Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation Family Reserve

I recently added two 100g tins as an afterthought when ordering online, to reach the free shipping threshold. When my order came, I placed them aside while I got on to my main staples. However, walking by my office door, seeing the attractive tins day after day, I began to get curious. Finally, having satiated myself with a VaPer after dinner, I thought I could indulge in a sweet dessert before going to bed. I cracked the tin, and I am glad I did.

The scent I could discern first was almost reminiscent of pink cotton candy, bright fruitiness with a vanilla background. I could see some broken Virginia flakes and lots of natural looking ribbon tobacco which I assume to be burley and VA, and from the appearance I would estimate about 25% Cavendish. The scent was definitely interesting – I can’t say that I am very familiar with marzipan and what that flavour connotes, but the fact is it smells great in the tin. I selected a meer which I have lately gone to often with aros for a fresh start each time with little carryover. It has a rather tall bowl and I packed it 2/3 full, because I wasn’t sure on moisture content and didn’t want to commit to a fully packed bowl, should it have been wetter than expected. I didn’t bother to rub out the broken flakes as there was a good amount of ribbon for tinder, and I assumed that the blender had included the variety of cuts for a reason. As I cleaned up a bit, I was a bit surprised that the plastic bag inside couldn’t be resealed to ensure freshness. There is a little sticker which seems may be intended to secure the contents, but then again, it isn’t obvious to me that if I pull it off, it will still be tacky and so I made up my mind to transfer to a mason jar for prolonged storage.

Once lit, again I get the extremely sweet cotton candy note, but below it is a bright sour Virginia – all warmed by a very nice vanilla. The first third progressed in this way. Into the second third, I was getting more of the burley with occasional darker Virginias which I assume are from the flakes. Very nice. 15 minutes later towards the bottom, I must say that I was getting a bit of gurgle and just a bit of bitterness, perhaps due to the moisture, but perhaps because I was rushing it a bit. I was determined to try this again next evening. The second time around, it was even better. Possibly a bit of drying time had helped due to the lack of seal mentioned above, but this time it was again bright and flavourful with the top note and wonderful VAs. I was a bit more careful with my pace and found a quiet stride. Markedly less gurgle and bitterness the second time around, and I am looking forward to enjoying the remainder of the tin. Indeed, I feel comforted knowing that there is in fact a second tin included in my order to hold back. A pleasure!