After lighting it, the first thing I noticed was a subtle milk chocolate sweetness. As I progressed down the bowl I noticed a slight sour taste I could not put my finger on mixed with the subtle chocolate flavor. At times I could almost pick out a light peaty smokiness with hints of black pepper and at others an almost floral note mixed in with the chocolate. The room note was pleasant leaving behind a mild sweetness in the air. All the tastes were very subtle to me through multiple bowls in briars, cobs, and meerschaums. I would like to think this blend may have been a bit too complex for my limited palate to notice everything that was going on, but it may just be a milder smoke than I am used to having.

If you like a mild smoke with quite a bit going on, then this blend is for you. My tastes of late have been toward blends that are more in your face so I may have to revisit Royal Cajun Dark somewhere down the road. As of now, I probably will not be keeping any more on hand as it did nothing for me. I neither love it nor hate it.

The inner disc tells the story: a Virginia seed grown in Kentucky. I would say it's a kind a natural black cavendish, mild, spicey and smokey. Truly delicious. I wouldn't say CB is something to imitate the Perique. This is another thing.

RCD is something dark, very dark, almost black. Not wet. A bit complicate to light, but then it goes his way without great troubles. Mild, but not exagerately. Sweet like stoved virginias can be, without the very minimum bite, no matter how hard you draw. Spicy like the best Orientals can offer. Softly smokey and citrusy like Syrian Latakia, without being leathery.

Before me, Kingcole says it right: RCD smokes like an aromatic without being an aromatic. Nice statement. I would add mine: smokes like a mild english mixture without being an EM. I do think each smoker can find his motto: that's because RCD offers many layers of depth (DK).

I usually prefer blends several notches stronger. Here we are in the mild territory, but that is counterbalanced by a consistent flavour body, which makes RCD a satisfying and contemplative smoke.

I'm of those thinking RCD is a true masterpiece.

RCD had a taste like a fine oriental tobacco to me at times, a taste like a flavored burley at others, and finally a taste like a highly matured straight virginia at others, all the while bringing out the wonderfully rich spicy flavor of the Cajun Black (whatever that really is!). This comes dark in the tin (duh!) and came in a fairly dry state. The flavors were round and full but mild. Alternately spicy and creamy, but always earthy and highly nuanced. I found layer upon layer of complexity and "color" with this one. It almost wore me out when I was smoking purely for tasting notes! I found it difficult to concentrate on anything else while smoking.

What I find truly odd with this one is that I will smoke it only occasionally while RC Ebony will be in my regular rotation. Even so, this is a 4 star blend and I highly recommend it. It's a stunning effort.

Unbelievably sweet for a non-aromatic, and yet so marvelously pure and natural. And smooth?! Zounds! I don't know any other smoke that feels and smells so good coming through my nostils. And zero bite, no matter how hard you puff at it (and I tried!).

calavera astutely compared this to another McClelland masterpiece, Dark Star. RCD is like Dark Star's coarse (ie: easy to prep and light), more gregarious cousin: it's just as subtle, but less complex and mysterious, and a lot more playful, with the sweet dark flavor coming front and center.

But it's not a monochromatic sweetness at all, but one suffused with a myriad of wonderful spices -- predominantly sweet ones like clove and nutmeg, but with tiny little hints of something tangy and sour here, something peppery there -- that together form an impeccably balanced melange of flavors that deepens and develops throughout the bowl.

But the flavor never overpowers. It's like emmbee says: "This is one of the most understated tobaccos you could smoke, and yet, the flavor reaches out politely and ubiquitously without offending." emmbee also likens RCD to a "magnificently aged single malt scotch", and I find that another apt comparison.

To contribute my own synaesthetic metaphor: if Dark Star is a Berg String Quartet, then Royal Cajun Dark is a piece by JS Bach in G Major, playfully and serenely joyous.

Great, absolutely great. My congratulations to McClelland for developing a whole new genre that can produce such a sublime concoction! I can't wait to try the other blends in this series.

UPDATE: Two months later, and this seems to have become my default blend. Absolutely love it. I've decided that it is more a fine port than a single malt scotch. I've tried the other Royal Cajun blends (which I will review at some future date), and this one is definitely the best (for my taste buds, at least). My #1 tobacco. Beer (reviewer below) nailed it when he said "if you are into dark but subtle tobaccos, give it a try", for indeed RCD hits the bullseye in my happy spot.

Packing & Lighting: It packed easy enough, but is not so easy to keep lit. Soon after firing up, a small amount of gurgle persists, but it generally burns to the bottom of the bowl. Multiple bowls give an undue accumulation of moisture around the shank.

Taste & Aroma: I get a peppery feel only when the smoke is directed straight onto the tongue. If it could be termed a chocolate taste, the result is a cloying effect of a plastic palate. There seems to be a vinegar component in the aroma. I even considered not finishing the tin.

While puffing lightly, the smoke is cool like menthol, even though there is none in it. Something akin to cedar/woodsy, I would describe RCD as having a distinct plastic dark chocolate taste and aroma.

Nicotine: Mild to moderate, slightly less than RCS.

Room Note: Although mild, diagreeable and lingered like an aromatic.

Overall: I didn't care for RCD at all. It seems like an aromatic. A couple of weeks after opening the tin, it stays lit easier and has a nicer taste and leaves much less moisture in the pipe. 2.0 stars.

Alas, the test of fire showed that while this is a good tobacco, it is a little underwhelming... at least for my taste.

Very dark and stoved, with a fruity sweetness that lurks in the background behind leather, cloves and other spices: not a bad trademark signature. To me, the problem is that even when dried a bit and smoked very very slowly it still tastes a bit watery, face-powderish and too gentle in flavour.

It's not bad, mind my words! And it definitely has body (plus some unplesant astringency and mouth-drying quality typical of several American virginia blends)... but it is so subtle and delicate in its aromas that I am left wanting more (or, better, wanting a bowl of something else to fill my tastebuds).

Anyway, it's finely crafted and if you are into dark but subtle tobaccos, give it a try: you will probably enjoy it more than I did.

So why not four stars? Honestly, this is just not what I want from a pipe. For what it was, it was great. It tasted like a cinnamon scone: sweet and bready with a bit of spice. But I want a steakhouse or an Indian food restaurant, not a bakery when I light up. I want cayenne pepper and cumin, not cinnamon and nutmeg. That's just me. This is a good blend, even a great one. But there are too many great blends to smoke them all, so you have to limit yourself somehow. This is highly recommended only for the aromatophiles who want something more natural.

Five and a half of five stars

Was rather wet, and should be dried before smoking. Had to relight several times due to the moisture. The taste was dark and sweet with no casing detected. I can't say that I tasted anything that I could definitely say was the Cajun Black. The taste was that of a Va/perique blend with a nice sweet and sour taste but with none of the horrible peppery burnt taste of perique.

I look forward to trying the other blends.