Regarding the deer tongue, it is light green in color and visually present and interspersed throughout the cubes. The deer tongue is at the forefront at all times and it presents a very unusual but not a disagreeable taste that I would call musky and mildly herbal. This taste is not reminiscent of any other tobacco I have smoked. If you are inquisitive, you will just have to find out for yourself what this deer tongue is all about. I think the Indians smoked this stuff. If the cubes were smaller, I think I might smoke it more often. But all in all, it really is not a bad smoke. It is mild with no bite and just a heck of a lot different.

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

I rate this tobacco 7.9 out of 10.

The odor in the one ounce sample dominated the box of my last C+D order. The scent carried strange nostalgia of the tobaccos my grandfather smoked... I am sure he smoked half and half - and other popular burley blends, but I now wonder if he had ever dabbled in deer tongue mixtures.

The pouch aroma is exceptionally pleasant, light and floral. Not in the lakeland tobacco way, but in the same sense as a grassy summer field.

This was by far one of the strangest tobaccos I've ever rubbed out - sticky clumps that seemed almost seed like. The green leaves emitting their vanilla aroma. Quite a bit of moisture and a number of relights necessary to get going. I suspect this sample will do well with some drying and aging.

Upon lighting and smoking - there is distinct nose of anise, vanilla, basil, and evergreen. This balances out to a fairly straightforward smoke with only hints of the herb coming through. I've never smoked straight burley, and will have to do so to determine whether or not the deer tongue "ruins" the burley taste and aroma.

Perhaps it is my inheritence of "generation X", but I seem to be among the dissenting number that much prefer Bing's choice of tobacco to his music.

While likely not something I'll smoke every day - this provides an interesting and naturally aromatic smoke that I'll more than likely return to in the future. 4 stars for daring.

Aroma: Mellow Burley aroma, with a hint of sweet herbiness. The aroma is elusive, but puts me in mind of Tarragon, or Summer Savory.

Packing:. Works best in medium and larger bowls. I simply pour the cubes in all the way to the top, add a few bits of rubbed out tobacco and then tamp lightly once.

Lighting:. In spite of the large cubes, the tobacco is not hard to light. Typical char, tamp and relight get it going well.

Initial flavor: The initial taste is good nutlike burley, but there is a hint of the Deer Tongue. The flavor when burning still reminds me of some delicate kitchen herb.

Mid-bowl:. The Deer Tongue provides a layer of flavor which interplays with the Burley in a beguiling manner. The Burley is excellent quality, and can stand on it?s own, but sometimes needs a counterpoint. This combination works for me. The blend burns cool and dry, but stays lit well.

Finish:. No noticeable change at the bottom of the bowl. Generally leaves a clean dry pipe.

Summary:. This is an excellent all day blend for the Burley guy. It would be a great change of pace for anyone willing to broaden his horizons, be he an English fan, a Virginia lover or an Aromatic devotee

When good, it has perfect burning qualities, gets a little hot and bitey and has a fabulous aroma in the pouch and room. When bad, it gets really hot and bitey and the burley taste becomes just hot air that will fry every corner of your mouth. It will also turn to mold without adding any water or doing anything to it. I've still got a bunch of the second batch left over and I occasionally smoke it thinking age will help it some, so I'll give it the recommendation that I did. Otherwise, I would never buy a pound of it again until I was sure it was similar to the older stuff.

I like cube cut burley. The addition of the deer tongue to my palate is in all actuality very subtle; one doesn't so much get slapped in the face by the flavor as notice a shading of a vanilla-cinnamon-like taste.

In addition, this is one of the few tobaccos I have ever found that smells exactly like it tastes. The room note is actually discernable to the smoker.

I would suggest picking up an ounce if the opportunity presents itself. If nothing else, I'm sure you will find it one of the most interesting smokes you have ever had.

If I have one complaint, it's the the burley is rock-hard. This may be in keeping with C&D's policy of dry shipping, but my attempts at rehumidification (by misting the stuff with distilled water) left the tobacco hard and sticky, not soft and fluffy as cubed burley should be. Maybe that's the way Bing liked it??