Maybe I just had a bad batch, but my experience with this blend was very mixed. At first light, this blend was hearty but not heavy, spicy but didn't bite. Lots of good, full VA/Lat flavor. Then it soured, and hard! Once the honeymoon was over, I didn't want to continue. The flavor just kept getting worse, to the point where I had to put it down, about 2/3 way through the bowl.

I may try more of this in the future, just because the first part of the bowl was so good. YMMV

Tobacco form: Broken Flake.

Humidity: A lot, needs drying.

With 50% Latakia the aroma is quite smoky (a friend described it as bacon-y). The tobacco has a full and nice taste that fills your taste buds and makes them happy. The flavor is sometimes smoky (because of Latakia)and sometimes sweet (because of the Virginia). Nicotine levels fall into the medium to low category. Smoke it slowly and relaxed because anxious puffing tickles your tongue. The room note is strong and some people may find it unpleasant.

It is an enjoyable smoke especially for the Latakia lovers. The only drawback is that it is a quite flat blend. No surprises here. Nevertheless, it is a quite good tobacco and I truly recommend it!

Now I expected, from a blend that touts itself as 50% Latakia, to experience a certain degree of Latakia bomb. What I obtained was a Latakia thermo-nuclear device. Whoa ! Basically nothing present but Latakia, tongue bite, and an unsweetened, salty licorice coating on the tongue. No Virginia sweetness, no Oriental spice, no nothing....'cept Latakia. Ok. I knew something was wrong and went back to the reviews. What did I miss? Obviously....dry time,dry time, dry time. So after letting my tongue and palate heal for a couple of days. I tried again.

Round 2: About 1 hour of dry time on paper, followed by a gentle rub, I loaded a smaller bent billiard bowl with what seemed like VERY dry tobacco. There was a powder left on the white paper that looked like powdered graphite. Did I overdo it?

NO. This time I had a GREAT smoke. Lots of Latakia and yes, Santa Claus, there IS Virginia. And Oriental, in this blend. Experienced a very pleasant creaminess behind the Latakia, along with some nice spicy sparks from the Oriental.

Is this a all-day smoke? Not unless you have a tongue that resembles a razor strop. Is it an everyday smoke? Not for me. I'll be reserving this for after big dinners or when I crave an extra hit of Latakia. It's a very nice, quality blend that I will keep on the shelf.....for occasional use only.

** UPDATE ** A bit one sided...it's good, but needs a bit of dimension to it.

I don't know what it is about C&D, but they can do English blends like no other! I prefer this when I don't need as much Latakia as Pirate Kake has to offer.

9 out of 10.

For me, this tobacco needs some time to air and is just too moist out of the cans I've opened. Packing a pipe and letting it sit overnight, or letting some sit on a paper plate for a few hrs. before smoking is my routine. Have experimented with this stuff in wider and narrow gauge pipes. Like it rubbed out a bit more than it comes in the can, and in a wider bowl. Everyone has a different preference.

Do not find this to be a Latakia bombshell. There is a unique creamy thickness to this blend in the mouth. Very full. It is also subtly sweet in my opinion. No doubt there's Latakia in there, but the salty smokiness of Latakia does not overwhelm the tastebuds at any point. Very balanced with the Red Virginia and Izmir components.

Tobacco is consistent from top to bottom of bowl. 3 stars.