Ken Byron Ventures Anne Cap 2022

The Izmir and Samsun provide plenty of smoke, earth, wood, incense, leather, herbs, vegetation, floralness, dry sour sharpness, tingly spice, and very light sweetness as the lead components. The sugary black burley cavendish adds a little smoothing sweetness. The ginger and lime toppings sublimate the tobaccos a tad more than the previous productions though they continually allow the tobaccos to have their say. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are a step past the medium mark. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it is a tad rougher than before due to the potent Izmir. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent tartly sweet and sour, floral, savory, mildly spicy, slightly bitter flavor that extends to the pleasantly long lasting after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. The room note is a notch more pungent than the 2021 production. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. A stronger flavored, more tartly, zesty, sour version of the original Anne Cap. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks