| I have been so impressed with Hans Schurch’s blends sold by Synjeco that I thought I would take a chance with Lapis. I say, “take a chance” because I generally don’t go for English blend variations as I find many of them not to my liking. When I opened the pouch of Lapis, I thought my fears would be confirmed. The appearance is that of a typical medium English, but the scent was so fruity, I thought I would be smoking a full aromatic containing Latakia. After a few short minutes of dry time, I easily packed my early 1960’s Stanwell Acorn. Well, it was love at first puff! The fruit flavor, while present, moves to the background and is in perfect harmony with the tobacco components. Lapis is slightly sweet, very creamy and smooth. It burns coolly with no bite. The flavor is consistent from the top of the bowl to the bottom. The strength stays medium throughout. I am sure that this will be an aromatic for some and not for others. It’s so well done, I don’t care. If you want to take a chance on a “new age” English blend, then Lapis is a great place to start. Highly Recommended!
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| Do you like espresso? I don?t mean a double orange latte with powdered coconut cinnamon; nor do I mean a mocha nonfat, 1.15% lean froth, vanilla hazelnut cappuccino; hell I don?t even mean a macchiato; if you like espresso and like to complement your drinking pleasure with a little bit of pipe smoke then you owe it to yourself to try Lapis.
This is another one of Mr. Schurch?s ?New English Blends?, which in part means that it tastes like no other blend in the world. On light up one is aware of the Schurch signature Virginias. No matter what type of Virginia?bright, dark, red, lemon, blue?, etc??he is blending, it seems Mr. Schurch, is capable of ordering, at will, a fruity (though not syrupy) sweetness for the background. But the Virginia medley in Lapis is quite darker than Amoun, Pirite, or even Tarek Robusto. By the same token it is also deeper (because of the burley?) and mellower. The mellowness contrasts nicely with the Black Cavendish, which makes its presence known no later than the middle of the first puff. However, rather than dominate, having introduced itself, the Cavendish then steps aside and lets the mild spice and wood of Latakia finish the puff. The Latakia is so well integrated in this blend that one has to remind oneself where the spiciness is coming from.
With this blend, the introduction ends no sooner than it begins, the overall taste of the blend develops early. It is a taste of dark skinned fruits that have been cooked, aged, or fermented, to the point of shriveling up: Plums, (as in Plum Pudding), raisins (as in Rum Raisin), and currants (as in Crème de Cassis). There is a slight fermented taste to this fruit compote and hints of bittersweet chocolate. The whole mixture goes very well with very strong coffee, so I strongly recommend you try it with a cup of espresso. To my experience there is only one other tobacco that coffee complements so well.
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| This is a smooth, compelling smoke fitting any time of day. Great taste and aroma with no bite. The cut allows for an easy filling of the pipe, and it burns perfectly well down to a pure white/grey ash. A daily smoke for me.
I highly recommend trying some of the blends by Hans Schürch - if you look at the overview of his tobaccos on this website, you will see that all of them are highly rated by the reviewers. This fellow knows his business.
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