Erik Stokkebye Small Batch Peaty Kentucky

Out of the box, a tightly twisted rope. Darker in color in the middle and lighter on the outside. Of course, as all have said, way to much emphasis on presentation & appearance. But, the tobacco is very pleasent to look at which does lend to some excitement of what is to come. I feel many of rated lower because of cost and over extended presentation. I wonder if that is a fair analysis of the tobacco. Overall, it was a good/very good smoke.

Tin Note: Simplistic. Virginias. Very slight smoky hints. Grassy. slightly sweet. Slight citrus. I almost, at first, wondered if it was topped...but definitely not.

Smoking: Started out pretty monolithic. Rough retro-hale. But simple grassy citrusy virginias. Not much to bock at. Was hoping for more Kentucky in my peaty kentucky tobacco. As the smoke continued a lot more started to come out for me though. There were a few moments in the smoke that I had a very forward bbq/smokey flavor come through. Those Kentucky hits were pleasing and but caught me off guard for how absent they seemed mostly. The virginias really developed nicely. Became very sweet & layered in flavor. Towards the end everything was quit uniform. The kentucky was present, the virginias were present. Everything molded into a very enjoyable experience. In retrospect I can see how each bowl of this could be different from the last. The blending in the rope is pretty sporadic. But, in the end the retro smoothed out. The flavors smoothed out. The flavor developed very well. I was very much enjoying the last third of the bowl. This is not worth the $30 price tag though. I hope the blender/seller sees all the comments about that...get rid of the boxes and fancy packaging and tin a tobacco that people can boast about from start to finish. I've seen a number of youtube reviews that comment on the "made in china" stickers...for me, wanting to build the U.S. economy, this certainly doesnt give me warm fuzzies. But, its a danish blender...I can't bock at were they get their packaging materials from.

Room note: not much to be said here...my cats ended up in the other room. Not sure what that tells you.

In the end, I would say, if you have money to throw at this, go for it. Otherwise, maybe look for your kentucky fix through another source.

Montgomery on steriods.

Discs pack and burn easily. On dry side. Not sweetened.

Flavor bit citrusy but ramped up with Kentucky. More of a plain, natural Flavor. Ready to smoke upon opening. Not barbecue taste as old dark fired.

Not too spicy until bottom.

Package fancy but not for term storage.

Recommended for those who like rustica, silver flake, etc.

The presentation is great, the outer cardboard cover (with the warning labels) means that the presentation box itself is label free. It's sealed with plastic wrap not like a tin. The small box is supposed to be a humidor, will keep it fresh if you are careful to keep it closed for a limited amount of time. Not for long-term storage.

The coins are very similar looking to the MacBaren coins such as the recent vanilla roll or Three Nuns. Most of the coins have light wrapper (VA) with dark centers. A few of them are lighter than others. The "box note" to me is earthy with a little grass. They are dry enough to smoke without drying. I fold them up in the bowl with one shredded on top to allow for lighting.

Smoking I found that the VA wrapper sweetness seems to carry through the blend. The KY centers add some nuttiness to my taste but not the "Bold" flavor say of Old Dark Flake. It's a pretty consistent smoke bowl to bowl, but will change a little depending on the make-up of the flakes you choose.

It's a good smoke with a decent nic kick to my tolerance. I usually smoke it in the evenings paired with some bourbon or rum. It's not exciting enough to be an all day smoke and honestly it is too expensive to do that with anyways.

Much like going to a bar and getting a shot of some top-shelf bourbon, this one is not something that price-point wise (even if not a limited edition) would be in my regular rotation.

Peppery? A touch of mesquite? yes. Spicy? maybe. Peaty? not as such. Overall, a very nice VA/KY combination, with coins that actually hold together until you are ready to either fold-&-stuff or rub-out (unlike my experience with most other coins/roll cakes, etc.). A solid 'recommend' for the blend, but not worth the premium price for the packaging/limited edition. If this cost the same and was as available as blends like 3 Nuns Green, I'd rebuy.