Ken Byron Ventures Mind The Gap 2022

The mildly musty sweet Cyprian Latakia provides plenty of smoke, earth, wood, some incense-like herbs, floralness, and light spice as the lead component. The blackened burley cavendish supplies a lot of sugar, nuts, earth, wood, and bread as a supporting player. The Virginias provide some fermented tart and tangy citrus, vegetation, bread, sugar, floralness, grass, mild tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, with light spice. They are right behind the burley cavendish in terms of effect. The fragrant basma and yenidje produce a fair amount of earth, wood, vegetation, herbs, floralness, mild spice, some dry sourness, and light buttery sweetness. They are close to being equal to the Virginias. The apricot, absinthe, fig and blackcurrant toppings mildly tone down the tobaccos. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a notch below that. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough edges. Deeply rich and well balanced with some nuances, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable rate with a very consistent tangy sweet and tartly sour, floral, spicy campfire flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Visual inspection reveals tan, brown and black course cut ribbons. The pouch note is fruity. Moisture is a tad toward the dry side, not sticky. This is a well behaved tobacco, no biting, harshness, bitterness or pipe gurgle. For me the flavor is a very mild apricot with a faint detection of smoky Latakia. A very enjoyable smoke of which I'll be purchasing again as availability allows.