Hearth & Home WhiteKnight 10th Anniversary

The musty, leathery, sweet, incense-like Cyprian Latakia provides a wealth of earth, wood, smoke, vegetation, floralness, and light spice as the lead component. The Orientals and Turkish offer plenty of earth, wood, floralness, herbs, vegetation, some creamy buttery sweetness, dry bitter sourness, incense, and spice as important supporting players. The ten year old bright and darker Virginias produce a fair amount of fermented tart and tangy citrus, earth, wood, bread, floralness, some sugar, vegetation, grass, sour lemon, tangy dark fruit, and touches of vinegar and acidity in the third slot. The strength and taste levels are a couple of steps past the medium threshold. The nic-hit is medium. There’s no hint of bite or harshness though it does have a few rough edges. Deeply rich and nuanced, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent smoky, sweet and bitterly sour, floral, mildly spicy campfire flavor that extends to the moderately lingering savory after taste. The room note is a little stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and doesn’t require many relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Comparing it to the regular WhiteKnight, this blend has more rich depth, body, fermentation (which is not present in the regular WK), and is more sour, floral, and tad less balanced. The tobacco itself is slightly moister than WK, but needs no dry time. Three and a half stars rounded up to four.

-JimInks

Tin note of sour, smoky and tart. Tobacco is a ribbon cut of yellowish tan, brown, dark brown and black. Moisture content is great. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of smoky musty vegetation, floral, tart citrus, spicy/acidic, toasted bread, dry bitter woody, sour vinegary, lemon peel/zest, leather, spices, buttery, herbal incense, a peaty fermented grass background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish supporting. Virginias are phoning it in. Room note is tolerable and aftertaste is great.