Seattle Pipe Club Wild Man

The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia takes a very small lead at times, but there is a lot of inconsistency in the overall flavor, so that lead is very equivocal, especially after the first few puffs. The main competitor is the woody, earthy, dry and very sour, lightly sweet, sharp, fairly floral, incense-like, spicy, zesty Turkish and Orientals. One of the Orientals is yenidje. The red Virginia provides tangy, mildly fermented dark fruit, earth and wood. The grassy, tart citrusy brighter Virginia is a condiment. Although the Virginias rise up to compete with the Turkish and Orientals once in a while, they are mostly in third place. In fact, the Turkish and Orientals will even supersede the Latakia at times. Despite the variability of what the components bring to your palate, you will notice all their attributes at some level or another every moment you draw smoke in. The strength is a step below medium and the taste threshold is medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but there’s a rough edge at times, which is typical for this kind of product. This crumble cake blend easily breaks apart to suit your preference. Burns cool, clean, and a little slow with a semi-sweet, sour and rather savory campfire quality that translates to the lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs some relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran. I give this two and a half stars, rounded down to two because the aforementioned inconsistencies.

-JimInks