Actually, to be more forthrightly honest, there were a few puffs where something reminiscent of flavor slipped to my tastebuds, and those hints of flavor were actually kind of nice, but it took some work and those phantasms of flavor were too ephemeral to bring into focus.

Too much work for so little return. Life's too short to continue smoking something in the hopes that I'll be lucky enough to chance upon some toothsome will-o'-the-wisp.

I rediscovered it this week. It smells like very dry tobacco. It looks like very dry tobacco. I have to take care in getting it out of the tin and into the pipe least it turn to dust. Be that as it may, once lit it is magic.

I bought this during a time when I thought I wanted to marry VApers. At the time, I think I thought Kingfisher was a VAper. I am startled by how much better I like this over, say, Escudo. Of course, I am in a period where I think I want to marry burleys. I am in nuptial bliss.

Backing up a little, I find straight VAs dry my throat. Someone here attributed that to its astringent properties. I think that is right. So, from my throat's perspective, adding burley to anything VA improves the chances I will like it. I really like this Kingfisher. Its got VAs, its got perique, but most of all it has cool, nutty, nicotine laden burley. For me, this works!

Smoking it initially was a pleasure. It had some issues with staying lit, however I tried it fresh when I was new to pipe smoking. It also seemed to burn hot. That again could be that I was new to pipe smoking.

Smoking it part 2. After 6 months of drying the Krumble Kake was quite dry. I'll brake this up a bit; Outside on a 40 degree day with a light breeze the tobacco is amazing, it seems to bring out the flavor. In a Meerschaum it is indeed a nicer smoke. As for indoors in a Briar it gets boring. The flavor is almost unnoticable.

Perique I could only catch the note of it on a fall type weather day, otherwise it seems to not even be there. I have given in my own notes a 7.7 to Kingfisher. I'll have to keep it for a cool windy day smoke.

The tin smells like figs, but the taste is very mild. The suggestion to smoke this in a meerschaum is a good one, you'll want either a dedicated pipe or a meerschaum to really get at the flavour.

As a latakia smoker, this will not replace Scottish Cake for when I want something different. It's just too bland and uninterestng.

Update: smoke this in a dedicated latakia pipe. It adds a wonderful complexity to the blend.

Packing & Lighting: Packing is quite a chore. Tryed to scoop out each slice with the spoon of my tamper but the slices kept crumbling, so they were just scooped out anyway. Easily overcrumbled to a powdery consistency. Be careful not to pack too tightly. Using flake just stuffed into the pipe, moisture necessitates two strong efforts to achieve first light, is more difficult to keep lit, but is slower burning. Crumbling KF to a powder, it burns easily with one match.

Taste & Aroma: There is a definite Perique aroma, levelled on a burley base. Not much taste; the Perique is not peppery. KF smokes cool, if it isn't hurried, but it does not smoke to an ash. The dottle doesn't burn well, but there is no moisture in the stem. Biteless. I don't get a good VA signature from KF. With residue left in the pipe, I couldn't call KF clean-burning.

Room Note: Stale, burley. The ash had a strong cigar odor.

Nicotine: For a Perique blend, KF is moderate.

Overall: Just not my thing; not enough of a VA signature; too much burley.

Now, keep in mind that I was used to getting my tobacco out of a plastic and paper pouch, so when I opened that tin of Krumble Kake I was a little perplexed. The strips were very dark and smelled earthy, sweet and borderline pungent; when I tried to get them out of the tin they, well?krumbled.

That winter night I tried my first Kingfisher out of a small Dublin bowl I knew that fine pipes and tobaccos were in my life for good. I also found that, quite miraculously, I had a winning combination with tobacco/pipe/temperature combination on my very first smoke! Since then, I have tried Kingfisher out of a wide/shallow bowl and a deep/wide bowl just to find absolute wrongness throughout the entire ordeal. Also, I have found that on summer days the spice in the nose is left un-rounded due to the heat and humidity of the day. I have smoked Kingfisher now in all the ranges of temperature, humidity, and bowl shapes that Iowa and my pipe rack have to offer. Again, the original combination is essential to get this tobacco to behave.

As far as any flavor is concerned, it is definitely a subtle, familiar smoke that I had trouble pinpointing. It wasn?t until I had a friend come back from Turkey and brought with him a tin full of whole dried figs that I knew what it was. When I popped the fig in my mouth I instantly thought of Butera?s Kingfisher blend on that first winter?s night.

A very peculiar note: the first tin I tried was dark, robust, sweet, and a favorably pungent; also, the tin was barely two thirds full. The second tin I bought was much lighter in color, not as rich, and the tin was completely full. If not for the tin, I would have thought that these were two different blends (the first being the better). I am trying to find another tin of Kingfisher so I can get an idea of what ?normal? is for the blend but am finding that, due to Katrina, it will probably be close to winter again before I do.

So, until next time, I'll leave my judgment as this: If done right, Kingfisher is an even burning, cool smoke with subtle, earthy, delightful, well rounded, tones... It has the potential to be nasty and the potential to be outstanding! Stick to the prescribed smoking method and this finicky smoke will not do you wrong!

I won't go through all the description of tin appearance and aroma, as that has been done aplenty by other reviewers. However, I think it may be worthwhile to explain how I got this tobacco to become one of my favorite all time smokes after trying it, and being sorely disappointed.

First off, you might want to try a smaller pipe. Take two or three of the slices, and crumble them up as fine as possible, then use the gravity feed method to load your pipe. You may want to insert a pipe cleaner through the draw hole as you massage the tobacco into the pipe. The idea here it to have a very fine mixture packed very tightly into a small space.

I have found that, using the above method, this tobacco is extremely tasty and slow burning. It is one of the most enjoyable tobaccos I have ever encountered.

I recommend this for an all-day smoke if you like a little bit of Burley and have a high tolerance for "the curse." The figgy Perique aids in delivering that nicotine but the main experience is a straightforward mild Virginia.

Butera has another Virginia/Burley blend: Stonehaven, produced under the Esoterica label. While Stonehaven has a better tin aroma and comes in wonderfully menacing long black slices, it?s actually pretty boring to smoke. I used to cut it with Wessex Burley Slices until I found Kingfisher. Now there?s no need. Kingfisher is less interesting than Stonehaven in the tin, but in the pipe the situation is reversed.

Kingfisher comes in the same tins as the better-known Penzance and is cut the same way. It arrives a bit dry, and crumbles at the touch ("Krumble Kake," they call it). A bit of rubbing and you?re good to go. It burns quickly, but not hot, to a fine ash (surprisingly fine, for a flake). I smoke this blend in Dublins, as the slight taper to the bowl intensifies the flavor in the second half.

I love the Krumble Kake format, and Kingfisher rubs out to what I consider a perfect consistency. I never use too much pressure when loading a pipe with this tasty tobacco. I stick to a moderately firm pack, and I'm rewarded with a cool, easy, and flavorful smoke.

Age does wonders to this blend. The obviously high quality of the leaf contributes to the wondeful effects of time. I've never experienced bite from Kingfisher.

I'm surprised by what can be done with mixtures of Virginias, Burley, and Perique (I'm also a big fan of Greg Pease's Cumberland). The variety of flavors, and depth of flavor, makes Kingfisher a hard one to set aside. Great stuff.

Two of five stars

9/19 - i was hard on this one, i admit. after trying it again, it's really in a class by itself, though germain is stamped all over it. it's penzance light: fruitier & less aggressive. more of a piccolo than a flute. i enjoyed this in late summer. it had dried out a bit & provided a pleasant diversion for when old ironsides & penzance were simply too heavy. this might be better as a warm weather blend in a smaller pipe.

upgrade to three and a half of five stars

I didn't like this much at all. I've just got a bit to finish off, then I'll be done with it forever. It smells and tastes musty. Even stale. Never had anything else like it. If you have had other musty tobaccos and liked them you'll probably love this.