Cascadia Pipe Co. Vertical Limit

I got a few Cascadia tins as a Christmas present, and I was pleasantly surprised. They're not something I would have bought on my own, but I did end up really enjoying them. Opening the Vertical Limit tin... there's a pretty solid brick of tobacco waiting there for you. I had no problem slicing off some flakes, though. Tin note is... sweet, some rich anise smells but also it seems like a bit of fruit. First few puffs... it's a very robust burley blend with some sharp almost cigar-like flavors. JimInks review seems to hit the nail on the head. Nice earthy burley flavor, some spicy and a bit floral Kentuckys... and dark fruit of Virginias further back. Definitely a strong blend. It burns nice and slow, even for a fairly fast smoker like me. The anise flavor did seem to fade quite a bit... but that's ok, because the natural tobacco flavors are powerful.

Bottom line: It's not something I'd smoke every day, but once in a while, it's really a very nice, potent, enjoyable Burley blend.

-=UPDATE=- When I finished the most recent bowl, I updated the strength rating from "strong" to "very strong". Yeah. It's potent stuff.

Tin note of acai berries and mild vegetation. The dark brown tobacco plug is very dense. A sharp knife is needed to cut thin flakes. Rubs out with a little effort. Moisture content is on the dry side. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is strong and nic is strong. Flavoring is medium, with notes of acai, flavoring starts off a little strong but fades to the background. I don't taste the licorice/anise. Taste is full and very consistent, with notes of toast, wood, molasses, sweet bread, earth, floral, quite spicy, mildly bitter nuts, sour vegetation, citrus peel, a mild tart fermented dark fruit background note, and a very peppery retro. Burley is leading with Virginia and Flavoring supporting. Kentucky is half supporting. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is outstanding.

Cascadia Pipe Co makes 3 plug that I’ve tried with this being the strongest by far. It’s good to eat a meal before smoking this or ya might find yourself one-eyed-wondering what the $&@“ just happened….With that being said, this is a very good pipe tobacco not for the faint of heart. Smoky , sweet, earthy, spicy, cool smoking, non biting and very satisfying. If I want to tone it down a bit , I’ll mix it with some straight Virginia flake. I’ll buy this on occasion because I know what I’m getting myself into. Try it and good luck.

Cascadia Pipe Company
Vertical Limit

Vertical limit is a VaBurKy though in terms of the strength profile it would be called a BurKyVa — the burley and dark-fired Kentucky (burley) are clearly in charge. The Virginia can barely be tasted.

Anise (very mild) may be the Ph balancing casing. You might get this from the tin smell. It’s not really present in the smoking.

The burley elements show off earth and wood. Not really creamy. There is a definite sour taste in every puff.

I’m unclear what the goal might have been with this blend. It’s very strong, very full in taste. Strong and functionally bitter burley-centric. On my palate it’s not pleasant.

JackKnife Plug or HH Rustica are equally strong but both have a flavor profile that is inviting. Vertical Limit is strong leaf tossed around like a science experiment.

The brick is difficult to cut up. You will re-light often. Drying time is essential but in a way ineffective if you don’t seriously cut it up beforehand.

I do not care for this very much. And I’m not sure what the point was. Perhaps the blend notes speak to you.

2.5 stars rounded up reluctantly.