The beginning is a little rough but by the first tamp, the nice nuttiness of the burley comes through. The VAs are subtle and add a hint of sweetness to the burley and the nice soapy flavor of the perique. I had no problems with bite, though this blend lends itself to sitting back and taking your time. It really is a relaxing smoke.

About mid bowl, it reaches it peak. I'm a big fan of the burley. It has such great interplay with the perique. It's just delicious! Exhaling through the nose is wonderful, but a warning to inhalers! I french inhale and perique and smokiness will almost knock you down.

It burned fairly well and I had minimal relights. The moisture in my can was a little on the dry side, but since I smoke a lot of 2015, it was probably the correct moisture content. Not much gurgle and the ash was grey/black. Very limited dottle.

I struggle between highly recommended and just recommended. I'd probably give it 3.4 *s. OJK is a very good blend that could probably use a dedicated pipe (or at least a pipe that smokes the soapier periques). If you're a VaPer fan, you should definitely try it.

Difficult to keep lit, Keeps raising up at the start and then as the bowl progresses, requires constant attention to keep lit. The taste is harsh with nothing that I can consider flavorful. No distinctive slipstream odor or room note. The worst part is a terrible after odor and taste left in the pipe after just one bowl, and the taste and odor just linger and linger if the bowl is not swabbed. My wife also says that after smoking this blend, I should immediately brush my teeth and use minted mouthwash.

Sorry to all you OJK lovers, this is just not for me.

I love a good cigar and if there is one more thing attractive and unique about this blend, it's the woody, cigar-like quality of the flavor's finish.

The only drawback with this blend is its extraordinary springiness at first light. It lifts itself out of the pipe like a chin-up artist and seems to need extra attention with the tamper. But such idiosyncrasies are easily forgiven in the face of such flavor. Highly recommended for part-time pipesters with penchants for stogies, trail mix and acrobats.

And it's particularly nice with an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.

This hit the spot for me - heavy in nicotine so I didn't have to reach for a cigarette or two in between bowls! Tastier then most with this high a nicotine content and if the other reviews are correct, the taste's will come out further with some aging.

I put it alongside Irish Flake and Erinmore as a tobacco that can satisfy those of us who require the nicotine punch yet like some flavor to their smoke.

I know that a lot of people love this blend but it is just not for me.

20Oct2010 UPDATE I think that I was too harsh in my original review of this. I have since come to like Burley blends very much and this one is great! I apologize for my hasty judgment of this blend.

Another reviewer described this as a "kaleidoscope of naturals," and I agree. The burley used here is delicious, and it basically serves as the canvas on which the virginia and perique get to show their stuff. As a perique lover, I can't get enough of this blend-- it's supposedly composed of something like 25% of that spicy leaf, and as the bowl progresses it shifts back and forth between a fruity/sweet flavor and a more spicy/sour one.

But this blend's smokability is what really pushes this to the top of my cellar. It smokes with all the ease of a drugstore burley and almost never bites, even when puffing like mad on a large bowl.

Like most C&D blends, I do recommend letting it age a few months and then letting it dry out a little before smoking it. I prefer to buy mine pressed, but it's great either way. I've also found that adding about 10-15% latakia makes for a very enjoyable American English blend, if you're so inclined.

OJK is easy to pack, I usually just put the pipe in the pouch and scoop until it's full, then tamp down rather firmly on top. It seems to go especially well with my Lannes Johnson XL billiard. Lighting and burn is also good, you shouldn't need a lof of relights with this one. It leaves the walls of the pipe clean at the end of the smoke, not at all goopy.

Scores for OJK: taste- 16 of 20, lighting and burn- 9 of 10, value- 8 of 10. A total of 33 gives OJK a **** rating. Another good job from Bob Runowski and Craig Tarler.

Perique?s fig-like fermented character shines with OJK. You get the peppery character too, but raisiney, stewed prune flavor isn?t lost among the other flavors like it is with some other blends.

The overall taste is no-nonsense and one dimensional. I?m not saying that like its a bad thing. Very sturdy - it borders on harsh but doesn?t cross that line. Its robust, its in your face, and doesn?t pretend to be gentle, but it doesn?t abuse you either. All that Perique cools the blend down - tongue bite should never be a problem. OJK is a great source of Vitamin N and one bowl might even exceed your daily allowance.

The blend comes in a cut that is very easy to pack and smoke. It rates high on my smoke-ability scale. Puff on it all you want. It might knock you on your ass, but it won?t leave any bruises.