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Amphora's Kentucky Blend is a harmonious blend based on more than 150 years of experience of tobacco blending. A large proportion of dark-fired Kentucky is blended with high grade Virginia tobaccos to achieve the solid and smoky taste of the Kentucky tobaccos.
Notes: Introduced July 2019
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JimInks (3047) |   |
Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The woody, earthy, floral, dry and lightly sweet, moderately sour, mildly spicy, nutty, smoky dark fired Kentucky is the lead component. The smokiness has a minute barbecue note. The Virginias offer tart and tangy citrus, a little tangy dark fruit, earth and some grass as a secondary player. They take a little of the edge off the DFK. I detect no toppings outside of a sprinkling of sugar. The strength and taste levels are just past the medium mark. The nic-hit is a step shy of medium. Won’t bite, but it does have a few rough edges as one would expect from a blend with dark fired Kentucky. Needs a light dry time. Burns cool and clean and a little slow as broken flake mixtures tend to do. The lightly sweet and rather dry, savory flavor is very consistent from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. The savory, campfire after taste lightly lingers. It’s not really an all day smoke, but it is a repeatable one, especially if you are a fan of DFK. Those experienced with DFK may consider this to be an all day smoke. It is a little less sweeter and not quite as potent as Mac Baren’s HH Old Dark Fired, though it does have enough punch and body to hold your interest. Three and a half stars out of four.
-JimInks
23 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StevieB (2081) | |
Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Mac Baren - Amphora Kentucky Blend.
There are many non-aromatic blends where it's easy to decipher and list a plethora of flavours, nuances, etc. This, however, isn't one. What this is, IMO, is a steadfast, basic, LOVELY, smoke.
The pouch contains a coarse, dark, slightly smoky smelling, perfectly hydrated, broken flake. I put mine into an empty Wild Man tin to save spilling any when filling from the pouch!
The Kentucky leads, unequivocally, but is a more 'chilled out' variety than a lot. I don't find it too fire-cured in taste, but has a calmer smokiness, rather than a bitter Dark Fired Kentucky flavour; to me. It's this acridness from the curing which often deters me from DFK, but it isn't present in Amphora Kentucky'. The Virginia gives the blend backbone, and build, but doesn't have much of a 'fresh' presence. The burn from AKB is exemplary: coarse tobacco=slow, cool, burn!
Nicotine: packs a punch! Room-note: not great!
Amphora Kentucky Blend? A remarkable smoke, and one of the best of this genre! Highly recommended:
Four stars.
Pipe Used: Various
Age When Smoked: 1 Month
Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrokenRecord (124) | |
Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Amphora, Kentucky Blend: A fantastic yet affordable summer dark-fired smoke
The Virginias seem to be made up of mostly reds and some brighter leaf varietals. They are sweet and tangy with a little grassiness (in that order) and I really enjoy them in this blend—more than those in the current iteration of Three Nuns, which tend to bite at the tongue. The Virginias dominate the first third of the bowl with the smoky-oak flavors of the dark-fired Kentucky seeming more like a condiment tobacco. However, the dark-fired flavor builds substantially the farther down the bowl you smoke. At the end, it becomes strong yet enjoyable.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeathMetal.org (231) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Summary: dark fired spice with undertones of Virginia that emerge in the second half of the bowl.
Similar to the Drum rolling tobacco or Mac Baren "Old Dark Fired," this blend consists mostly of rich, spicy dark fired Kentucky Burley, which gives it somewhat greater strength and a zesty piquant flavor, thanks to the Virginias incorporated to balance it. Those varietals, forming a minority of the flavor here, create some magic in the second half of the bowl when they caramelize and the spice of the dark fired becomes a tangy molasses-like flavor, as if the sweetness melted into the smoked leaf and gave it a new dimension. Not everyone will like this, but it is a great option to have in a drugstore package, and in my view will improve quite a bit with a couple years of age. If I had a wishlist, it would be that this blend get closer to "HH Bold Kentucky," which has more bright Virginia to give the flavor a balanced character; sometimes, too much dark fired is too rich, just like too much Latakia can obliterate all other flavors.
Similar Blends: Mac Baren - HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed, Peter Stokkebye - Amsterdam (No.83), Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Plug.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fr_tom (393) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The cut is a mostly rubbed out flake. It came at a good level of hydration for me. Some of the hunks are a little hearty, and after a couple of bowls, I discovered the best way for me to smoke it was to gently rub out a pinch in my hands and stuff from there. The pouch note is a slightly sour tobacco smell. It reminds me a little of freshly sliced Mammoth Cave.
This one is probably best described by comparison to ODF. That one is familiar enough to serve as a reference, and I think most people looking at Kentucky Blend will have tried ODF as well. t is a little less sweet than ODF and does not have the body. There is spice in the snork and when puffed. It is a solid Medium in terms of strength.
This one is very good, but it does not rise to the ODF level of great. I would smoke this again and enjoyed it.
I rated it at Pleasant to Tolerable in terms of room note, but I WILL report that when I lit my first bowl of it, my wife said "That one really smells great!" I claim this is not the universal response if you light up in the den, but at my house, it is a "Very Pleasant."
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ducksbreath (125) | |
Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I'll keep my review brief.
I thought Amphora Burley was at least as good as HH Burley Flake, but I don't think this is nearly as good as ODF. It just tastes like watered down ODF (which some people may really enjoy).
The reduction in strength and depth just hamper the enjoyment of the dark fired leaf for me. This is really a 3 star blend, but since I gave Amphora Burley 3 stars, I have to give this only 2.
I should add that as someone who has smoked the original Amphora red and brown, that none of these new blends have anything in common with the original drug store queen.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| manno (50) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
yup. i'm an unabashed tobacco (and other area) elitist snob. i try every day to downsize myself and ego. thank you amphora kentucky blend for helping me beyond imagination in this endeavour. deep rich kentucky with a beautiful support of fine, sweet virginia (rolling stones anyone?). i wake up and spend the day trying to avoid smoking this bowl after delicious, unctuous bowl. $6 and a plastic pouch and i'm a proud man without pretense. thanks again ;o)).
Pipe Used: i'm a straight billiard guy
Age When Smoked: new, but some age prior to tinning
Purchased From: smoking pipes
Similar Blends: macb's bold kentucky; dunhill dark flake.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Lager (53) | |
Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Mac Baren has another bell ringer with this one. The spicy, dark Kentucky is well complimented by the Virginias which leave no sharp edge to the smoke. My pouch came partially rubbed out and a bit moist. A bit of dry time and it was ready to roll. The somewhat stout blend is bold but not overwhelming. The Virginias seem to be of good quality and the nicotine is close to medium. Requires a few relights and I rubbed mine out a bit more too, but you preference may differ. May be to much for the beginner but is great with a cup of coffee or a good lager beer. Could be an all day smoke to some. Highly recommended.
Smoke while you still can- Lager
Pipe Used: Pete's, Savs, Stanwells
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Smoking.pipes
Similar Blends: Old dark fired.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Stan (179) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
A bold readdy rubbed tobacco with plenty of KDF to taste. It is balanced with VA so it is not super potent, but it is still strong.
You have to desire the dark, almost bitter taste that follows.
Cool, dry, and stays lite well.
No raves but no complaints either.
Pipe Used: Old West
Age When Smoked: new
Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Lakeland Dark.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan (179) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
A bold readdy rubbed tobacco with plenty of KDF to taste. It is balanced with VA so it is not super potent, but it is still strong.
You have to desire the dark, almost bitter taste that follows.
Cool, dry, and stays lite well.
No raves but no complaints either.
Pipe Used: Old West
Age When Smoked: new
Similar Blends: Germain Lakeland Dark.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Chili guy (14) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant |
Dark fired Kentucky with enough Virginia to add sweetness and modulate the flavor a bit. Authoritative but not strong, a rich flavorful smoke. In my opinion, best in a large capacity briar bowl. Presentation is broken flake that can be more or less haphazardly stuffed and packed straight out of the pouch. Good moisture level as it is. An easy to deal with smoke that should be appreciated by any Burley lover. No bad habits with this one, no bite no steam from excess moisture.
Pipe Used: Peterson large Bulldog
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Smoking Pipes
Similar Blends: Never had anything quite like it..
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Viscfab (36) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I have not tried any other Kentucky blend so far and I am more used to DFK as a condiment tobacco rather than the main star on a blend. Having said that, as I really enjoyed the Virginia Blend from Amphora I wanted to give this a go. Well, the puch offers a medium dark brown pre rubbed flake. It says to conatin a bit of Virginia but I cannot find it here. The aroma is what I can call salty, a little bit barbecuee and it is quite monochromatic. It packs and lights well. The aroma and taste are definitely not sweet. It is also almost salty, flavour is uniform and monotonic, it would be a good addition to other leaf blends ate 5-10% max. Smoking it as almost pure DKF is definitely not for me. It is bearable but not satisfying. It is rather dry on the pallate and does not evolve. I am not a big burley fan as well so I guess DFK as a blend is not for me. Burns down to a dry ash. If you are into DFK go for it, if you are an English or VA lover like me, maybe you won´t miss this one on your stash.
Pipe Used: Vauen, Savinelli, Stanwell
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: local importer
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Uncle Al (17) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I’m not a big fan of dark fired Kentucky, but Amphora Kentucky Blend has changed my mind. This is a fantastic, rich, deep and flavourful tobacco with a decent hit. The slower you smoke it the more luxurious the flavours and deeper the hit. Frankly, I was blown away by the superlative quality and value for money. Comes moist and ready to go, but I store mine in a clean (boiling water), airtight jar with a little dark rum just to make sure. I pack it as it is, leaving room for expansion and add a finely rubbed out layer to the top, just to get things going. I’d say a bit passed medium strength but with an upfront, solid hit. So, what’s not to like?
Pipe Used: Lorenzo Billiard
Purchased From: 4Noggins
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| RedGopnik (16) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Came in my christmas stocking from Santa, I must say that santa has good taste.
That "tin note" smell you love from KDF, like a good ketchup or bbq sauce. Good enough to eat. Big chunky flake ribbons. Feel free to rub out or pack as is, it smokes beautifully.
Sweet, sugary Virginia's paired with smoky, sweet, meaty KDF. Taste reminds me of a smoked tea I drink. (That's right, smoked tea leaves). Floral, sweet and mesquite/hickory smoke. Smoke it fast and the nicotine will come strong. Zero tongue bite until the bowl is finished
Pipe Used: Straight billiard
Age When Smoked: Fresh to 2 weeks
Purchased From: Gift (pipes and cigars?)
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| HWM (13) | |
Medium to Strong | Medium | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
A more easily appreciated version of MacBaren ODF ready-rubbed is what this is. I prefer this to ODF frankly. It’s lower in nicotine and has less of that “nasty cigar butt” flavor toward the end of the bowl.
Not something I’d reach for all the time but if you are craving cigar like flavors and higher nicotine content this is a good pipe tobacco substitute. Does not bite even when pressed hard IMHO and best smoked in a filter pipe (like most MacBaren products). The room note isn’t great; smoke this one outside if you love your companions.
Also it’s readily available in tobacconist across the EU and easily purchased online in the USA which helps.
Pipe Used: Various 9 mm filter pipes (Rattray’s; Kemperling)
Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch
Purchased From: Gerald Egger (Salzburg, AT)
Similar Blends: Mac Baren - HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Jevverrett (106) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I bought a pouch of this to check out, and was shocked at how good it was. I had been meaning to try something from the amphora line, and figured this would be more in my wheelhouse. I didn’t realize it was made by MacBaren, but knew it when I opened the pouch.
It is nearly identical to ODF RR, a favorite of mine. Old dark fired ready rubbed is a fantastic bulk offering from MacBaren in the HH line. This may be a bit better in some regards. It is a touch sweeter I think and burns more easily and neatly. Also, the presentation is a bit better to my eye.
It’s easily an all day smoke for me, and I finished off the pouch in less than 2 days. I would buy more, but I have pounds of ODF RR already in my cellar, and regular blend rotation. Great stuff though. A good, satisfying and manly smelling blend with a decent dose of nicotine to boot.
Pipe Used: Various
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Smokingpipes
Similar Blends: HH Old Dark Fired RR.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| BingCrosby (162) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I hate to sound too much like a Mac Baren/Per Jensen fanboy.. but screw it.. The fact that you can get something so close to HH series quality in a pouch at a fraction of the price is a complete game changer.. One could smoke this while waiting for their tins to age and still get that which they crave.. My reviews will always take price and availability into consideration.. This is a homerun as far as I am concerned.. The blend has a great Kentucky flavor without being so overwhelming to rule it out as a regular smoke.. You get the wood, floral, barbecue.. All the things a Kentucky smoker would want.. The virginias while not maybe being as well used as in ODF are perfectly balanced and just offer that little bit of sweetness that tilts the smoke into a very smooth and palatable experience.. This is something a beginner or an experienced pipesmoker could enjoy.. Sure it has a little strength.. but not a powerhouse like HH Bold Kentucky or some of the Gawith blends.. I can't recommend this highly enough. One final note.. I love working with this chunky broken flake..
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Calamiti (86) | |
Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
While I still wonder why Amphora Burley Blend costs so little (as its quality far exceeds its price tag), I have no reasons to marvel about the same regarding another of the two new Amphora's mixtures: the Kentucky Blend. It costs exactly what it should cost: a lower price for a lower qualty tobacco. It's not an undervalued diamond in the ruff, like the Burley Blend happened to be, and that's totally fair.
The best thing about Kentucky Blend is its unique aromatic smoky note that manifests itself here and there in the course of smoking. The note is highly elusive and may come and go at any stage of the smoking process. You'll need to be a kind of aware to not to miss it when it comes up. When I did manage to catch it, I greatly enjoyed that magic whiff of noble leaf. It seems McBaren mixed some of their finest Kentuckies into the blend, which is praiseworthy.
That, however, came at a price. Apparently in order to cut the costs, they put their fine Kentuckies on an obviously cheap and mediocre Virginia base. I got a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste from it, which was steadily increasing towards the end. Bitterness is usually a sign of underfermented green leaf in the mixture, and I afraid that was the case here. As much as I liked the unique smoky aroma, the bitterness was obnoxious enough to keep me off buying this blend again.
The Kentucky Blend may be as good (or even better) as most similar-priced blends from other brands. But I see no reason to return to it when there's much better choise on the same shelf, I mean Amphora Burley Blend.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| mariusK (33) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Manly smoke, but not too strong, just smoky and earthy, very pleasant. Perfect presentation out of the pouch, broken flake, dark and nice. No flavour subtleties, just a good and solid smoke throughout the whole bowl. Don't expect any nuances here. Burns well out of the pouch, no drying needed.
I think it is also a nice blending tobacco. I imagine that adding a bit of it to a Virginia/Latakia blend could result in a nice English. But it is OK to smoke it neat.
Solid work horse, but don't expect any depth here.
Pipe Used: Mastro de Paja
Age When Smoked: new
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| tobaksrøg (53) | |
Very Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Strong |
Another great offering from the Amphora series. Classic kentucky aroma and taste. A tad too strong for my taste, but for the price you just can't complain.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| PipeDragon (44) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Amphora has created quite a reputation for providing high quality and tasty blends at almost OTC prices. While I've smoked quite a lot of blends over the years that contain DFK, this was the first one for me where DFK is the main player.
As with all other Amphora blends, it comes in a pretty rough ready rubbed presentation, so some further rubbing out is a good idea. Didn't came particularly wet, so it could be smoked pretty much straight away. The dark brown, almost black unlit tobacco has a pretty strong odor of that classic smoky, barbecue sauce type of smell that DFK is famous for, with just a barely noticeable hint of Virginia grass.
As with other pressed tobaccos, it may require a bit more doing to get it lit and under control but, once it settles down, it leads to a slow, mostly dry and cool smoke, free from bite and harshness.
The taste carries a very smoky, barbecue-y, saucy, slightly spicy, slightly ketchup-y taste. However, unlike other DFK blends, it doesn't carry the acrid, vinegary taste. In fact, the DFK in this one is pretty tamed. The Virginia remains in the background, providing a sip of dark fruit, grass and a bit of sweetness. It's almost like the salt of this blend; not particularly noticeable, but the blend would not be the same without it.
As always, the strength is very subjective, but this one didn't seem a particularly strong blend to me. It's only in the last third of the bowl that it becomes a bit more potent, but still not enough to knock you off your feet. The taste, on the other hand, is pretty rich and robust, consistent and enjoyable. The room note is pleasant enough and not heavy, nor lingering, though it still might raise a few eyebrows.
Amphora's Kentucky Blend is a solid offering with a pleasant, tasty experience. Might not be an all day smoke for everybody, but it makes for a perfect morning blend with a cup of coffee. It has just enough strength and flavor to get the day going. Probably not suitable for beginners, though it can be a good introductory blend in the world of DFK due to its overall medium strength. Not something that I would reach for often, but enjoyable enough for me to smoke every now and then.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gr8tefuldawg (87) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Amphora- Kentucky Blend I recently purchased this blend from an online retailer while on sale. The pouches arrived in great shape a nice blue pouch.
The pouches have close to 6 months of age on them, for whatever that is worth.
Upon opening I was greeted with a nice tangy vinegar scent, with some bbq and ketchup. This blend can be summed up as St. Bruno ready rubbed without the extra sauce or flavoring.
Smokey, leathery and a bit spice on the taste. Deep rich tones and not to powerful. This is a broken flake more than ready rubbed and will clump together quite easily.
Stuffed it into my MM general and torched it, once started it burned easy and evenly. great flavor overall and worth the discounted price while on sale.
Glad to have bought a few extra pouches.
Pipe Used: MM General
Age When Smoked: 6 months
Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PaulMcCoy (78) | |
Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Smells like BBQ, and ketchup out of the pouch, but doesn’t show up in the taste. Love the price point. Too moist for me out of the pouch, and was a bit finicky keeping lit. The normal rub out, and drying routine worked better for me on future smokes.
Pipe Used: Savinelli 311ks
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Ocelot (33) | |
Extremely Strong | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Very strong tobacco. So strong, I can't really enjoy it. Has natural flavour and big portion of Kentucky and I'm afraid that Kentucky is not the leaf I like. However, it has its own quality and I can imagine there are many pipe smokers that could appreciate it. (Maybe, one day, mee too.)
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pippifein (7) | |
Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
The fresh openend tobacco smells like dark bread, bacon, smoked ham! The texture ist oily, a little bit to humid. In my opinion the tobacco should be aired 20 minutes before be fired. The smoke has aromas of earthy notes and petrol notes and toasted flavors. I dedected gunpowder, dark bread crust, tar. It reminds me to Plasticine a play dough which we used as kids. It also reminds me to the smells of dried sea slugs which are some people use as a souvenir from holidays for decoration at home. Retronasal it is clearly spicy and a prickle in the nose. The tobacco smokes cool even tough it is forced we hard paffs. Overall it is not my cup of tea. I will use it for blending.
Pipe Used: Savinelli 606 KS
Age When Smoked: 50
Purchased From: Local Dealer
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DrT999 (318) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
If you enjoy Kentucky that isn't too harsh, you should enjoy this (unless you need high N). The VA is barely there, but holds the blend together. The broken flakes are truly broken flakes, not thick, sometimes short, ribbons as in some blends listed as such, and fold and stuff easily. Not very complex, but it delivers what it claims. Smokes easy, although I needed to relight a bit more than usual. My only criticism is not the many small bits of stem, or even the thin 1 inch pieces, but a thick stem over 2 inches long was a bit much (hopefully not common in many pouches).
Pipe Used: cobs and briars
Age When Smoked: 2 months after purchase
Purchased From: Mars
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North State (72) | |
Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Strong |
The tobacco is very dark brown, almost black, and quite moist from the pouch; feeling almost greasy to the fingers. It says here "broken flake" but that's more like "half broken"; the main consistency is long strands of flake, and there are even quite large bits of still unbroken pieces of flake within.
Pouch note is that of very full burley, with just a hint of charcoal/barbecue.
Usually needs a bit of rubbing out to pack properly because of the consistency, but lights and burns surprisingly well despite the perceived moisture level. The smoke is VERY thick, fairly strong, and absolutely full of the rich kentucky flavour; it's like smoking a smoky fireplace, or the remains of a burnt-out house. It's not disagreeable at all, but to be honest, it's a tad bit too strong for my tastes to be smoked pure; definitely not an all-day smoke for me, but to be enjoyed occasionally after a good dinner or perhaps having a strong drink as a chaser.
I tried mixing it 1:1 with Everton first, but that's another burley blend so it stayed still a little bit too wholesome; what I think it needs is some pure virginia or perhaps orient to tone it down a bit. Drying out actually seems to make it somewhat mellower and not just too sharp/coarse as seems to happen with many other broken-flake blends.
Like many blends of similar strong taste and consistency, a pouch of this would last me easily 2-3 times as long as a pouch of some milder blend.
Will buy again but only to use as a base for own blends, not for smoking as such. Now, I'm eagerly waiting for Amphora Latakia and Amphora Perique. ;)
Pipe Used: Falcon meerschaum, Chacom, corn cob
Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch
Purchased From: Smoke Shop in Magnolia Park, Wroclaw Poland
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarkTheLad (46) | |
Very Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is a really good blend. It's a little sweet, a little smoky, a little spicy, nutty and just an all around good, easy smoke. I also got a compliment on the room note. It's smokable right out of the pouch, burns easily with few re-lights. I also like to add this as an occasional condiment to straight Virginia to give it a little more depth! If you're a fan of DFK, this might be right up your alley!
Pipe Used: Various
Age When Smoked: Fresh
Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com
Similar Blends: MB Old Dark Fired.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| HeadmasterOfHerf (25) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Like a codger blend, but more so.
Pouch note is straight ketchup.
Broken flake that packs well and smokes like a dream with little to no relights.
Big, brash Kentucky flavors backed by a Virginia twang.
I’d be happy to smoke this daily if it was the only option provided to me.
Pipe Used: Mayfair bulldog
Age When Smoked: 6 months
Purchased From: smokingpipes.com
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Brunello (166) | |
Medium | Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Good stuff! Delicious, hearty, satisfying.
I bought the Amphora sampler set during the last IPSD sales and have just recently gotten around to trying the Kentucky. From the first bowl this has become a part of my permanent rotation. For some reason I didn't have high expectations, possibly because all the dark-fired tobaccos I tried previously I've ended up using only for blending. But the Amphora Kentucky blend, with its base of quality Virginia, makes a fine solo smoke. Perfect for a an after-lunch pick me up on a crisp Autumn afternoon.
Amphora Kentucky completely fills the mouth with flavor, without any harshness. Very slight nic hit evident if smoked on an empty stomach. I do not get any grassy notes despite the base being Virginias (seem to be mostly red Virginia, possibly African grown). If you are generally scared off by dark-fired I will only say that I find this blend much more approachable for a broad range of smokers than a Bob Runowsky creation like Old Joe Krantz. Still, I wouldn't recommend it for the Lane 1-Q smoker.
Naturally I wanted to know how this compared to Amphora Burley, which was previously part of my permanent rotation. In a direct A-B comparison the Burley has a more pronounced earthy potato peel flavor and smoother nutty, retrohale, while Kentucky is less earthy, with something noticeably fruity in the pH tempering sauce (I get star fruit), and a distinctive and pleasant spiciness on the retrohale (I get coriander and tamarind).
I tend to like a lot of variety, but this is one blend that I enjoy having more than one bowl a day. I tried in numerous pipes before settling in on an old Savinelli Capri 625 KS that I've had since 1979, now dedicated to this blend. I guess it finally found its soulmate, lol !
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Sangagor (80) | |
Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Unnoticeable |
Main aroma of fresh tobacco contains moist tar smoky pitch and dried fruit. Need an half of hour before packing, because my sample was too wet. Smoke is tangy, citrusy with hint of mellow fermented hay. Need several relights (mainly because of moisture), leave dottle but with good preparation can burn till the end. I can not help to myself, but very similar was green condor (of course condor contains additional aroma) And I was nicely surprised.
Pipe Used: Jirsa Buldog, BPK
Age When Smoked: 1 year
Purchased From: tobacco shop in Viena
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Poodlejuice (51) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Beautiful dark Broken flake. Smells like BBQ and ketchup. Ready to go immediately.
A few of these amphora blends remind me a lot of the HH line. This one is smack dab between the Burley flake and Old Dark Fired. Very similar Kentucky notes as ODF but toned down a tiny bit, and without any of the sweetness, and a much bigger smooth chocolatey burley presence similar to BF. Very smooth, and rich, but with a medium body and mild to medium strength.
Ready to go out the pouch. Burns effortlessly with few relights and refuses to bite. Enough Kentucky to get my fix without wrecking my palate. This is the true definition of an all-day blend. All I wish is that it was available in bulk or bigger quantities.
Similar Blends: HH burley flake, HH Old Dark Fired.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| the_german (43) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
In the pouch is Mac Baren's typical roughly-rubbed leaf (which other manufacturers would classify as a broken flake rather than ready-rubbed), very dark with a few highlights. The pouch note is smoky and somewhat woodsy.
The handling for the leaf type is normal. Lights up well from the fresh pouch, and benefits from a wide bowl. The flavour is stout, malty-sweet and smoky. I have some dottle left over, at the end, but AKB is mostly well-behaved.
There is not much in the way of refinement or surprises: this is KY-forward, with the according flavour profile. No development to speak of during the smoke, but a lovely smoke from beginning to end.
Pipe Used: MM cobs, Torben Dansk Loki
Age When Smoked: Fresh from new pouch
Purchased From: DanPipe, Germany
Similar Blends: Mac Baren - HH Bold Kentucky.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Tomcat (223) | |
Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Unnoticeable |
Amphora Kentucky-My fourth Amphora blend and they have all been great ! This Kentucky blend is smokey vinegar BBQ like ODF RR with an buttery sweet smoothness like St Bruno RR . Virginias adding a little citrus and hay and maybe a little friutiness and toasty sweetness. Smoking this now in a new cob and it is a true pleasure. Almost has a slight sourness that I admit to enjoying. I may be a little Biased as I like a vabur over a vaper most of the time . Great blend and will Buy more in the future as burleys are the ones I always run low on . 4!stars
Similar Blends: Old Dark Fired , St. Bruno RR.
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