Charatan Four Leaf

Next in my tour of Charatans Dunhill substitutes, to my taste the rhyming "Four Leaf" is a dull understudy to that fantastic blend, although I can't find any particular defects besides excessive moisture content. Maybe I would have felt differently if it had not associated itself with that splendid, complex tobacco, and it does fit the same place of a richer blend for late in the day.

The tin aroma is the first sign: there isn't much of one. It's a very mild, smokey, hint of orientals aroma, and certainly doesn't leap from the tin to greet you. The tobacco is an uneven ribbon with some big chunks, and is supplied very moist indeed.

The flavour from the light is unremarkable, middle of the road English, the sweetness from the Cavendish is not so great as in the Dunhill blend (strange, as several of the Charatan blends have been much sweeter than their predecessors). There's a salty tang to the latakia. In its moist state as supplied there is a tendency to harshness not quite reaching "bite" but not at all what I expected in a blend with Cavendish. It tends to gurgle a little. These defects are reduced now the tobacco has dried a bit, but it's not velvety smooth. I have to say, the flavour is better now its been open a while and dried out a bit.

There isn't much development through the bowl, and that's the main thing setting the original apart. When I smoked Aperitif, almost every bowl would catch my attention at some point because the flavour was just so good, so rich, sweet and delicious and it varied from start to finish. This tobacco, while inoffensive, just doesn't capture my attention like that.

It burns to a minimal wad of dottle, without much need for relights. It has perhaps a smidgen more nicotine than Dunhills Aperitif.

All in all, not bad, but not a great substitute for Aperitif. I'd rather enjoy my recollection of that splendid stuff than risk dulling those happy memories convincing myself that this is similar. Thankfully I have a tin of Aperitif left for when I need to remind myself just how damn good it was...