is that the transition from the Burley/Cavendish flavor to the Virginia flavor is a nbit mpre abrupt and pronounced than I would have liked.
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Showing reviews 1 through 19 of 19 reviews of this tobacco
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