Tobacconist Reserve Ltd. Virginia Blend

This tobacco is a product of Mac Baren / Sutliff. As such, the flakes are similar in dimension to other Mac Baren flakes, like Navy Flake, except they are roughly 4 times as thick -- about 1/4" or 6mm. This is typical of a crumble cake. While in flake form, the tobacco feels fairly dry, but once rubbed out, the tobacco is surprisingly moist. I prefer to dry most of my tobacco somewhat before smoking, but found this was ready to smoke straight from the tin.

The appearance is mottled with the majority of the tobacco being a rich, medium-dark brown. The tin note is quite grassy and reminds me of dry hay. Once rubbed out, few threads exceed 1/2". The original ribbon-cut, prior to pressing into cakes, appears to have been similar to the thickness of standard Mac Baren flakes, which I was classify as medium-fine. It did not crumble into dusty pieces, which sometimes makes crumble cakes a nuisance.

In my meerschaum pipe, I found it to be pleasantly tangy with nicely-balanced moderate Virginia sweetness. I detected no obvious flavoring. The natural flavor was remarkably consistent throughout the bowl. The grassy aroma in the tin was muted in the smoke, presenting more as a pleasant woody/nutty flavor , with little to no fruity flavors. Although it burned hot, it did not tend to bite. Few relights were required.

Overall, I enjoyed this tobacco. It lacks a distinctive character that would draw me to it time and time again, but I would be happy smoking this anytime. As such, it would not make a list of my favorite tobaccos, but it is quite pleasant.