Kapt'n Barsdorf's Bester Gold (formerly Honey & Rum)

Barsdorf's Kapt'n Bester Honey & Rum was my first and only pipe tobacco for the first year and a half or so of my slippery slope into the underworld of pipe smoking that has included such shady characters as Albert Einstein and Mark Twain. Both the pipe (Dr. Plumb) and the opened 250 gm tin of tobacco were gifts from an old-school chain smoker who found the demands of piping didn't suit his immediate and long-term smoking requirements. In hindsight the tobacco was already too dry when I began my trial and error experimentation with pipe smoking but didn't realize this until a new tin (Dunhill) of tobacco was purchased almost two years later and saw the contrast between fresh-moist and exposed-dry tobacco. No wonder the honey and rum never materialized on my taste buds except in one fleeting shooting comet moment towards the bottom of a bowl after following the quintessentially German "Frank Method". The fact that an expiring batch with its fleeting aromatics could still hold its own with a rookie smoker is a testament to the tobacco's tenacity and general quality. The flavor is mild, mildly fragrant and not sweet. The virginias would have sweetened some overtime, but since the casing must not have been very sweet in the first instance this is a blend that may appeal to those who like their meals to conclude with a dessert but not overtly sweet desserts. Come to think of it, this is a blend that should appeal to German tastes. One cannot refute in any language the Kapt'n's self-description, "Bester Honey & Rum ist ein leichter Tabak, in dem sonnengereifte Virginiablätter mit Honig- und Rum-Aromen veredelt wurden." Would give a 2.5 star rating but the site doesn't allow for half stars, so in good German fashion will round down rather than up.

Vendor: used gift (originally a duty-free purchase) Time between purchase and opening: unknown Time between opening and smoking: unknown Storage: original container eventually transferred to a glass jar Pipe Used: Dr. Plumb bent brandy with Vauen 9mm filter Environment: Tropical