Mild-to-medium flavorful English with a pointed but not obtuse, bulbous Latakian nose. VA, burley, light sprinkling of perique. Serious, well-mannered in an old-fashioned way; not sweet. Well repeatable throughout the day.
The smoky, woody, earthy, musty, sweet Cyprian Latakia may be the lead component, but it gets plenty of support from the other tobaccos. The very nutty, earthy, woody, slightly spicy, molasses sweet burley sits in the second slot in the proceedings. The grassy, citrusy, lightly dark fruity, woody Virginia is in third place. The effect of the sugary black cavendish is very obvious as it tamps down many of the potential rough edges that Latakia can supply. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste almost reaches the medium mark. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool and clean at a moderate rate with a very consistent sweet and savory, nutty campfire flavor that also translates to the lightly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. An all day smoke with some depth and a little complexity.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Remembering from the blends I've smoked, and thinking of flavors and aromas similar to Gentry Royal Blend #2, I was reminded of No. 72 and C&D's Virginia Gentleman. The smoke is mellow enough that I don't mind smoking it every day, and although there is no oriental leaf in the blend, it smells and hints as if oriental leaf has been mixed in. The sweetness of the blend comes from Virginia and can be felt there. As with No. 193, there is no consistent taste from start to finish, except for the grassy sweetness of the Virginia, and at times the Burley, and then the Latakia. The blend is complex, but the Black Cavendish makes it a mellow blend. If you're looking for someone to marry, I think this beautiful blend of gems would be a candidate, as well as the blends shown above. Ah, delicious.
I have known about WILKE tobaccos since early '90s while visiting NYC . I had tried HIGH HAT and 13 . I discovered there online presence and placed an order earlier this year. I really like this blend and will be ordering more soon . very easy to keep lite and even flavor all the way down the bowl .
Sweet and mild, black Cavendish and good Virginias, Burley toastiness, and some Latakia give it a pleasing complexity. Burley and Virginia also give it a little touch of nicotine, probably around the medium mark in terms of strength. Burns cool, and very well, can usually do a full bowl without a single relight. An object lesson in blending, with the untopped Cavendish holding the whole smoke together. This was about the sweetest of the Wilkie non-aro blends that I have smoked; at first, I thought it was a bit too lightweight for my taste, especially as I love the incense-like complexity of Crystal Palace, but I am finding myself drawn to it more and more often. The second half of the bowl especially blends well, touches of that burley nuttiness, and a bit of the smoky latakia weaving in and out. HU, Peretti, and Wilke are really ruining me for the usual tinned suspects, as I've had a number of disappointments lately in the more commonly available tobaccos.
Pipe Used: Petes and Savs
Age When Smoked: freshly delivered to a few months old
Individual reviews are the opinion(s) of the contributor and do not reflect the opinion(s)
of STC Holdings LLC. Published review content of this website is considered the
copyright intellectual property of the reviewer and STC Holdings LLC and may not be
reproduced in any manner without the expressed written consent of STC Holdings LLC.