Seattle Evening is the first of the batch I've dipped into and it's a thoroughly enjoyable example of a mild English which is lifted by the high quality of the sweet Virginias. It's a pretty subtle smoke and it probably won't win any immediate fans from those who need a WOW factor at first light. Like most Virginia-dominated blends, the pleasure grows as the ash thickens and the sweetness of the leaf develops. The blend has excellent balance, packs great and smokes cool.

Ultimately, however, I find that this has all the qualities of a good middle manager in an age of corporate belt-tightening--fine, nice to have on hand, unnecessary, deserving of a nice letter of reference.