Wilke Pipe Tobacco High Hat

Mostly on the darker side ribbon cut full aroma latakia blend. I was under the impression that Syrian latakia was the domain of only a few blenders but the latakia here certainly smelled like Syrian. A nice musty earth-smell in the bag. I smoked about an ounce. It came very wet and I dried it out a bit but it worked best with some moisture - not crispy.

Rather disappointed in this one. I should have read the ingredients before I fired up. Latakia blends without orientals tend to have a dry flavor that doesn't appeal to me much, as I prefer the juiciness that good orientals provide to a blend. This was no exception. As a fan of #400, I was expecting more from this one but it was my own fault for not doing my homework. I found this brooding and slow, bordering on dull, but I did like the latakia flavor, which I would classify as Syrian (there seems to be some debate about that). The burley added an interesting dark toast essence but the sweetness the Virginia should provide was MIA. Instead, I could swear there is some kind of flavoring to this one that I found objectionable. I tasted "sweet" but it was contrived rather than a natural sweetness obtained thru tobacco leaf. Mild complexity in this one but nothing like #400. I've enjoyed the PW&W blends I've smoked in the past but this one falls flat for me. But what the heck, nobody loves everything.

High Hat: daedal, classic, compelling. Tastes vary down the bowl: now the naturally sweet Virginias, then some perique pepper, and often, the nearly chafing bitterness that seems to bottom the Pipeworks and Wilke line. Never dull, this is a quality smoke that ruins my throat. So High Hat will be an occasional pleasure for me. Note that unless you like a strong, pungent smoke, you won't like this one.