It was a most enjoyable smoke, the smoke was a bit nippy at the tounge, and was much warmer (temp.) than Sunday. No real flavor popped out, it was a nice afternoon smoke while walking along the hudson. Temp 80deg at 78% hum. Felt like 90 at 90%......

20/05/2011 I just received an 8oz tin of this wonderfull weed and i can honestly say that this weed will never leave my rotation.

Ugly and dirty looking in the pouch... sort of a long, dark pencil shaving appearance. But in the pipe, this is a nice one! The Kentucky plays the lead role, with the VA and latakia in the background. There is just a touch of sweetness and smokiness and all this huge burley flavor. C&D burleys tend toward the "earthy" side of things rather than the "nutty", in my experience. This tends to make for a more robust smoke and, quite frankly, Easy Times is not what I would have named this blend. I wouldn't care to smoke this all day long. But at the right times, this is a winner.

This is a highly non-complex blend with excellent full flavor and a nice punch to it. If you love burley, you have to give this one a try. Runowski and Tarler's genius with the burley leaf is amazing!

In the tin, this tobacco has a dark appearance (medium brown and black). It smells like dark chocolate of all things! This is not a flavoring, but a product of the burley, virginia, and latakia aromas.

Easy Times packs easily into any size bowl. It does not light easily! I think this may be the fault of the cut, as the strands of medium-brown tobacco are somewhat thick. They actually unfurl and try to "crawl" out of the bowl when lit! It's actually very entertaining at first, but becomes somewhat frustrating after you've tamped it a million times. It burns to a mottled, dark-gray ash.

This is one strong tobacco! There is nothing subtle here. The virginia and burley play nicely together, providing a sweet, hayish flavor. The latakia moves in and out, adding a grilled-steak flavor. The aroma is pure tobacco.

If this were a beverage, it would be Jack Daniel's. Not the best out there, but a good, strong, satisfying drink nonetheless. Recommended.

The sweetness leads the way, but unlike a straight Virginia there's substantial body and smoothness with an additional smokey quality. Quite a feat, really. As others have said, smoke it slowly and you'll be rewarded with some wonderful flavors. The burn is effortless and without any tongue-bite whatsoever.

I wonder if the Kentucky burley is the same one used in Pease's Cumberland.

It just wasn't quite rich enough to earn a top rating; so while it doesn't satisfy as a evening smoke, it fits as a morning or afternoon blend.

Govern Yourself Accordingly

Against my better judgment I tried a second bowl. All of the sweetness was gone; I smoked it in the same pipe, but this time all I tasted was ash. After the nic hit this time I dumped it out.

I know many love this blend, and the burley tastes great (when it wants to). For that I add a star. But I would caution you--if you're not the type who can tolerate a LOT of nicotine, like smoking three Marlboro Reds one after another, stay away!

Taste & Aroma: The taste and aroma are a muted red VA-burley.

It smokes fairly cool, meaning the bowl did not get hot. There was a noticeable lack of even the slightest hint of moisture. ET smokes about the driest of any tobacco I have ever smoked. It smokes incredibly well, down to a fine ash, and absolutely biteless.

Nicotine: That rat, Mr. Nic O'Tine, came creeping around last night. Forget about the velvet hammer; try a 10-pound sledge. Nicotine is a rodenticide.

Room Note: It leaves a lingering, stale, red VA-burley scent, and that is a bit surprising, by contrast, in that ET has correspondingly less taste and aroma, compared to a noticeable room note.

Overall: ET smokes cool and dry. The contrast between the taste and aroma, and strength, the ratio of aroma to nicotine, is remarkable, maybe the greatest I have ever experienced. I just wish it had more taste and aroma. 2.5 stars.

Cigarette smokers should know that they can puff more aggressively on this blend without their pipe turning into a torch or their tongue swelling. But smoking it cool brings out the variety of flavors and makes the bowl that much more enjoyable. I have smoked this in a newer Rhodesian that I am still breaking in, and by the third bowl (following Frog Morton Across the Pond) it was heavenly. I've also smoked it in a brand new cob, and it was even better, to my amazement.

I can't say enough good things about this blend. It is a masterstroke, but needs to be smoked medium to cool for full effect. I will definitely be ordering more.

ET seems to gather a little strength through the bowl but it's not dramatic; it holds up a medium-bodied front throughout. It burns coooly and produces little moisture.

I'm smoking this in a smaller (Group3-4) pipe and as the last bowl of the evening, it seems like a good cap to a day of fuller latakia-heavy blends. I keep on passing my nose over the bowl while it burns because it has such an appealing aroma, smooth, not acidic or ashy. I could easily see myself smoking this more often, especially as a change of pace, or when I'm not quite sure what I want.

Addendum 10/9/06: I really missed the boat here, not mentioning the red Virginia in this blend. It's really apparent when first lighting-up but also plays genially with the burley and latakia. Still liking this stuff.

Meerschaum Man Smoking an Altinok Canadian Smooth

Have smoked a 2 oz. tin of this in various pipes, and it smokes well in everything I have tried it in, although I prefer it in larger bores for the increased taste. Smokes cool, with no bite in everything.

I find this to be a very flavorful blend, and to me the Va. is what stands out in flavor, with the burley providing a solid fullness. The latakia provides a distant smokey background, and is definitely in the background on this one.

This could well be an all day smoker, and I will keep some on hand.

It burns like a dream, a mark of C&D bends I think, and only needs light tamping, again I think common of C&D blends. How one blends something that is both sweet and has the flavor of a clean tobacco all at the same time just baffles me, but I am not going to complain. The sweetness is not syrupy or even prevalent over the tobacco flavor in the blend like a more heavily Burley blend. I think it is as much from the Va? than from the Burley. Though there is a velvety smoothness that I am sure comes from the aged fire cured KY Burley. There is body here from the Latakia a ?different? body, more on the rear of the palate, not as heavy, a very refreshing surprise. The Va? and Latakia in this blend are not as ?smoky? as one would think, being predominant, but there is a woodsy quality halfway to the end of the bowl, but you have to wait for it and it &, again, it does not hit you over the head any more does the nutty quality, that age makes a lovely difference.

This is a beautiful, well-balanced, blend that goes well in a large pipe. If for nothing else you must smoke it for the chance to taste that aged KY Burley, it really gets you early on in the bowl and is delicious.

I had no trouble lighting it, keeping it lit, smoking it to the bottom, worrying about moisture, and the room note was not unpleasant, as I was told. I usually smoke very bold blends, this was a much appreciated wonderful change. An outstanding smoke for breaking in a new pipe, I would like to add. Thank you Frenchy for you kind large sample. (I am gonna? have to stop saying I am not a fan of Burley? this is getting sad.) Namaste?

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 8.6 out of 10.

Packing and Lighting: both were easy with the moisture perfect out of the tin. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: sweet, red VA, but also smoky from the Kentucky and Latakia.

Mid-bowl: This is a VA/Burley lovers delight. I love the wonderful interplay between the leaves. Very robust in flavor with the latakia and kentucky working as a charmed condiments.

Bottom of Bowl: A surprising build up of strength. Nicotine quantity surprised me a few times. Burns to a dry mottled ash.

Overall: While this is a change of pace blend for me, it is a delicious, high quality offering for the VA/burley lover. The complexity is amazing from the seemingly simple individual elements. The aftertaste is spectacular as well, with ocassional bursts of sweetness as your saliva breaks down the residue left in your mouth. I will definitely keep a few tins of this blend around. You do not have to worry about tongue-bite either with this blend as it offers plenty of flavor at slow to medium puffing. This blend worked best for me in big pipes, group 5 and bigger. Thanks again C&D!