Watch City Cigar Justice Mixture

Ranges from dark brown to black with a very faint bag aroma of gingerbread. Basic ribbon cut. Taste-wise, this one is very different from what I'm used to. It strikes me as a crossover, and is more crossover than anything in my memory. By that I mean it leans in neither the aromatic nor non-aromatic direction but lands squarely in the middle. There is latakia but it is subdued. The oriental Cavendish is indeed that... both oriental and Cavendish. Most of the time I'm tasting the Cavendish up front, but that may be simply because flavorings often take the lead for me when their inclusion is more than just a hint (that's a personal thing).

I don't taste the gingerbread I smelled in the bag, but there is a definite Cavendish-type sweetness with some oriental sweetness as well. The latakia spice allows this one to strike a balance and keeps it from going overboard towards the sweet, but the blend never really leans towards "smoky" or any other overused latakia descriptor. The blend hits me as kind of an envelope-pusher and I struggled to find the best pipe and method to smoke this, so it took me awhile to get a handle on it. I think the very sense of balance it toes is what threw me. I'm not a big crossover fan but this would be the one I'd recommend to smokers of basic goopy aromatics that want to take a step towards better quality leaf without going too far afield. Once again, Ernie Q's vision is enticing and innovative. It is a recommended blend - it's just not in my personal wheelhouse... more compelling from a respect standpoint than one of personal love.

Justice Mixture is an interesting blend of dark ribbons with a just a few tan ribbons mixed in. The pouch scent is mildly smokey with a touch of sweet. The blender's description is dead on as the Oriental Cavendish is not nearly as sweet as Cavendish's found in aromatic blends. It needs a fair amount of dry time for my taste; Justice Mixture is best described as a lightly aromatic Balkan blend. I believe that some McClelland blending tobacco can be found in the blend. The flavor profile reminds me a bit of Frog Morton on the Town although I think JM is a better blend. My wife, an occasional pipe smoker, lists JM as her favorite Balkan blend. It also has more strength in the nic department too. It smokes cool and smooth. If you are a fan of Balkan's with some sweetness or are looking to cross over into Balkan style blends, Justice Mixture would make a fine choice. Recommended.

Short, dark chunks and some thin long ribbon mixed together.

Beautiful aroma, smoky, spicy, and a sweetness (from the cavendish and/or light handed top dressing?) that comes across like a red VA of the McClelland variety. There's a notable hint of cinnamon. No idea if it's a cased or top-dressed; with cavendish involved, I suppose it could be either?

Came pretty moist. Gave it a bit of drying time (only about 15-20 minutes) in the pipe and it only took one match to get through the entire bowl. Nice smoke.

The flavor starts out with woodsy/campfire notes, which darted in and out through most of the bowl, then something like cinnamon-and dark-chocolate Raisinets took center stage through the first two thirds. Nice cigarette tang from the orientals now and then. My first impression when smoking this is that I've found a new best friend.

However, I get just a couple of sour notes as I near the end of the bowl. Not sure what that is. If not for that, I'd give it four stars in a heartbeat.

Only other caveat is that it doesn't like to be pushed, at least in my experience. (I've only used one shape of pipe so far.) Watch your cadence, and hopefully you won't get any of the end-of-bowl "intrigue" that I do.

This is a very enjoyable English/oriental mix for latakia fans. 3 stars.

The Latakia is front and center and the Cavendish gives the blend a smooth finish. The bowl smokes smooth throughout and burns to fine white ash. I personally give this mix 3 stars because the Cavendish becomes too predominant for me as the bowl progresses. I prefer Watch City's N'oreaster which is somewhat similar to Justice.

Still, Justice mixture is a very enjoyable blend.

Though the Watch City blends I've tried lack a certain refinement, their overall complexion is very good and agreeable. They all seemed to be steam-cased, which helps to eliminate any trace of tongue-bite, but which also creates a very strong cavendished under taste that, in my opinion, is not always successful. Justice Mixture, however, seems to be an exception.

Rich and full of flavor (the Perique has been added with a very light hand), its components are not as bitter-sweet as in Deep Elm or Persian Sleeper. Mild to medium in strength, this blend smokes perfectly well, with the strong and potent aroma associated with Latakias and Orientals, but the Perique here seems to give it a liveliness and piquancy that truly sets it apart from its other siblings. I would go as far as to compare JM with a light form of Nightcap, at least in the flavor department. It doesn't have not same strength nor the same leaf quality, but it does have a similar air.

A good, honest mixture, flavorful, lively and easy to smoke.