Ken Byron Ventures Moriarty 2020

(2.00)
Four blackened tobaccos with streaks of fragrant African shag. Three distinct blackened varietals (Kentucky, Virginia, burley) cased lightly with a mix of traditional flavors. Condimental African varietals of Virginia and burley in shag form. The blackened Orientals (Latakia) are used lightly in the Scottish tradition, but this mixture defies classification.

Details

Brand Ken Byron Ventures
Blended By Ken Byron
Manufactured By Ken Byron Ventures
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Burley, Kentucky, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate, Vanilla
Cut Shag
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.00 / 4
0

1

2

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 16, 2020 Mild to Medium Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
So, I’m only the second person to review this blend, after JimInks. That’s a hard act to follow. But here goes nothing. This tobacco isn’t anywhere near as complex as his review. Not only is it not complex, it’s generic and boring to the point of Captain Black. When I received this in the foil bag, it was sopping wet. After one bowl, I set it away for 5 months in its original packaging. Today I pulled out the bag and packed a bowl in my 673. The bag note was wonderful. The tobacco was at perfect moisture. The bowl burned flawless with great smoke output, few relights and the pipe stayed dry. That’s where the good ends, and the meh begins. The Latakia in this is very, very soft, and only leaves you with a slightly smoky aftertaste at best. Which is odd, because the tobacco is almost all black. The only other leaf detectable is a very basic burley and Virginia taste that most pipe smokers would relate to an OTC or inexpensive aromatic tobacco. The topping, after 5 months in the bag, was not offensive. It was not sugar sweet, and leaned more towards herbal and mild flowers. The room note was probably this blends best quality. Who knows. Maybe that’s what the blender was aiming for. The problem with the Ken Byron blends (in my humble opinion), is that they list a wonderful and exotic combination of tobaccos in their description, and the taste just doesn’t deliver. I love his packaging and the jar labels. The flat cost including shipping is really easy. But the experience I have had when it comes to Ken Byron is that his blends end up muddled and washed out. His product is marketed as ‘exotic’ aromatics, but they really just end up being big disappointments.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 14, 2020 Medium to Strong Mild to Medium Medium to Full Pleasant
The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component by a small margin. The various non-stoved African Virginias and Malawi burley offer a lot of earth, nuts and wood, bread, some fermented tangy dark fruit with a little tart and tangy, sugary citrus and cocoa along with strong floral, vegetative, herbal notes, and a few pinches of spice. They play a close second place as well as above their percentage in the mix. The earthy, woody, herbal, vegetative, floral, toasty, lightly sugary, slightly spicy, stewed nutty Kentucky is in a potent secondary position. The fermented, sugary stewed, tangy dark fruity, earthy, woody, bready, stoved Virginia participates in a lesser support role. The dark chocolate and vanilla toppings moderately sublimate and smooths out most of the rough edges. The strength is a step over the medium threshold, while the taste is a rung higher. The nic-hit is close to the medium mark. No chance of bite or harshness. A mildly moist shag cut, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. It has a complex, slightly inconsistent, deeply rich, sweet and moderately floral, savory, light campfire flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste, and sweeter room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Not an all day smoke, but those experienced in stronger blends will find it easily repeatable. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 07, 2020 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
I was given a two-bowlful sample from a friend of mine a few weeks ago and just got around to trying it. My batch was about 50% brown shag and the rest black torn bits of tobacco. While smoking it, I detected what I am guessing is a fair dose of vanilla. Not a bad blend but for me too typical of other vanilla type aromatics. Glad to try, but would not purchase. Nice aro but nothing exceptional to me.
Pipe Used: Peterson's Dublin Poker
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 07, 2020 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Ok so I’m somewhere between the previous two reviews on this one. I do feel like everything was a bit muddled for me, didn’t detect the aromatic flavors, to me it was a run of the mill Scottish mixture, similar to, but not as good as Red Rapparee or Squadron Leader. I didn’t love it or hate it, just ok. I have liked some of the other stuff from KBV, but I probably won’t get this one again.
Pipe Used: Meerschaum Billiard
PurchasedFrom: Ken Byron Ventures
Age When Smoked: Fresh (set out to dry for 15 minutes or so)
8 people found this review helpful.
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