Ken Byron Ventures Meditations

The various, mixed cut, fermented, darkened Virginias provide a lot of zesty tart and tangy citrus, grass, vegetation, mild tangy darker fruit, earth, wood, sugar, floralness, a couple pinches of spice, and a hint of smokiness. The raisiny, plumy, earthy, woody, mildly spicy perique is a supporting player. The absinthe and apple cider vinegar casings mildly tone down and compliment the tobaccos. The strength just crosses over the medium threshold. The taste is a full step past the medium mark. The nic-hit is almost medium. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, and has small hints of rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent sweet, mildly spicy, floral, rather smooth flavor that extends to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and easily repeatable for the less experienced. Three stars.

-JimInks

This one wowed me regardless of one’s viewpoint on aromatics. This is a great quality blend with what I detected as an anise flavor, maybe from the Absinthe which I found out upon further researching. “There are only two absinthes in existence that contain anywhere near pre-ban levels of thujone (100+ mg/l). Those absinthes are King Gold Absinthe and Century Absinthe” https://www.originalabsinthe.com/buy-real-absinthe-online. “Thujone is a terpene compound present in an infamous and well-used plant, Artemisia absinthium, or Wormwood, a source of medicine, drunkenness, and psychedelic experiences for centuries.”https://sites.evergreen.edu/plantchemeco/thujone-psychedelic-potent-cancer-treatment-or-poison/. One of the fun parts about trying new blends is discovering more about the ingredients that are used for flavoring. Regardless this would be a definite repeat but alas I have gone too far down the absinthe rabbit hole to purchase any more pipe tobacco. Maybe someone will hear my maddening cries and bestow upon me this fine blend if you would be so kind. Anyway, all kidding aside this is a different pleasant smoke and I would highly recommend it. A big thanks to a fellow pipe club member for bringing it in.

I’ll chime in since this one only has two other reviews. 🙂 Here’s an aromatic for those who don’t necessarily like aromatics. The base tobacco notes are certainly present: tart and tangy, citrusy Virginia, and the stone fruit essence from the perique. The toppings are apparently absinthe and apple vinegar, and they do overtake the tobacco a bit. I get that sweet vinegary flavor in every puff. Almost like a good balsamic. Easy to light and keep lit. It was a bit dry when I received it (a sample in a Ziploc), and I’m guessing it started out with more moisture. If so, then drying a bit may help as this seems perfect. The smoke is rich and plentiful. Zero bite, easy going. And the flavor is really very nice. Another winner from KBV!