From the DanPipe website: As a smooth, palatable Virginia Ready Rubbed Flake, The Mallard has found many friends since its introduction in 2007. Now we have added a good pinch of perique to the composition of Zambia and Mysore and pressed this tobacco into a flake.
The Mallard without Perique is too one-dimensional for me, but I like this somewhat "tuned" tobacco very much. The cold smell reminds me of fresh baker's bread.
When smoking, you clearly notice the Perique, the fine tingle. The Virginias are not really sweet, rather spicy, which in my opinion complements the Perique very well. The tobacco starts quite light, but this changes in the course, so that it goes at the end of the pipe bowl already in the direction of medium strong, if not even a little above.
For me, a successful enrichment in the Dan Tobacco assortment.
Presentation: In classic Dan Tobacco fashion, the flakes are stuck on top each other, making it nearly impossible to pick a single one up. Brown to golden in colour, with a few darker specs. The tin note is primarily of sour, fermented perique, tingling the nose along with some dates. There is also some hay and citrus from the virginias.
Flavour: The perique is moderately spicy, with a little fermentation and far less dates and prune. The virginias offer a fair amount of honey, hay, some citrus sweetness and minor earth and wood notes. They also have a tangy aspect, but it is rather constrained. I also get some sort of herb, probably thyme. Overall the taste is consistent and mild to medium in strength. The perique is in the background, always noticeable, playing off the virginia sweetness. It is not complex, but it has no dull moments and it doesn't get boring.
Burn: The flakes come in good humidity and their brittle nature makes them easy to fold or rub out. No need for drying time. They light up fairly easily and it requires minimal relights. There is no tongue bite, even if pushed, but you will feel a tingle while doing so. It burns slowly and rather cool to a white ash, with very little moisture left behind. It is just a hair above mild in nicotine. Can be an all day smoke, certainly repeatable.
I had heard great things about this blend and it didn't quite live up to the expectations. In any case, it remains a very enjoyable VaPer, with an emphasis on the Va part. Presentation could be better, as all the flakes are stuck together.
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